The Bet

[Faramir]

Thankee rashidi- nice to see you visiting here

***

27.8.05

Sheffield Wednesday (2) Leyton Orient (3)

Wednesday- H.Forster 35,70

Orient- D.Poole 59-P,89-P A.Pearce 83

MOM- Hannes Forster, Sheffield Wednesday

In a match where Orient clearly struggled at times, they took advantage of Wednesday's inopportune defensive coverage to come from behind for the 3-2 win. Sheffield Wednesday held the bulk of the play in the first half and Hannes Forster put them up at halftime when Christopher Eagles, playing in his first match after arriving on loan from Manchester United, headed ahead to put him free. Forster fired a curling shot past Tommy Lee for his 1st goal for Wednesday. Orient evened the match in the 2nd half when David Poole converted the penalty kick after Kristjan Glibo pushed Allan Pearce in the area. Wednesday went back in front when Carl Laurie made a poor choice and let Forster get two steps on him to run down a sweet pass from Alan Quinn. Forster broke in and scored on Lee Harrison, who had come on for a clearly hurting Lee, and sent the ball just inside the near post. Orient again rallied as Scott Huckerby broke in from the right side and Chris Stringer brilliantly parried his hard shot. Allan Pearce was first to the rebound and whacked it past the diving Stringer to equalize. Orient earned another break when Alex Notman pushed Luis Dias from behind in the area. Poole converted the penalty kick for his 2nd goal of the match and Orient's first lead. Wednesday pressed hard for the tying goal, but Harrison made a superb save on Adam Proudlock and Orient survived the pressure to hang on for the close 3-2 win.

***

1.9.05

Orient Adds Norwegian

Leyton Orient today completed their Bosman signing of 21 year old Norwegian midfielder Arild Nost Odland. According to Manager Drabek, Odland will add depth to the midfield and should get some playing time during the season.

[SoS]

Any chance of your current squad list Faramir? Surprised you've still got Harrison in goal TBH. He can't get in in the Third Division IRL! Stick with Glenn 'The Cat' Morris.

[Faramir]

SoS- sure, here is approximitely the senior squad about then...

GK- Tommy Lee, Lee Harrison

Defenders- Carl Laurie, Lee Sims, David Worrell, Stephen Clegg, Marien Ifura, Alan Tate, Jonathan Spector, Flavio Dias, Mark Harding (not playing much because still on youth contract at age 16)

Midfielders- Scott Huckerby, Luis Dias, John Thorrington, Danny Byrne, Martijn Reuser, Stephen Warne, Steve Palmer, Stijn Francis, Arild Nost Odland (just acquired), Michael Sisson

Forwards- David Poole, Johann Torhallsson, Allan Pearce, Ramon Calliste, Zvjezdan Misimovic, Ryan Thompson, Jamie Donnelly

Harrison was still a steady backup for young Tommy Lee at that point, but Lee was certainly the number 1 keeper. I didn't highlight it in the story, but had sold Morris to Cheltenham a couple weeks before where the story currently is.

[Faramir]

3.9.05

Leyton Orient (2) Norwich (3)

Orient- J.Torhallsson 80,84

Norwich- M.Williams 6,49 P.McVeigh 73

MOM- Matthew Williams, Norwich

Orient sputtered defensively in the match and their late rally fell short in the closing moments as they fell to Norwich 3-2. Matthew Williams struck early for Norwich as poor coverage by Carl Laurie allowed him too much room to take the ball past Lee Harrison and score. Orient squandered several good chances in the first half and Robert Green made a couple sensational stops to blunt the best chances. In the opening moments of the 2nd half it was Williams again splitting Laurie and Flavio Dias to rifle a shot by Harrison. Paul McVeigh got free to run onto a pass and took it around Harrison to make it 3-0 before Orient showed signs of life. Stijn Francis made a beautiful pass to free Johann Torhallsson and he zinged it past Green to break the clean sheet. Four minutes later it was Torhallsson again as he broke in and blasted a shot past Green. The rally fell short when Torhallsson had one more chance, but this time shot wide in the closing moments of 2nd half extra time to send Orient to a disappointing 3-2 home loss.

***

6.9.05

Orient Signs Promising Defender

Leyton Orient today announced the signing on free of 20 year old Franklin Simek. Simek, who has experience on the American under-21 squad, also has British citizenship and came out of the Arsenal youth program.

[Faramir]

7.9.05

Watford (1) Leyton Orient (2)

Watford- D.Foley 24

Orient- J.Torhallsson 22,80

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

Orient continue proving that they are a road-worthy club as they used a late goal from Johann Torhallsson to edge favored Watford 2-1. David Poole did a superb job in setting up the first goal. After Torhallsson found him free, he drew two defenders to him and then crossed back to the streaking Torhallsson for a header into the far side of the net past Richard Lee. Watford wasted little time evening the match as Dominic Foley took advantage of a misplay by young Flavio Dias and broke in on Tommy Lee, before slotting his shot into the near side of the net. Orient maintained a majority of the pressure through the rest of the match and outshot the home side by a 19-8 margin. It wasn't until late in the second half when they finally broke through for the match winner as Stephen Warne intercepted a poor clearing kick by Richard Lee and headed for Poole. Poole immediately slid the ball to the fast moving Torhallsson who made a soft half-volley past Lee into the near side of the net.

