Bumper attendance watch Hearts go down 2-1 to Londoners in Gorgie

Hearts' Musa Drammeh battles for possession against Leyton Orient at Tynecastle.

Liam Boyce had given Steven Naismith's men an early lead on a dreich day in the Capital only for Jordan Brown's header to restore parity midway through the first half. Diallang Jaiyesimi's close-range finish less than a minute after the half-time interval won it for the Londoners.

There was added significance to this Tynecastle encounter and far from your typical pre-season friendly - well at least off the pitch.

Prior to kick-off both sets of supporters marched from the revamped War Memorial monument at Haymarket in honour of players from both clubs who died in World War I. Jambo fans who walked along the newly-named 'maroon mile' also marked the club's 150th anniversary celebrations.

On the pitch, Craig Gordon was back between the sticks with the 41-year-old donning the captain's armband. There were also first appearances in maroon for right-back Daniel Oyegoke, ex-Motherwell midfielder Blair Spittal and forward Musa Drammeh.

The hosts had the first glimpse of goal when Barrie McKay's sumptuous free-kick into the area was met by a thumping Kye Rowles header that whistled just past Luca Ashby-Hammond's left-hand post.

However, just seconds later there were concerns for Ethan Drysdale who was unable to continue following a hamstring knock and was replaced by 20-year-old Bailey Dall.

Hearts were enjoying a lot of possession and they got their just rewards with less than nine minutes on the clock. The Leyton Orient goalkeeper's pass landed straight at the feet of Boyce, who was as cool as a cucumber, to roll the ball into the bottom corner to give the men in maroon a deserved lead.

McKay should have doubled his side's advantage in the 15th minute following another defensive lapse by the O's, but the winger took an eternity to get his shot away and Omar Beccles recovered well for the Londoners.

Orient started to find their composure when in possession and were getting the better of their respective midfield battles.

And they found themselves level when Brown rose unmarkeed to steer a towering header beyond Gordon following Jordan Graham's corner.

Ritchie Wellens' men then really should have taken the lead when Ollie O'Neill sprinted through the heart of the Jambos defence after Craig Halkett had slipped. O'Neill chose to play in his better-placed team-mate Ethan Galbraith, who had a clear view of Gordon's goal, but the 23-year-old Northern Irishman took one too many touches and Rowles cleared the danger.

Naismith was becoming increasingly animated on the touchline as Orient continued to press and find little pockets of space in and around the Hearts rearguard.

The home side looked somewhat uncomfortable from set-piece deliveries and Beccles again got in ahead of his marker to head towards goal. However, Gordon used every inch of his 6ft 4 frame to punch clear.

Orient had proved they were no pushovers and came flying out the traps after the break to fire themselves ahead inside 30 seconds. Ryan Fulton, who was one of seven half-time substitutions made by Naismith, could only palm Dan Agyei's shot into the path of the onrushing Jaiyesimi, who had the simplest of tasks in rolling the ball into the empty net from six yards.

There were then shouts for a penalty from the strong 1,014 Orient supporters gathered in the Roseburn end after George Moncur appeared to go down under the challenge of Fulton, but referee Kevin Clancy wasn't interested before the Hearts goalkeeper got the faintest of touches to deny Darren Pratley's net-bound header.

Hearts were now being overrun as Orient pressed for a third, but there was a moment of respite when McKay went down under a challenge just outside the six-yard box that had the home supporters appealing for Clancy to point to the spot. However, their shouts fell on deaf ears.

The introduction of Cammy Devlin at half-time provided that little bit of dig in the middle of the park with Yan Dhanda also enjoying plenty of the ball. Alan Forrest showed his craft and took matters into his own hands as the seconds ticked down, but his effort from 20 yards went wide. Hearts enjoyed plenty of possession in the latter stages but were too often let down in the final third.

The Gorgie men now turn their attention to Wednesday night's visit of Premier League giants Tottenham Hotspur who are sure to provide a much sterner test.

Hearts: Gordon, Halkett, Oyegoke, McKay, Rowles, Spittal, Tait, Boyce, Tagawa, Drammeh, Drysdale, Fulton, Kent, Grant, Oda, Devlin, Forrest, Dhanda, Denholm, Neilson, Dall, Wilson.

Leyton Orient: Ashby-Hammond, James, Happe, Brown, Graham, Obiero, Beccles, O'Neill, Galbraith, Kelman, Penney, Howes, Sweeney, Cooper, Agyei, Jaiyesimi, Moncur, Watson, Hutchison, Pratley, Perkins.

Referee: Kevin Clancy.

Attendance: 10,304.