Orient’s second tour of Dublin took place on 26th/27th February 2026 and on the weekend where Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians clashed in the League of Ireland, Orient faced both clubs.

Orient 2 - Rovers 1 (Jackson, Lillington)
Orient headed to Shamrock Rovers for the first set of games on a large pitch with low goals and small areas. Starting with Weston in goal, Vincent Dooley and Haley in defence, a midfield of Clancy, Jackson, and Umfreville with Lillington up front. Orient kicked off, released Jackson on the right hand side who smashed the ball into the net. One nil to the Orient! It felt it would be a goal fest, but the game settled with Orient making much of the play and Rovers defending. However against the run of play, Rovers equalised. Unperturbed, Orient pressed on and deservedly went ahead with Lillington’s 100th goal for the Os. A excellent performance to start the tour.

Weston, Haley, Dooley V, Clancy, Umfreville, Jackson, Lillington.

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Orient 1- Rovers 1 (Lillington)
For the second game, Weston, Clancy and Jackson were replaced by Peter Dooley, Ken Gannon and Peter Gannon. Umfreville took on the unfamiliar central midfield role. Again Orient dominated proceedings and were soon ahead thanks to the ever reliable Lillington. As the game looked to be heading to an inevitable victory, a poorly defended corner allowed Rovers to equalise with less than a minute remaining. A disappointing result given how well Orient had played.

Dooley P, Haley, Dooley V, Gannon K, Umfreville, Gannon P, Lillington.

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Orient 1- Rovers 2 (Lillington)
The final game against Rovers saw Weston back in goal, Clancy replacing the other Dooley brother at the back and Jackson taking on the central midfield role from Umfreville. A poor start allowed Rovers to take the lead as their striker was presented with an unmissable goal. Orient soon found their feet and were awarded a free kick from which Haley set Lillington up for an unstoppable equaliser. Orient were dominating but a rare Rovers attack saw a shot hit Haley outside the area. Unfortunately, Weston had already dived to his left and the ball trickled inside the other post. Orient pushed for the equaliser in vain but it was not to be.

Weston, Haley, Clancy, Gannon K, Jackson, Gannon P, Lillington.

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The following morning with a few aching limbs and heads, the Os headed off to Dublin 7 to play Bohemians. The most notable thing was the scale of the pitch which was less than half the size of the Shamrock Rovers pitch but again it was seven a side. The Bohs looked to be a more formidable outfit with an ex-Irish international and FAI hall of fame inductee in their starting line up (more to follow).

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Orient 1 - Bohs 0 ( Lillington)
Starting with the same line up as the Shamrock Rovers fixtures, Orient settled quickly into their play and were passing the ball rapidly around the Bohs. There were numerous goal scoring opportunities before Clancy threaded a ball through to Lillington on the edge of the area who swiftly turned and shot the Os into the lead. Without too much jeopardy, the Os saw the game out for a single goal victory.

Weston, Haley, Dooley V, Clancy, Umfreville, Jackson, Lillington.

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Orient 0 - Bohs 3
Dooley P, Gannon K and Gannon P came in for Weston, Haley and Jackson with Clancy moving into defence alongside Dooley V, and Umfreville back in central midfield after his excellent performance the day before. Unfortunately, disaster quick struck early. Dooley P was too busy worrying about the defence on his right and let a soft trickle of an effort in on his left. Putting his hand up for the error, he asked to be substituted! Weston came on. In chasing the equaliser, the generally good play of the Os in the previous four games dissipated, with errors that ultimately led to the Bohs scoring another couple of goals.

Dooley P (Weston), Dooley V, Clancy, Umfreville, Gannon K, Gannon P, Lillington

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Orient 1 - Bohs 1 (Gannon P)
The final game saw Weston restored to keeper with Lillington and Clancy on the sidelines. Once again, chaos ensued with Orient being continually pulled out of position. As changes were considered, Ken Gannon took the ball on the left hand side of the pitch and he provided a Liam Brady-esque assist for his brother Peter to run onto and to give the Os the lead. (yes he did run as there wasn’t a single running offence given all day!). After their decisive contribution, the Gannon brothers were replaced by Clancy and Lillington for the final 15 minutes. With the Os in the lead the team held firm and dominated with Jackson tearing up and down the right wing and making life difficult for the Bohs. With seconds on the clock, there was a defensive mix up. Haley looked to have dealt with it but was felled by a challenge by the Bohs striker, and as he lay prone on the ground when the game should have been stopped, the ball squirmed loose and Bohs got an undeserved equaliser. No surprise as the only free kick given all day was against Lillington when he tangled with the ex- Ireland international who he took a shine to. If only VAR could have come to the rescue.

Weston, Haley, Dooley V, Jackson, Umfreville, Gannon K (Clancy), Gannon P (Lillington)

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Overall, this was a very satisfactory trip to Dublin. Some excellent play from the Os who quickly adapted to the running and tackling that dominated the games. A lack of concentration cost the Os a couple of victories, though the standard of refereeing was not what we expect in London/Essex with lots of tackling from behind (along with fouls) permitted along with continuous running. We all have a few bruises and knocks that attest to the competitive nature of the game in Ireland. Many thanks to the two Peters who helped to bolster the squad, and many thanks to everyone who came along and contributed to a very enjoyable weekend. The team spirit was superb, so much so the Travelodge ran out of Guinness by Saturday afternoon. Also we would like to thank Shamrock Rovers and Bohemians for hosting us and being very friendly off the pitch. A little too much in the case of Julian, but maybe we will be cordially invited back to Dublin in the not too distant future.

PS ex Irish international was Linda Gorman https://www.fai.ie/latest/hall-of-famer-linda-gorman-is-dreaming-of-world-cup-glory-for-ireland/

PPS the cafe at Bohs training ground was called the Mad Brothers, but not sure if that was in honour of the Dooley or the Gannons ;-)