Paul Thirlwell again took charge of Town in the absence of Simon Weaver, who is still isolating because of the Covid 19 virus.
For Town,Aaron Martin and Dan Jones made the starting line up,while Tom Walker and Warren Burrell found themselves on the subs bench.
After a cagey start,it was Town who posed the first threat and home keeper,Lawrence Vigouroux,had to dive at Martin’s
Feet to prevent the Town striker from scoring from Ryan Fallowfield’s cross.
Although Town were taking the game to Orient,it was the O’s who hit the visitors on the counter after 18 minutes,
when Conor Wilkinson’s ball behind the Town defence was driven low past James Belshaw.
Soon afterwards,Wilkinson tested Belshaw again, but this time the keeper managed to turn the ball for a corner.
Unfortunately for Town,Johnson struck again on the half hour when he hit a superb half volley past Belshaw from an acute angle.
Territorially,the game had been even,but Town’s inability to convert possession into goals was the difference between the teams.
At the break,Burrell was introduced to replace Jake Lawlor and soon Town had the ball in the net only for it to be ruled out for a foul on the keeper by George Thomson.
Town continued to compete,but on 73 minutes the game was put beyond their reach when a corner found Johnson unmarked at the far post and he headed in to complete his hat trick.
Town slipped to 14th in the table,but they have an early opportunity to resume winning ways,when they visit Mansfield Town on Tuesday evening,K O 7pm.
Town,
Belshaw,Fallowfield,Jones,Falkingham,Thomson,Martin(Stead 60),Lawlor(Burrell 45),Kiernan(Walker 84),Kerry(Kirby 60),Muldoon,Hall.
Unused subs,Cracknell,Lokko. Booked Burrell,Jones.
Leyton Orient,
Vigouroux,Ling,Widdowson,Cisse,Happe,Coulson,McAnuff(Dayton 78),Wilkinson(Dennis 82),
Brophy(Maguire-Drew 82),Kyprianou(Wright 87),Johnson.
Unused subs,Sargeant,Thomas,Akinola.
Scorer,Johnson 18,31,73. Booked Coulson,Widdowson.
Referee,N Hair.
By John Harrison.