[Faramir]

17.9.05

Crewe Alexandra (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Crewe- D.Ashton 6

Orient- S.Warne 49

MOM- Stephen Warne, Leyton Orient

Crewe got off to a blazing start in the match as Mark Burchill got to the baseline and crossed to the far side of the net. Dean Ashton outleaped Carl Laurie and deflected the ball past Tommy Lee for an early Crewe lead. Crewe had much the better of the play through most of the first half, but Orient jumped up and evened the match in the early stages of the second half. A corner from John Thorrington sailed past everyone and the alert Warne reached the ball first and fired it into the roof of the net past young Owain Fon Williams. Williams then came up big twice on Johann Torhallsson close-in to help the home side settle for splitting the points in a 1-1 draw.

[Faramir]

24.9.05

Leyton Orient (2) Cardiff (2)

Orient- D.Byrne 14 S.Huckerby 67

Cardiff- R.Earnshaw 19 R.Langley 85

MOM- Scott Huckerby, Leyton Orient

Orient missed a golden chance to beat 2nd place Cardiff when Richard Langley boomed in a 25 yard free kick past Tommy Lee to even the match in the late going of the 2nd half. Orient had taken the early lead when Scott Huckerby had crossed to an unattended Danny Byrne for his 1st goal this season, but Cardiff wasted little time answering as Robert Earnshaw easily beat Alan Tate before slotting a shot past Lee. Orient had retaken the lead in the 2nd half when Huckerby banged home a rebound after Neil Alexander had parried a David Poole header on a corner, but it wasn't enough as a late yellow card on Stephen Clegg had set up the Langley free kick opportunity.

[Faramir]

27.9.05

Leyton Orient (2) Rushden (0)

Orient- Z.Misimovic 4 J.Thorrington 37

Rushden- None

MOM-

Orient parlayed a strong defensive effort into a winning match as they defeated visiting Rushden in the 2nd round of the League Cup. Orient struck quickly to start the match when Zvjezdan Misimovic headed a John Thorrington corner past Billy Turley. Later in the half, Thorrington capped an excellent passing sequence started by Allan Pearce and then on to Misimovic who squared the ball and Thorrington's right footed blast sailed into the net. Orient didn't threaten much after that 2nd goal, but neither did they yield control of the midfield as they limited Rushden to one secondhalf chance enroute to the 2-0 win.

[Faramir]

1.10.05

Portsmouth (2) Leyton Orient (2)

Portsmouth- L.Buxton 64 S.Todorov 84

Orient- D.Byrne 87 D.Poole 89

MOM- Lewis Buxton, Portsmouth

Orient floundered throughout the match, but somehow rallied from a 2-goal deficit with less than 5 minutes to play to split the points at Fratton Park. Portsmouth controlled much of the first half of play and peppered Orient keeper Tommy Lee with shots. It looked like they had gone ahead at 37 minutes when a poor Lee goal kick was intercepted and Svetoslav Todorov snapped a shot past him, but Todorov had lingered on the play and was ruled offside. Orient had one golden chance in the first half as David Poole was in alone on Tony Warner, but Poole made a weak shot and Warner easily gathered it. Portsmouth finally broke the ice when Lewis Buxton outleaped two defenders to head past Lee on a corner from Sebastian Schemmel. The home side looked to have put the match on ice when Todorov was first to the rebound after Lee parried a 20 yard blast from Neil Barrett. Just when Orient looked dead, they rallied as Jonathan Spector sent a 40 yard pass that found Danny Byrne on the go. Byrne took it in and easily slotted it past Warner for what looked like only a consolation goal. Less than three minutes later, Arild Nost Odland (who had subbed on for tiring Stephen Warne) looped a pass over Dejan Stefanovic and Poole made up for earlier misses by drilling a low shot past Warner to even the match. Orient had to survive one last scare as Lee came up with a stellar save on Vincent Pericard's extra time header.

***

5.10.05

"Are you sure you want to do this- if we sell him we lose a lot of our depth in the midfield..." commented Field.

Drabek sighed, "I think it is a good deal for us. I also think we can either turn that cash into another midfielder- or something else to help us in the future. Arild Nost Odland has played well and I think he and Steve Palmer are enough depth for now."

Orient Sells Grogan to Charlton

Leyton Orient announced the sale of midfielder Kevin Grogan to fellow Division 1 Charlton for a sum reported to be in the neighberhood of 200K. Grogan had been coveted by Charlton for over a year, but this was the first time they put forth a bid acceptable to Orient Manager Drabek.

[Faramir]

Drabek opened the door to his apartment and stared in disbelief. The entire living room, dining room and every where else he could see had been thoroughly trashed. There were papers tossed everywhere, the cushions from the couch were lying askew in the corner of the room, even the lightshade was off the standing lamp. He shook his head and sighed.

Thinking quickly, he picked up the phone. "Yes, this is Will. Could you please have one of your guards take a quick run over and check on my office? Ok, thanks- call me back after it is checked."

He put his finger down to bring back the dial tone, then dialed a number from memory. "Let me talk to Drogo. No, right now."

As he waited he strummed his fingers on the table and kept glancing around at the mayhem. "Yes, it's me. I just wanted to let you know my apartment has been thoroughly searched- and is a shambles. Hang on, I have another call..."

"Yes. OK, well please call in another watchman to help the night crew and report it to the authorities. Thanks."

"Ok, back. It appears someone was also trying to break into my office at Brisbane Road, but the night watch crew just scared them off. No, I don't think you had anything to do with it- you have nothing to gain actually. Why did I call then? Well, they weren't going to find what they wanted at either place, you and I both know that- so, if you haven't placed it in a secure place- like we discussed- do it soon! Ok, that's good enough for me- for the moment."

He hung the phone up and started sifting through the mess.

