Bristol Rovers have opened the new campaign with a narrow home defeat at the hands of Leyton Orient.

An uninhibited Orient side took the game to Rovers at the Memorial Stadium this afternoon and were rewarded with three points thanks to goals from midfielders JJ Melligan and Jimmy Smith either side of the break.

Rickie Lambert did manage to open his account for the season just before the break to cancel out Melligan’s 40th minute opening gambit but otherwise it was a disappointing start to the campaign for Paul Trollope’s men.

Melligan was on hand to convert the easiest of chances from close-range after good work from O’s pair Scott McGleish and Jason Demetriou had carved out the chance. Lambert was on hand to restore parity two minutes later, however, by clinically stroking home a side-footed effort from the edge of the box after an Aaron Lescott shot had taken a deflection and rolled kindly into his path.

But Orient were to have the final word when a speculative hooked effort from O’s midfielder Jimmy Smith from the edge of the box floated over the head of helpless on-loan Newcastle goalkeeper Fraser Forster in the 67th minute.

Lambert had earlier shown flashes of the form that saw him share the top goalscorer mantle in League One last season and was unlucky not to get amongst the goals on two occasions in the first half.

Marauding full-back Carl Regan supplied a penetrating cross from the right that Lambert could only glance wide of the post when well-positioned after failing to get enough on it with his head on 20 minutes.

He went closer still ten minutes later with a deliciously curled free-kick from the edge of the box that successfully negotiated the wall - but was smothered desperately by goalkeeper Jamie Jones down near the foot of the post.

Orient had fair chances to edge in front early on and only the heroics of on-loan goalkeeper Fraser Forster kept them at bay. The big goalkeeper first battered out a Sean Thornton free-kick before rising quickly to block Ryan Jarvis’ attempt to tuck away the rebound.

Trollope’s first team selection of the season contained few surprises and as expected Forster was picked ahead of Steve Phillips between the sticks. Steve Elliott failed to recover from a thigh strain to offer Byron Anthony the chance to partner Danny Coles, who was making a first league start since injuring knee ligaments against Orient last October, at the heart of defence.

Jeff Hughes got the nod ahead of makeshift wideman Darryl Duffy on the left, while Jo Kuffour partnered Lambert up front. Summer signing Dominic Blizzard came off the bench to replace Chris Lines for the final twenty minutes.

Bristol Rovers (4-4-2): Forster; Regan, Anthony, Coles, Lescott; Pipe, Lines (Blizzard 71), Campbell, Hughes (Duffy 71); Lambert, Kuffour. Subs: Phillips, Reece, Hunt, Williams, Rigg.

Leyton Orient (4-4-2): Jones; Purches, Mkandawire, Chorley, Daniels; Melligan, Smith (Scowcroft 66), Thornton, Demetriou; Jarvis, McGleish. Subs: Morris, Cave-Brown, Pires, Patulea, Townsend.

Attendance: 7745