2015/16 Prediction League; Game 16 v Leyton Orient (away)

Div3North · 27-10-2015, 22:01

Leyton Orient

V

Accrington Stanley

2015/16 Prediction League; Game 16 v Leyton Orient (away)

L.Orient finished last season in 16th place with 43 points from their 38 games; currently this season they’re 9th, and hoping that might improve on Wednesday when they play Montpellier at home; leading scorer is Benjamin Moukandjo with 5; their home stadium (known locally as the Stade du Moustoir) lies in L.Orient itself, which is, of course, in Brittany ....and – as far as I can ascertain – we’ve never met before ............... they’ve played in France's Ligue 1 now since 2006, and they’re ...............what? Not Lorient? Leyton Who? Orient? Not Clapton Orient? Merde alors!

Leyton Orient parted company with 13 relegatees in the summer – unlucky for some of them! Many were “names” at that level, including 29 year old striker Chris Dagnall

(Tranmere, Rochdale, Scunthorpe and Barnsley) who signed for the Kerala Blasters in the Indian Super League, Jamaican international Kevin Lisbie

(striker – age (unconfirmed) 55

), ex Charlton, Colchester and Ipswich, who signed on at Barnet along with team-mate Shaun Anthony St Patrick Batt (“Who’s your friend?” “Him – oh, he’s St Patrick

”); defenders Nathan Clarke and Gary Sawyer went to Bratfud and Plymouth respectively; forward Darius Henderson joined Scunny; GK Adam Legzdins (Burton, Derby) joined Birmingham, where he was employed (without playing) between 2005 and 2008

; Scottish def Scott Cuthbert star-trekked south to Luton; and Frenchman Romain Vincelot (29), who started with Chamois Niortais

(although a dose of antibiotics sorted that out

) and Gueugnon before a sojourn at the Daggers and then at Brighton, signed up for Coventry for a fee reported as £25k ...........unusually, all 13 – bar Dagnall – signed for League Clubs, 7 of them in either League 1 or the Championship!

At the end of 2013/14 the Orient were nearly promoted to the Championship, losing the Playoff Final 4-3 to Rotherham in a penalty shootout after a Desmond, the vital miss being by Chris Dagnall

(see “Kerala Blasters” above); they followed that up in 2014/15, though, by slipping, on the last day of the season, through the trapdoor back into League Two - where they last played in 2006 - courtesy of Colchester’s

unexpected win over Preston and their own inability to hold on to a two-goal lead at Swindon, who struck for a Desmond on 86 mins.

They were founded in 1881 by members of the Glyn Cricket Club, becoming the Eagles Cricket Club and then Orient Football Club in 1888; they’re apparently the second-oldest League club in London

(after Fulham), and their ground – once Brisbane Road, later the Matchroom Stadium (on account of Barry Hearn) – is actually in Waltham Forest ........They joined the Football League in 1905; there’s a suggestion that the name “Orient” was chosen at the behest of a player

(one Jack Dearing) who worked for the Orient Shipping Company (now part of P & O, which could, I suppose, have led to the club being called The Pacific and Orient Orient FC

(“Give us a “P” ..........!); they were Clapton Orient from 1898

, Leyton Orient from the end of WWII

, Orient from 1966

, and Leyton Orient again from 1987

.....Their golden years were the 60s and 70s – they actually spent one season in the (old) Division One

(1962/63) – and were finally relegated back to the third tier in 1981/82; they haven’t been back up since

......Their single season in the top flight resulted in just 6 wins and nine draws from 42 games – 21 points – and relegation by 12 points, alongside Man City, Everton winning the League ........although the six wins included West Ham (2-0), Man U (1-0), Everton (3-0) and Liverpool (2-1), plus getting through to Round Five of the FA Cup and stuffing Chester 9-2 in the League Cup!

They brought in, during the off-season, reinforcements in the shape of GK Alex Cisak (ex us, Oldham and Burnley (where he played once in two years)) for whom they paid £undisclosed, defenders Sean Clohessy from Colchester, Alan Dunne from Millwall and two others from non-League, MFs Sammy Moore from the Wombles and Blair Turgott from Coventry, and forwards/strikers Paul McCallum from the Hammers and Ollie Palmer from Mansfield; they’ve also been a-borrowing, loansigning Joe Maguire from Anfield, Adam Chicksen (“Chicksen ducks and geese better scurry

, when I take you .....”) from the Seagulls, Jack Payne from the Posh (I’d have thought he’d have been too busy running his Band

to play for them, but what do I know?) and forward John Marquis from Millwall (who – as you no doubt saw – host AFC Fylde in Round 1 of the FA Cup

).

Their League record is P15 W7 D5 L3 GF26 GA 19 for 26 points and 6th place; that said, it’s really not as good as it sounds, because they went unbeaten in the League during August, winning all 5

(Barnet 2-0, Stevenage 3-0 and Brizzle R 2-0 at home, and the Daggers 3-1 and Newport 3-2 away); if you look at their last 10 games, therefore, they’ve won 2 (Notts Co 3-1 at home, and 1-0 at Morecambe on Saturday with a 28th minute goal by Jack Payne, who was the lucky recipient of a mis-hit clearance that hit him and sailed into the net!), drawn 5, and lost three (4-0 at Exeter, 3-2 at Crawley, and 2-1 at home to Carlisle)

........That works out at P10 Pts11

, which is utter tosh .........and they lost 2-1 away in the First Rounds of the Carling (at MK Dons) and the PaintyThingy (at Luton) ...........SO; played 17, 28 scored – but 13 of those in five August League wins .......... What price us now?

(Actually 8/11 them, 11/4 draw and 16/5 us with SkyBet) ............leading scorers are striker Jay-Alistaire Frederick Simpson (26, once of Arsenal and Hull, and for one season of Buriram United (known as “the Thunder Castles”

, who grace the Thai Premier League) with eleven, followed by MFs Dean Cox and Lloyd James and striker Paul McCallum, each with three ...........

Head-to-head is even stevens (not related to Shakin’ Stevens); we’ve never met, that I can trace ..........bragging rights available, then!

Their Club crest is a football dated 1881 supported by two wyverns gules

(red Gryphons to you and me

); notable fans apparently include Julian and Andrew Lloyd-Webber; their kit manager (the bloke with the instruction manual) is called Adrian Martin; their biggest League win is 8-0 which, believe it or not, they’ve done four times

(Palace, Rochdale, Colchester and Donnie); their highest transfer fee received is £1million for 29 year-old DR Congo international def Gabriel Zakuani (who?

) who they sold to Fulham in 2006 (for whom he never actually played – he’s now at the Posh), and the same for Moses Odubajo when he signed for Brentford; and you should know that they won the Dubonnet Cup in France in 1912, beating Millwall .....well, you never know, it might come up in a quiz ..............

Deadline for entries is, as always, scheduled kick-off time, which is 3.00pm on Halloween (don’t go out after dark, or if you do – keep looking behind you!

); although they’re above us in the League, we can Do This Unto Them (provided that we have four fit defenders, no one suspended who matters, don’t put penalties over the bar, and start converting chances with a great deal more ruthlesslyness ...... Their last ten League games have garnered 11 points

; ours garnered 19

; they scored 13 goals

(one 3, two 2s, six 1s and a nought); we managed 19

(which is rapidly becoming my favourite number). By the way, a pie will cost you £2.50 (if you like eel pie

), a brew £1.80, and £3.00 for a programme; cheapest ticket is £22 (matched only by Northampton, Notts Co and Plymouth) .........But only if you go to the game................Any takers?

Good luck to everyone!

............ Keep the Faith!

............. And thanks for playing!