[Faramir]

5.10.05

Derby (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Derby- None

Orient- Z.Misimovic 66 F.Dias 90

MOM- Flavio Dias, Leyton Orient

Orient used a smothering midfield coverage to pressure Derby until they finally broke in the 2nd half. Throughout the first half Orient used their passing to generate opportunities, but continually came up empty. David Poole and Allan Pearce both had trouble hitting the net with their chances and Stephen Warne's booming 20 yard was brilliantly parried by Lee Camp. Zvjezdan Misimovic, who subbed on for Poole, was the recipient of an excellent cross from Carl Laurie after he had run the left side of the pitch. Misimovic got enough to head it inside the near post to finally put Orient ahead. Flavio Dias, who really played a fine match and deserved his MOM honors, then clinched the win as he blasted a free kick past Camp in 2nd half injury time for his first Orient goal. Dias was diagnosed with a strained back after the match and will miss a week.

[Faramir]

8.10.05

Leyton Orient (3) WBA (1)

Orient- M.Reuser 16 D.Poole 47,56

WBA- J.Roberts 11

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

WBA got a quick start at Brisbane Road, but wound up unable to keep track of David Poole and that cost them a closely played match. Jason Roberts took advantage of a superb passing sequence to take the ball around Lee Harrison and give the visitors an early lead. Orient, playing without injured Stijn Francis and Flavio Dias, responded when Martin Reuser drilled home a 25 yard free kick past Russell Hoult for his 1st goal at Orient. Hoult kept the score even when he made a pair of sensational close-in saves to keep things at 1-1. Orient took the lead in the opening moments of the 2nd half when Thomas Gaardsoe missed heading Johann Torhallsson's cross and that left David Poole with an easy shot past Hoult for his 5th goal of the season. Torhallsson then set-up Poole again and Poole whipped a half-volley past Hoult to move Orient up two goals. Orient then backed off their pressure and staunchly defended the midfield to close out the solid 3-1 win.

***

Drabek smiled as he set the phone down, "It seems to have turned out for the best."

Field nodded, "I agree he is a better overall player than Grogan- and a cheaper one too- you're right, it turned out to be good."

Orient Lands Reeves

Orient completed the transfer purchase of 24 year old midfielder Martin Reeves from Northampton today. Reportedly the price was around 100K and Orient had to beat out Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham- which were both also in the bidding to land the talented youngster.

Cogan Signs on with Orien

20 year old Irish phenom Barry Cogan today signed on with Orient after being released last week by Millwall. He said he was glad to come to a club with the kind of talent that Orient is developing.

[Faramir]

22.10.05

Leyton Orient (4) Fulham (0)

Orient- J.Torhallsson 16,31 D.Poole 48 A.Pearce 82

Fulham- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

The Orient tandem of David Poole and Johann Torhallsson continued to cause problems for opposing defenses. A neat pass by Marin Reeves (in his debut) allowed him to put Poole in free, but Edwin van der Sar stopped him cleanly. Torhallsson was first to the rebound and chipped it past van der Sar for a well earned first goal. Danny Byrne's tricky dribble past two defenders set him up for a cross that Torhallsson deflected off of van der Sar's outstretched hand and into the net for his 2nd goal of the match. Byrne was also the catalyst for the 3rd goal when he took the ball from Michael Tarnat, dribbled all the way to the baseline and looped a stellar cross in that Poole was able to deflect past van der Sar. With Fulham struggling to get any offense going, Orient finished off a fine performance as Poole headed a free kick on to a streaking Allan Pearce (subbed on for Torhallsson). Pearce took it in and easily placed it past van der Sar to finish off the convincing 4-0 win. The sheen of the win was dulled a bit when it was discovered that Byrne suffered a broken shoulder and will miss the next month.

[Faramir]

"Think of it this way Spencer. We are taking on a small contract of Samuel Okikiolu and ridding ourself of the big contract Jowsey is carrying- as well as reducing the overflow of keepers we have," commented Drabek.

"Uh, remember- ManU gets half of the transfer fee."

Drabek winced, "Oops, yes- forgot that little fact. Still we need to move him and his contract. Getting Okikiolu is fine- if he develops at all he might help us and our scouts did like him."

Field nodded, "I didn't say it was a bad deal, just was reminding you we won't get a lot of money from it."

Jowsey Sold to Barnsley

Leyton Orient completed the sale of disgruntled keeper James Jowsey to Division 2 Barnsley today. Reportedly, the transfer fee is around 100K and the deal also included the move to Orient of young defender Samuel Okikiolu. Orient will need to pass on half the transfer funds received to ManU as part of their original deal to bring Jowsey to Orient.

[Faramir]

29.10.05

Wigan (2) Leyton Orient (0)

Wigan- D.Livermore 74 L.McCullough 90

Orient- None

MOM- Nathan Ellington, Wigan

Orient blew their coverage on two second half corners and Wigan took advantage to score on both of them to dump Orient by a 2-0 margin. Orient wasted two stellar chances in the first half as Andy Oakes stopped both Johann Torhallsson and David Poole in one-on-ones to keep the slate clean. Lee Harrison saved a penalty kick by Andy Liddell after Flavio Dias was called for a push in the area. The referee removed a lot of Orient's typical aggressive play as he handed out 4 yellow cards and whistled 15 fouls (vs. 8 on Wigan). Nathan Ellington was the triggerman on both corners. David Livermore scored when Harrison made the initial stop, but the Orient backline couldn't clear the ball. Lee McCullough added the punctuation point when he outleaped two defenders to deflect the ball home to hand Orient their first road loss of the season.

