Gillingham 2 Leyton Orient 0: Alex MacDonald and Cheye Alexander on target as Omar Beckles sent off for the League 2 leaders before powercut briefly halted play at Priestfield

Gillingham claimed a win at Priestfield to seal their League 2 safety in a match that was held up by a powercut.

Alex MacDonald put Gillingham ahead from a free-kick after visiting defender Omar Beckles had been sent off for a professional foul early on. Cheye Alexander added a second from the penalty spot before the lights briefly went out at Priestfield. Leyton Orient’s promotion was confirmed before play resumed.

Gillingham lined up unchanged from the team who started at the weekend against promotion-seeking Stockport. Neil Harris’ men impressed in a 1-1 draw and it meant returning striker Oli Hawkins had to make do with a place on the bench.

It looked like it might have been a long night for the Gills as Orient started the game in control, passing the ball around well and limiting the hosts to very little. It all changed with 14 minutes gone.

A long punt forward from the Gills keeper Glenn Morris was flicked on to George Lapslie and when he burst through on goal, defender Omar Beckles’ decision to take him down led to an early dismissal.

Orient were a man down and Gills made them pay from the free-kick too as MacDonald whipped it into the bottom corner to compound the visiting side’s frustration.

The league leaders were losing the plot as their captain Darren Pratley went into the book for a foul and the manager Richie Wellens was cautioned by the referee for dissent. Forward Paul Smyth also picked up a yellow card for a foul.

Shortly after the goal the Gills got into another good position, when Tom Nichols played Dom Jefferies in down the side but the shot was high and wide.

Orient’s early dominance had evaporated as the Gills dictated the tempo for the rest of the half. Rob Hunt was also booked before the break as