Bristol Rovers 1 Leyton Orient 2

Moments after the final whistle at the Memorial Stadium, the Red Arrows streaked over Bristol.

By then, Bristol Rovers' hopes of a soaraway start to their season were already grounded.

The Pirates have not won on the opening day since their 2-0 victory at Mansfield in 2004, a record that was extended by a performance which saw them far from their best.

A couple of missed chances – and a couple of moments of defensive slackness – were to cost them dearly as Orient boss Geraint Williams was left to praise the display put on by his own red arrows.

The Londoners were well-organised at the back, a danger from out wide and with a couple of strikers who worked hard for their corn. But they remain the sort of side Rovers will need to beat if they are to justify talk of mounting a serious challenge over the months ahead.

The disappointing result meant that Danny Coles' long-awaited return to league action was one of the few highlights for home fans.

Out with a series of knee problems since he played against Orient on their previous visit to Horfield in October, the central defender announced his comeback with an impressive performance in the heart of the defence.

"Getting through this game was a massive thing for me psychologically – especially because it involved the same team I was playing against when I got the injury which kept me out for 10 months," said Coles.

"To come through it unscathed is a huge thing for me, so now hopefully it's onwards and upwards.

"The knee feels great. My fitness has gradually improved over pre-season and it must be better than I thought because I didn't get cramp – and I usually do, so that was a bonus."

Coles admits there were times when he feared whether Saturday would ever come.

"It was a worry," he said. "I thought I had a straightforward injury which would heal up quickly, but that didn't happen. There were operations and injections, but at the end of the day I think I was just really unlucky. It's always easier with hindsight.

"From a personal point of view, it was great to get through 90 minutes – although I would have liked the result to have been different. I'd rather have had three points at the end of it. Now we all have to go home and ask ourselves some questions."

Rovers made life difficult for themselves over the opening stages by conceding a string of free kicks in the final third, and it almost saw them go behind in the 13th minute.

But keeper Fraser Forster, who had been preferred to Steve Phillips, announced his arrival with a low save from Sean Thornton's strike, and a smart follow-up block to prevent Ryan Jarvis netting from the rebound.

One of Rovers' best openings came midway through the opening period when David Pipe found Carl Regan on the overlap.

The new full-back delivered a superb cross which presented Rickie Lambert with the sort of chance he would normally bury – only for the striker to glance his header wide from six yards out.

The first half was a fairly even affair. Lambert forced Jamie Jones into a plunging save at the foot of his post to keep out a 25-yard free kick, while JJ Melligan's curler for the O's flew inches wide with Forster at full-stretch.

But Melligan struck again five minutes before the break, gleefully firing home from close range after Scott McGleish had turned Ryan Jarvis' ball across the face of goal.

Crucially, Rovers levelled before the interval. Aaron Lescott's shot was blocked but the ball fell to Lambert, who made no mistake with a right-footed shot from 14 yards.

There was an expectation that Rovers could build on that platform in the second period, and another goal looked nailed on when Lambert and Lines combined to send Jo Kuffour clear two minutes after the re-start.

But a weak shot from 12 yards was fired straight at keeper Jones, and it was to prove a moment that helped to decide the outcome of the game.

On 67 minutes, Jimmy Smith met a ball that had been allowed to bounce around near the edge of Rovers' box with a volley which floated into the top corner, and there was to prove no way back for the home side.

Hopes of a late rally were briefly raised, but Kuffour's shot hit defender Ben Chorley and bounced straight to the keeper, while Lambert and substitute Darryl Duffy just failed to turn the ball home in a brief scramble. Moments after, Lambert ballooned a last-gasp free kick high over the bar from 30 yards, Rovers were back down to earth with a bump.

"We should have closed down better on the edge of our box – and we should have been 3-1 up before they even got the opportunity for their winner," said Coles.

"We'll look at what happened and if there are little things that we need to rectify, we have to stamp them out of our game straight away.

"We wanted to get off to the best start we could – and we didn't do that by any stretch of the imagination."

Williams, who launched his playing career with Rovers in the 1980s, admitted he still got a buzz from coming back to his old club.

"It was so long ago it feels like I've come off the ark! I have a real soft spot for Rovers because I left school at 16 and stayed here until I was 23 – I had some great times here," said the Welshman.

"They say 'once a Gashead – always a Gashead' and I think a little bit stays with you.

"I was delighted with the performance of my team – everyone played their part.

"We knew we would have to defend well because Kuffour has pace and Lambert has physical presence and is a handful. I thought we played well and maybe could have had another goal or two in the first half."

Bristol Rovers (4-4-2): Forster; Regan, Coles, Anthony, Lines (Blizzard 70), Campbell, Hughes (Duffy 70), Pipe, Lescott, Lambert, Kuffour. Subs: Phillips, Rigg, Reece,Williams, Hunt.

Leyton Orient (4-4-2): Jones, Purches, Chorley, Mkandawire, Demetriou, Melligan, Thornton, Daniels, Smith, McGleish (Scowcroft 65), Jarvis. Subs: Morris, Cave-Brown, Pires, Townsend, Patulea.