[Faramir]

2.11.05

Nottingham Forest (3) Leyton Orient (1) League Cup 3rd round

Nottingham- B.Gunnarsson 21 M.Dawson 30 C.Westcarr 51

Orient- Z.Misimovic 76

MOM- Michael Dawson, Nottingham Forest

Premier club Nottingham Forest rolled past Orient by a 3-1 margin in a match that was closer than the score would indicate. Orient again squandered superb scoring chances early in the match as Darren Ward made several nice saves. Nottingham struck to take the lead when Brynar Gunnarsson boomed in a 25 yard kick on a nice squared pass. Michael Dawson made it 2-0 when he headed in a corner off of Tommy Lee's hands to give them a 2-0 halftime lead. Nottingham then put the match out of reach early in the 2nd half when Craig Westcarr capped an excellent passing sequence by driving a shot past Lee. Orient did manage to finally break through and score a consolation goal when Zvjezdan Misimovic took a nice pass from Scott Huckerby and rammed it into the far side of the net.

[Faramir]

5.11.05

Leyton Orient (4) Reading (0)

Orient- J.Torhallsson 14,28,42 D.Poole 32

Reading- None

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

Orient came out seemingly renewed and refreshed after their consecutive losses and were aggressive from the opening whistle against Reading. The Reading backline couldn't handle Orient's tandem of Johann Torhallsson and David Poole as Orient built up a 4-0 halftime lead and coasted home from there for the win. Torhallsson got things going for Orient as he took an excellent through ball from Carl Laurie before launching a curving 20 yard blast that Paul Smith got a hand on- but couldn't keep out of the net. Poole set up Torhallsson nicely for his 2nd goal as he made a looping header that Torhallsson was able to volley past Smith from the wide side. It was Poole's turn next as he deflected a John Thorrington corner past Smith into the near side of the net. Stephen Warne began the play and made a good pass to find Poole breaking. Poole then waited for Torhallsson to outrace the other defender and slipped the ball to him. Torhallsson boomed a shot that Smith again got a portion of, but it trickled into the net for Torhallsson's hat-trick and 10th goal of the season. The second half was quiet as Orient's attacks were muted and Reading had little luck breaking down the Orient midfield. Orient's only unfortunate note was the loss of Jonathan Spector for a week, due to a twisted ankle suffered in the last moments of the match.

[Faramir]

8.11.05

Leyton Orient (6) Rotherham (1)

Orient- S.Huckerby 1 D.Poole 22 L.Dias 47 Z.Misimovic 62,69,86

Rotherham- J.Nusum 3

MOM- Zvjezdan Misimovic, Leyton Orient

An important match between 2nd place Orient and 5th place Rotherham turned into a rout when rough play by the visitors earned one too many yellow cards and Orient took advantage of having an extra man. It was a flying start to the match as Scott Huckerby gave Orient an immediate lead before many fans at Brisbane Road were ever seated. He banked a 30 yard free kick in off the post past Mike Pollitt. Rotherham answered directly as John-Barry Nusum was left unattended in a bad judgement by young Orient defender Mark Harding. He wasted little time driving a shot past Lee Harrison after receiving the pass from Kevin Harper. Orient went back on top as David Poole rammed home a shot to finish off a pretty passing play started by Martin Reeves and Johann Torhallsson. Orient opened the second half with a flourish as Luis Dias deflected Huckerby's corner past Pollitt to move the margin to 3-1. After Rob Scott had been sent for an early shower with his 2nd yellow card, it was time for Zvjezdan Misimovic to take over the match. Misimovic had come on at halftime for Johann Torhallsson, who had gotten the wind knocked out of him late in the first half. Poole made a neat cross to Misimovic who nodded it past Pollitt to make the score 4-1. It was 5-1 shortly after that as Stephen Warne set up Misimovic alone just inside the edge of the area and he blasted it past Pollitt into the near side of the net. Misimovic was nursing a hamstring problem, but stayed in the match and finished off his hat-trick when he deflected a Marien Ifura curling cross to finish off the impressive 6-1 win. Orient moved on top of Division 1 with the win- as Cardiff could only manage a 2-2 draw at home hosting Reading.

[Faramir]

12.11.05

Ipswich (4) Leyton Orient (1)

Ipswich- D.Bowditch 12 G.Brown 19 D.Bent 25 D.Papadopoulos 67

Orient- D.Poole 24

MOM- Darren Bent, Ipswich

Beware a club playing poorly coming home after consecutive road matches. Ipswich was that team and they handled Orient with little problem in a 4-1 win. Orient was done in by spotty backline play and a less than stellar performance in net by Tommy Lee. Dean Bowditch scored his first goal for Ipswich when Christian Negouai caught Alan Tate overplaying him and slid the pass through to a wide open Bowditch. It was quickly 2-0 Ipswich when Gary Brown curled a 25 yard free kick just inside the post. Orient drew a goal back when David Poole hammered home a rebound after Allan Pearce's header was stopped by Kelvin Davis. It appeared Orient was back in the match with that goal, but Ipswich swatted their visitors down right away when Darren Bent was left uncovered and scored his 50th goal for Ipswich to give them a 3-1 halftime lead. Orient had several chances to draw another goal back, but Kelvin Davis was superb and when Dimitris Papadopoulos scored- the match was in the bag for the home side. The loss dropped Orient back into 2nd place behind Cardiff.

[Faramir]

26.11.05

Millwall (0) Leyton Orient (3)

Millwall- None

Orient- M.Reuser 18 J.Torhallsson 48 S.Warne 59

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

Orient rebounded in their match at The New Den against Millwall. Spurred by the two week rest that returned injured Danny Byrne to the lineup, they came out and forced the play against the home side. After seeing Martin Reeves goal on a corner waived off, Martijn Reuser struck from the left side with a rising shot past Alan Marriott. Millwall threatened to even the match, but Lee Harrison stopped Matthew Etherington and Darren Huckerby from close in. Millwall again came close in the opening moments of the second half, but Tim Cahill's shot clipped the bar and went over. Orient's 2nd goal resulted from a long Jonathan Spector free kick- where both Stuart Nethercutt and Tony Craig challenged David Poole for. Poole headed the ball to unattended Johann Torhallsson, who slotted it easily past Marriott. Reeves set free Stephen Warne alone on Marriott with good vision, and Warne smashed it off the inside of the post to cap the scoring for the match. Orient was content to defend the lead and Millwall's last chances were of a desperate nature and stopped by Harrison to keep the sheet clean in the 3-0 road win.

