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Leyton Orient promoted to League One in bizarre circumstances

:Headline: Leyton Orient promoted to League One in bizarre circumstances:
Leyton Orient win promotion to League One in bizarre circumstances, with their place in the third tier being confirmed while they were off the pitch after a floodlight failure.
Sports Mole

Leyton Orient have been promoted to League One in bizarre circumstances despite losing 2-0 to Gillingham at Priestfield Stadium this evening.

Richie Wellens's side went into Tuesday's match with matters in their own hands and knowing that victory over their hosts would guarantee them a place in the third tier for the first time since 2015.

However, they trailed 2-0 and had a numerical disadvantage when the floodlights failed in their match, forcing the players to be taken off the pitch, and their promotion was confirmed while they were still in the dressing room waiting for their own game to resume.

The match eventually began again after a lengthy stoppage before finishing 2-0, although by that stage defeat for Bradford City against Swindon Town had confirmed Orient's promotion from League Two.

Omar Beckles was given his marching orders after only 14 minutes for a late challenge on George Lapslie to give Orient an uphill battle early on, and their task was made even tougher when Alex Macdonald broke the deadlock for Gillingham from the resulting free kick.

The visitors' struggles to find an equaliser left them looking for favours elsewhere in the league, with even defeat being enough if either Northampton Town or Bradford City also lost.

Orient's own end of the bargain slipped further away when Gillingham were awarded a penalty 15 minutes from time, with another Macdonald free kick proving costly as it struck a hand in the penalty area.

Cheye Alexander stepped up to take the penalty, and made no mistake to effectively put the game to bed on the night and inflict just a fifth defeat of season on the leaders.

The drama was not over there, though, as a local power cut saw the floodlights fail 10 minutes from time, forcing the officials to bring a halt to the game and take the players back into the dressing room.

During that time, Bradford then fell behind against Swindon Town, and the lengthy stoppage at Priestfield, coupled with Bradford's inability to get back into their game, meant that Leyton Orient's promotion was confirmed before they re-emerged from the tunnel to resume their match.

Wellens's men unsurprisingly saw out the game with little ambition to push for a win, knowing that even the loss left them with an unassailable lead over those outside the top three.

Orient will now set their sights on winning the title, with a commanding seven-point lead over their closest challengers.

Gillingham, meanwhile, secured their Football League status for another season with the surprise victory, moving 12 points clear of the relegation zone with only three games remaining. body check tags ::

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Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CPortsmouth462813578413797
2Derby CountyDerby462881078374192
3Bolton WanderersBolton462512986513587
4Peterborough UnitedPeterborough462591289612884
5Oxford UnitedOxford Utd4622111379562377
6Barnsley4621131282641876
7Lincoln CityLincoln4620141265402574
8Blackpool4621101565481773
9Stevenage4619141357461171
10Wycombe WanderersWycombe461714156055565
11Leyton Orient461811175355-265
12Wigan AthleticWigan462010166356762
13Exeter CityExeter461710194661-1561
14Northampton TownNorthampton46179205766-960
15Bristol Rovers46169215268-1657
16Charlton AthleticCharlton461120156465-153
17Reading461611196870-253
18Cambridge UnitedCambridge461212223961-2248
19Shrewsbury TownShrewsbury46139243567-3248
20Burton Albion461210243967-2846
21Cheltenham TownCheltenham46128264165-2444
RFleetwood TownFleetwood461013234972-2343
RPort Vale461011254174-3341
RCarlisle UnitedCarlisle4679304181-4030
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