SUNBATHING and eating ice cream were way down the agenda on Leyton Orient’s trip to Devon last week.

Manager Russell Slade hailed a productive week away from east London at the Joma South West Challenge Cup trophy.

“It served the purpose I wanted, which was to bond the players and build team spirit. We learned about each other,” he said.

Orient looked in decent form as they made their way through the competition.

A 2-1 win over non-league Eastleigh was followed by a 4-0 thrashing of Truro City.

But the holiday was cut short by Blackpool, the Premier League new-boys, with a 2-1 defeat in the semi-final.

Veteran Scott McGleish scored on the stroke of half-time to level for the O’s, after Francis Jeffers had opened the scoring on 23 minutes.

But then Ian Evatt tapped-in close to the full-time whistle after Charlie Adams’ free-kick had clattered the woodwork.

Now there are just three friendlies to go before League One kicks off on August 7.

“We won’t get a second or a minute (off) between now and the start of the season,” insisted Slade. “It is all about preparation.”