***

"Do I think he is worth the time? Of course he is- he is a premier-level midfielder," flatly stated Spencer Field.

Drabek smiled a little smugly, "He will be here on loan for the rest of the season- well, unless they call him back."

Orient Loans Izzet

Leyton Orient and the Wolves jointly announced the loan of midfielder Kemi Izzet to Orient for the balance of the season. Izzet has been transfer listed by Wolves and both he and the club are hoping for a good impression while at Orient- to help him find a new club.

[Faramir]

30.11.05

Leyton Orient (3) West Ham (0)

Orient- R.Thompson 38,62 C.Laurie 66

West Ham- None

MOM- Carl Laurie, Leyton Orient

Orient parlayed the speed of Ryan Thompson and strong backline play- led by Carl Laurie- into a pleasing 3-0 win over arch-rivals West Ham. Jermaine Dafoe and Thompson (starting in place of David Poole) traded embarrassing misses in the first 10 minutes of play as each looked like they had a certain goal. Thompson missed again when alone on Stephen Bywater, but the 3rd time was the charm. John Thorrington took the ball past Kevin Horlock and Grant McCann and crossed to the far side of the net. Instead of shooting, Scott Huckerby sent the ball back across and Thompson half-volleyed it just inside the near post for his 1st goal of the season. David James came on at halftime to fill the net for West Ham, and he fared no better than Bywater. Thompson notched his 2nd goal of the match when he took it around James after Zvjezdan Misimovic (who came on for a disappointing Johann Torhallsson) sent him a superb pass to free him on the counterattack. Shortly after that, Thompson had to be carted from the field after a collision with Hayden Mullins with a badly broken leg that will keep him out at least the next 6 months. Thorrington keyed the 3rd goal as well with a booming free kick from inside the Orient end. Carl Laurie soared high above two defenders and knocked it past James to cap Orient's scoring. Down the stretch Tommy Lee made several excellent saves on corners to preserve the clean sheet in the 3-0 Orient win.

[SoS]

Still great Faramir...and superb to see you stuffing the Hammers!

[Faramir]

Thanks SoS- glad you are still enjoying it

***

3.12.05

Bradford City (3) Leyton Orient (1)

Bradford- D.Forrest 1,12 M.Standing 45

Orient- J.Torhallsson 16

MOM- Alan Combe, Bradford City

Bradford City looked much sharper than favored Orient as they used a quick, accurate passing attack to break down the Orient defense in the first half enroute to a 3-1 win. Danny Forrest victimized Jonathan Spector in the first minute of play, turning him the wrong way and then driving a shot past Tommy Lee. Forrest repeated that in his 2nd goal and Carl Laurie also missed a tackle on him before he beat Lee with his looping shot. Orient drew a goal back when Johann Torhallsson knocked in a rebound on a free kick by Martijn Reuser. Bradford moved the margin back out to two goals when Michael Standing's free kick freakishly caught the far corner of the net for a fluke goal. Alan Combe denied Orient the chance to climb back into the match with several good saves in the 2nd half to ensure the home side took away the 3-1 win.

***

6.12.05

Orient complete Bosman Signing of Mete

Leyton Orient today welcomed 24 year old Icelandic defender Gudmunder Mete to training. Mete arrived from Norrkoping. Orient signed him on Bosman six months ago and have been patiently waiting his arrival to solidify their very young center defense. His arrival is also timely as youngster Flavio Dias will miss the next 4 months due to surgery to correct leg problems.

[Faramir]

8.12.05

"It doesn't rain but it pours," sighed Drabek.

"At least we have the depth to overcome it," chipped in Field.

Nevins Out For 2 Months

Promising 19 year old Orient leftback Adrian Nevins will miss the next 2 months due to a training accident. Nevins severely seperated his shoulder in a collision with Franklin Simek.

***

10.12.05

Leyton Orient (2) Stoke (1)

Orient- A.Pearce 37,70

Stoke- B.Dyer 75

MOM- Allan Pearce, Leyton Orient

Allan Pearce struck once in each half to help Orient overcome a stubborn Stoke squad in a close match at Brisbane Road. Danny Byrne's touch of a long pass from Carl Laurie was enough to put it on Pearce's foot. Pearce split two defenders on the dribble and then fired it past Ed de Goey to give Orient the halftime lead. Pearce struck again when Martijn Reuser farmed a pass out to him on the left flank and his low shot eluded de Goey. Stoke rallied and Bruce Dyer, who had subbed on for Paul Heffernan, beat Jonathan Spector in a footrace and blistered a shot past Tommy Lee. Lee atoned for that one miss as he stopped Gifton Noel-Williams twice in one-on-one situations in the last five minutes of the match. Orient played without Johann Torhallsson and David Poole, who were both being rested for the match.

[Faramir]

16.12.05

"Another one? We aren't playing Mark Harding right now- and you want to add another one for us to hang onto on the club," quizzically asked Field.

"Yes. Look, Wimbledon is in receivership- so were willing to take only 2K for him. I know we won't be able to get him off of youth contract for another year, but he is worth taking the gamble on- he already has 4 Under-21 Caps for England. We don't need him right away anyways," stated Drabek.

