St Albans City and Leyton Orient worked their through 41 players at Clarence Park on Friday night as the visitors from east London chalked up a comfortable 5-0 victory in the opening fixture of the Saints summer friendlies.

Orient were four goals to the good by half time with striker Scott McGleish scoring a seven minute hat-trick just prior to the interval.

The match was seldom a serious contest as this was the first chance this summer Saints boss Steve Castle has had to see his side, a mixture of players from last season plus a large number of trialists, in action.

Of Castle’s starting XI there were many familiar faces with Michael Emery between the sticks. Adam Everitt started at left back with James Fisher on the opposite flank and Ryan Frater and Mark Peters in the middle.

This allowed Peter Smith to take a more attacking position than seen last season as he lined up on the left of the midfield. Also in midfield were trialist Shane Hill and Danny Johnson. Drew Roberts began the evening just behind the experimental two-man attack of Inih Effiong and Jack Bailey.

Johnson’s evening lasted just 27 minutes before a clash with Adam Chambers put the City midfield out of action with an ankle injury.

Orient, playing their second match of the week, went ahead on eight minutes when Alex Revell controlled a pass from Chambers and neatly flicked it over Frater before firing low past Emery.

Just before the half hour Chambers played the ball down the Orient left to Kenny Gillet whose low near post cross was touched goalwards by Revell but was well blocked by Emery’s left foot.

Effiong won City’s first corner of the game on 29 minutes. Fisher’s low dead ball cross found Hill on the edge of the penalty. His scuffed shot went through a crowd of players to Roberts who was flagged offside as he stroked the ball past Jamie Jones.

The rest of the half was the McGleish Show. On 37 minutes Emery ill-advisedly tried to walk the ball away from his goal only to be tackled by Revell who cut it back for McGleish to fire into the vacant York Road goal.

A good intervention by Frater following a clever dummy by Ryan Jarvis proved little more than a temporary reprieve for the Saints at the O’s pushed for more goals.

On 42 minutes Matthew Spring was the provider with a ball over the City defence that freed McGleish. His low shot thudded into the foot of Emery’s right hand post but the 36-year-old striker moved quickly across the penalty area to hammer home his second goal after Stephen Dawson touched the ball back into his path.

Just two minutes later McGleish latched onto Chambers ball over the top of the home defence and with Emery stranded some distance from his goal the veteran striker calmly completed his hat-trick with an exquisite lob into the far corner of the goal.

The second half contained little of interest as a steady stream of substitutions made it difficult for either side to really establish a pattern. That said, Orient continued to dominate with City’s attack being blunted throughout.

The changes did at least give the sprinkling of City supporters present an opportunity to see one-time Saints Lee Butcher and Jake Argent back at the Park; Emery denied Argent a goal on his return when saving the 18-year-olds header.

Needless to say Emery was the busier of the two ‘keepers with his best save being an acrobatic push around the post from the lively Adrian Patulea following George Porter’s flick to Butcher’s long kick.

The scoring was concluded nine minutes from time when Spring’s drive from the edge of the penalty area took a deflection off the fully extended Everitt leaving Emery with no hope as the ball flew high beyond his outstretched left hand.

St Albans City: M.Emery, J.Fisher, P.Smith, S.Hill, A.Everitt, R.Frater, M.Peters, D.Johnson, D.Roberts, I.Effiong, J.Bailey, subs used; R.Magwood (27 mins), O.Limbarda (46), G.Kweme (52), J.Tidd (52/69), J.Urquhart (52), D.Tenkorang (52/60), A.Seymour (52), T.James (60), R.Logon (63), A.Chaves (69).

Leyton Orient: J.Jones, E.Omozusi, K.Gillet, B.Chorley, T.Forbes, M.Spring, R.Jarvis, A.Chambers, S.McGleish, A.Revell, S.Dawson, subs used; L.Butcher (46), J.Smith (46), R.Eagle (46), J.Argent (46), G.Porter (54), H.Beautyman (63), J.Millward (63), M.Cester (63), A.Patulea (63).

Goals: 0-1 Revell 8, 0-2 McGelish 37, 0-3 McGleish 42, 0-4 McGleish 44, 0-5 Spring 81.

Att: 286.