A young Town U18 side fell to a 3-2 defeat to their Leyton Orient counterparts this afternoon afternoon at Playford Road. A hat-trick from Harrison Georgiou cancelled out strikes from Town's Jack Marriott and Omar Sowunmi (pictured) in front of watching first-team staff Chris Hutchings and Sean McCarthy.
Marriott gave Town the perfect start after seven minutes when he curled home a freekick from 20 yards out which gave the keeper no chance.
However, two minutes later Georgiou equalised for the visitors with a low shot that squirmed under keeper Michael Crowe after the ball had been given away in defence.
Shaun Meikle's effort was comfortably gathered, before Matt Clarke's header from a Jack Willbye corner was hacked off the line.
On 27 Orient took the lead when Sowunmi gave the ball straight to Georgiou, who coolly cut inside and stroked the ball into the net.
Crowe denied Georgiou a first-half hat-trick when the Norweigan keeper blocked at the diminutive striker's feet.
Three minutes before the interval Town equalised. The visitors' defence failed to clear Tom Winter's cross and Sowunmi rose highest to head the ball in.
Two minutes after the break, Clarke should have given Town the lead when he met Winter's corner, but his header went over from a good position.
Elyon Egbeku flashed a shot just wide for the Londoners in a second half which was disrupted due to numerous substitutions from both sides.
The final action of the match came in the last minute when Clarke's tackle in the box saw the ball fall kindly to Georgiou, who passed the ball into the net for his hat-trick.
Winter again looked impressive up front, while Sowunmi made some good tackles at the back, alongside young schoolboy George Fowler who also stood out.
U18s: Crowe, Robinson (Emanuel 73), Clarke, Acott (Benyu 37), Fowler, Sowunmi, Meikle, Bishop (Galvin 46), Winter (Ramadan 61), Marriott (Ellis 46), Willbye.
Report and photo: James Ager