Orient Purchases Carr

Leyton Orient today announced the transfer purchase of promising 16 year old keeper Daniel Carr from cash-strapped Wimbledon. Reportedly, the amount of cash was small in the transfer. It isn't known if Carr will be on the reserves yet.

Baker to Orient

In another move with a club needing cash, Orient purchased 27 year old Irish defender Steven Baker from Scunthorpe. The reported purchase cost was 16K.

[Faramir]

The note was left under the windshield wipers of his car. Drabek noticed it and pulled out the small memopad size note that was folded in half. He opened it and read the quickly and almost illegibly scrawled note.

"Stuff is safe. If need be, you will be contacted."

At the bottom of the note was the large, hurried *DD* initials of Drogo Drabek.

[Faramir]

17.12.05

Brighton (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Brighton- L.Knight 6

Orient- J.Torhallsson 46,67 D.Poole 60

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

In a showdown match between 1st place Orient and 2nd place Brighton, it was Orient's resiliency that won out as they came from behind with a 2nd half rally to beat Brighton at Falmer. Brighton had the jump in the early going and Leon Knight gave them the early lead when he fired in a rebound after Lee Harrison made a good stop on Peter Weatherson. Brighton had several other good chances to add to their lead as they were much sharper than Orient in the first half, but Harrison did yeoman work to keep the score at 1-0 going to half. Orient came out renewed in the 2nd half and evened the match right away as Johann Torhallsson drove his own rebound past Robert Douglas after Douglas brilliantly parried his initial shot. Martin Reeves sent a pass to David Poole that Danny Hinshelwood just missed intercepting. The step Hinshelwood lost proved costly as Poole drove down the right side and then whisked his shot past Douglas to give Orient the lead. The clinching goal came shortly after as Carl Laurie lofted a long pass that Torhallsson flicked on past Danny Cullip. Reaching the ball first Torhallsson snapped a rising shot past Douglas into the near side of the net to make it 3-1 Orient. Brighton desperately tried to rally, but the mobile Orient backline was equal to their attacks and limited the number of chances on Harrison, allowing him an easy time to close out the impressive 3-1 win.

[Faramir]

21.12.05

Leyton Orient (1) Preston (0)

Orient- Johann Torhallsson 78

Preston- None

MOM- Johann Torhallsson, Leyton Orient

Orient was very lucky to be walking away with a win in this match and Tommy Lee was giving his post a pat after the match. Orient maintained pressure on Preston through most of the match, but was finding their defense hard to break down. When Orient did generate a scoring chance, David Lucas seemed to be in the right place to blunt it. Orient finally did score in the 2nd half when a nice lofted pass by Kem Izzet allowed Johann Torhallsson to blister a ball that Lucas got a piece of, but which trickled into the net. Preston rightfully should have earned a draw as they got Ricardo Fuller free and breaking in alone from the right side, but his withering shot clanged back off the post and Orient cleared it to ruin the last good chance for the visitors in the 1-0 Orient win.

[Faramir]

26.12.05

Wimbledon (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Wimbledon- A.Nowland 77

Orient- J.Thorrington 22 D.Poole 50,90

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient reached the halfway point of the season comfortably in first and very happy with a strong showing in beating Wimbledon 3-1 on the road. Wimbledon had their share of chances early, but Lee Harrison made two terrific stops to keep them off the scoresheet. Orient's first goal came on a wierd configuration as Johann Torhallsson ran down the right side of the pitch (his usual side being the left) and then crossed superbly to John Thorrington. Thorrington made one quick move and slipped the ball past Steve Booth. In the opening moments of the 2nd half Orient scored their second goal when David Poole drilled one just inside the post from 20 yards after Kem Izzet made a terrific volley pass to put him clear. It looked like Orient had the match comfortably in hand, but that changed when a throw-in wound up with Adam Nowland uncovered in front of Harrison and he slammed it home. Poole then clinched the match with his 2nd goal with another pinpoint shot past Booth in extra time.

[Faramir]

28.12.05

Sheffield United (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Sheffield- None

Orient- J.Torhallsson 1 D.Poole 62

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient got off to a flying start and wound up with one goal in each half enroute to a 2-0 road win. Johann Torhallsson broke down the left side and ran onto a pass from Kemi Izzett before firing past Iain Turner. Poole knocked home a curling shot after he and Torhallsson had played a 1-2 passing sequence. Sheffield had sporadic chances, but Lee Harrison was playing superbly to keep the clean sheet in the strong 2-0 road victory.

[Faramir]

1.1.06

Leyton Orient (2) Crystal Palace (2)

Orient- M.Reuser 36 J.Torhallsson 83

CrystalP- A.Riihilahti 73 N.Shipperly 85

MOM- Carlo Nash, Crystal Palace

Orient wasted a powerful performance through the combination of excellent work by Carlo Nash and poor defending in crucial moments as they settled for a 2-2 draw with Crystal Palace. Orient controlled the flow of play in the first half and Nash was called on several times for heroics as Orient had excellent chances. The lone goal of the first half was when Martijn Reuser was left unmarked and cruised in from the left side to rocket a shot past Nash. Palace got back to even when miscommunication between Gudmunder Mete and Jonathan Spector allowed Aki Riihilahti to zip in and smash a loose ball past Tommy Lee from close range. Orient jumped back into the lead when Chris Barker was whistled for pushing Johann Torhallsson in the area. Nash parried Torhallsson's penalty kick, but it bounced right back to him and he didn't miss drilling the rebound past Nash. Orient gave the lead back right away as Mete let Neil Shipperly get a step on him and that was enough to allow Riihilahti to make a sharp cross to him for the equalizer. Orient had a couple more good chances to win the match, but Nash knocked both shots over the net.

[Faramir]

8.1.06

Ipswich (4) Leyton Orient (1) League Cup 3rd Round

Ipswich- L.Canoville 13 P.Counago 29 D.Bent 52,69

Orient- S.Huckerby 20

MOM- Gary Brown, Ipswich

Ipswich badly outclassed Orient in brooming them from the League Cup. The Orient midfield and forwards played solidly, but their backline play was horrid and they gave keeper Lee Harrison virtually no help against the onslaught of the Ipswich attacks. Lee Canoville gave the home side the lead when he chipped in a rebound, but Orient responded with a brilliant run and shot by Scott Huckerby to equalize. Pablo Counago was poison for Ipswich as nobody on Orient could stay with him and he broke clean onto a long pass from Gary Brown to push Ipswich back into the lead. Harrison held Orient in the match for awhile, but the backbreaker was when Alan Tate just plain missed a ball that went right to Darren Bent and he had an easy stroll in before blasting a shot past Harrison. That took the remainder of the life out of Orient as they went quietly after that.

[Faramir]

11.1.06

Leyton Orient (3) Sheffield Wednesday (1)

Orient- M.Reuser 27 D.Poole 51,90

Wednesday- S.Kuqi 64

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Even playing without his usual strike partner, David Poole is proving to be a handful for opponents and he was the difference in the Orient 3-1 win. Martijn Reuser gave Orient the halftime lead when he broke in free and trickled his shot through Chris Stringer. If not for Stringer's first half heroics, where he stopped both Danny Byrne and Poole when both looked like they had sure goals, it would have been a worse score. Poole scored his first of the match and his 50th Orient goal on a superb through ball from Gudmunder Mete that zipped past two Wednesday defenders. Wednesday had no quit in them and came right back as Sherif Kuqi deflected a cross from Peter Crouch past Tommy Lee. Lee was then called on to make a couple superb saves of his own to keep determined Wednesday from equalizing. Orient finally put the match out of reach with Poole's 2nd goal- a beautiful blast from just inside the edge of the area in extra time to finish off a fine Orient effort.

[Faramir]

Drabek was seated at a stool in the pub. He was nursing a tankard of ale while considering the upcoming match. The TV was barely audible over the low hum of the early evening crowd now buzzing to each other about their days. Drabek caught the sight of a pair of bodies covered by cloth as the police milled about and disinterestedly concentrated on the picture.

"The bodies of Drogo Drabek and his bodyguard Marco Chojnacki were discovered in the alley outside of Drabek's apartment building this morning. Drabek, who owned many local gambling parlors, and Chojnacki were apparently killed in the early hours of the morning. Police suspect they were killed on their way to their vehicle and dumped into the alley. The police are speculating that this might somehow be related to gangland violence, due to the manner of their killing."

"Hey Will, are you Ok?"

Drabek shook himself back to life at the barkeeper's question, "Uh, yeah- I'm fine."

He muttered quietly to himself, "I hope he was true to his word Mary."

[Faramir]

14.1.06

Norwich (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Norwich- I.Henderson 30

Orient- A.Pearce 11

MOM- Allan Pearce, Leyton Orient

In a truly entertaining match, with ups-n-downs for both sides, the final 1-1 score was a fair result. Orient's Allan Pearce, just returned from an extended stint with New Zealand National side, made an immediate impact as he and David Poole traded passes before Pearce snapped a shot past Robert Green for his 5th goal of the season. Ian Henderson evened things for Norwich against the flow of play, as the Orient backline left him uncovered just outside the area and he boomed a 25 yard shot that Lee Harrison could not stop. It was a nail biter from then on as both clubs were getting good chances. Green stopped Pearce again, while Harrison tipped Philip Mulryne's sizzling free kick over the bar. It appeared that Norwich had the match in the bag when Steven Baker was whistled for pushing Michael Kightly in the area. Henderson stepped up and blistered a shot...right at Harrison, who grabbed it and held on for the game saving stop. Orient had one last chance on a sensational cross from Pearce, but Zvjezdan Misimovic's header was parried by Green to preserve the 1-1 draw.

***

16.1.06

"He lacks stamina and strength, but he's got some good qualities and I think he can help us," stated Field.

"It sounds like a reasonable deal, I will contact his agent," commented Drabek.

Orient Brings In Birchall

Leyton Orient announced the transfer purchase of 21 year old forward Adam Birchall from Luton. The reported price of the deal was 35K.

[Faramir]

18.1.06

Charlton (4) Leyton Orient (3)

Charlton- J.Griffin 9,37 J.Campbell-Ryce 89 J.Slabber 90

Orient- A.Pearce 5 D.Poole 21,82

MOM- John Griffin, Charlton

Orient wasted a golden opportunity to win this road match when their backline self-destructed in the closing moments yielding both the equalizer and go-ahead goals for a dispappointing Charlton comeback win. The Orient forward tandem of Allan Pearce and David Poole was very sharp in the match with Poole setting up Pearce for the first goal as he zinged a shot past Dean Kiely. It didn't take long for Charlton to even it as John Griffin exploited terrible coverage by Marien Ifura to score an easy one past Lee Harrison. David Poole scored on a header off a cross from John Thorrington, but Griffin answered again and a visibly upset Drabek subbed on Stephen Clegg for Ifura. The match was see-saw after that, but Orient finally scored what looked to be the match winner when Pearce crossed and Poole volleyed a winner. It wasn't to be though as Charlton caught Orient moving forward and Jamaal Campbell-Ryce drilled a shot just inside the near post past Harrison. Charlton then finished off Orient when Jonathan Spector didn't cover Jamie Slabber and he scored his 1st ever goal to win the match in extra time.

[Faramir]

Drabek glanced at the clock before he picked up the phone and it's muted light showed it was 3:17 AM.

"I've won and you and your precious sister will pay."

The phone went dead as it was immediately disconnected after the statement.

***

21.1.06

Leyton Orient (3) Watford (1)

Orient- D.Poole 29,75 L.Dias 59

Watford- G.Diafutua 66

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient's match with Watford at Brisbane Road had more plot twists than a soap opera. The first half featured some great work by Richard Lee as he kept the visitors in the match. The lone goal in the first half came when Lee made a sensational stop on Allan Pearce only to see David Poole first to the rebound as he rifled it past Lee. The entire tenor of the match changed in the 54th minute when Carl Laurie was given his 2nd yellow card in a 4 minute span. Despite being down a man, it just seemed to inspire Poole to new heights. He made a brilliant solo run down the right side before beating a defender on the baseline and crossing to Luis Dias. Dias headed past Lee on the near side for his 5th goal of the season. It didn't take Watford long to get back into the match as Gauthier Diafutua deflected a cross from Lloyd Doyley past Tommy Lee. The entire match wound up in the hands of Tommy Lee in the 71st minute. Martijn Reuser was whistled for pushing Dominic Foley in the area and everyone expected the match to be 2-2. Tommy Lee had other ideas as he parried Lee San's initial blast and then smothered his shot on the rebound. Reuser then made up for his bad judgement by winging a 40 yard through ball that found Poole in full stride. Poole broke in and sent a hard, swerving shot past Richard Lee for his 20th goal of the season. That goal seemed to break the visitors' spirits and the match finished out quietly on a 3-1 win that certainly looked like anything but a win when the penalty was called.

[Faramir]

"Johann told me he was ready to play against Watford- but I wanted to hold him back for one more week," said Drabek.

"Allan Pearce is playing so well, there wasn't any reason to rush him back into the lineup," agreed Field.

Drabek chuckled, "I think he just wants to get back to scoring goals, quite a friendly race between him and Poole."

Field laughed, "Well, Poole's 20 leads Division 1. Johann is still knotted for 2nd at 17 with Leon Knight- even though he has been out for a bit here."

***

26.1.06

"What do you think of him Spencer?" asked Drabek

"He has talent. Coming from Coventry youth program speaks well of him. How much is he asking?"

"Small wages. I think I will make him an offer with the understanding that he will be on the reserves for now," mused Drabek.

Orient Goes for Newbold

Leyton Orient announced the signing on free of ex-Coventry forward Blake Newbold. Newbold is a promising 20-year old that should wind up on the Orient reserves.

"It looked bad- what do you think Tony?" asked Drabek of physio Tony Flynn.

"Torn for certain. The healing on that will be slow. You might as well have him under the knife- it would help avoid it in the future, otherwise I think it will come up again," flatly stated Flynn.

Drabek absently nodded to Flynn, "Set him up for surgery."

Stijn Francis Out for Season?

Leyton Orient's young Belgian midfielder and sometimes captain Stijn Francis may be out for the remainder of the season with a torn thigh muscle. Francis will have surgery over the weekend, but no one at the club is too hopeful of him recovering before the end of the season.

[Faramir]

1.2.06

Leyton Orient (3) Portsmouth (1)

Orient- M.Reeves 11 A.Birchall 25 J.Torhallsson 50

Portsmouth- V.Pericard 17

MOM- Martin Reeves, Leyton Orient

In a flowing battle between two of the top clubs in Division 1, it was 1st place Orient defeating 4th place Portsmouth. Orient jumped on top early when Martin Reeves deflected a John Thorrington corner past Tony Warner for his 1st goal at Orient. Portsmouth promptly answered with Vincent Pericard's brilliant run and low shot past Tommy Lee. Young Mark Harding helped Orient to the lead with a sizzling through ball that found Adam Birchall all alone in front of Warner. Birchall, making his debut in place of resting David Poole, fired over Warner to score in his first Orient match. Pericard almost answered again for Portsmouth as he was giving Adrian Nevins (just back from injury) fits. Pericard broke in on Lee, but Lee stopped his initial shot and his shot on the rebound went just outside the post. Orient felt much more comfortable after Lee's goalkick put Johann Torhallsson free and he looped a 25 yard shot over Warner for a 3-1 Orient lead. Lee came up big against Patrick Berger to keep the final score 3-1 for Orient.

***

"I really think he is the midfielder we have been looking for- though I have to admit Kem Izzet is really doing the job for us there," commented Drabek.

"He has the qualities you and I discussed for the holder midfielder slot," agreed Field.

Orient Lands Roberts

Leyton Orient will soon have midfielder Gary Roberts to add to their mix. Crewe Alexandra agreed to the sale of 18 year old Roberts, but he won't join Orient until after February 20th, because of being loaned to Bradford City.

[Faramir]

4.2.06

WBA (3) Leyton Orient (1)

WBA- N.Clement 34 G.Mete-OG 45 J.Roberts 58

Orient- D.Byrne 7

MOM- Jason Roberts, WBA

In a match that started out so promising for Orient, it was WBA's strong play that took control of the match and gave them the 3-1 win. Danny Byrne opened the scoring when he picked off an errant WBA pass and broke between two defenders before slotting it past Shaun Allaway. WBA took control of the match after that point and though Tommy Lee stopped Rob Hulse three times from close-in, they evened the match on Neil Clement's booming 25 yard free kick. Gudmunder Mete, suffering a terrible match, gave WBA the halftime lead when he deflected the ball past Lee on a free kick. Jason Roberts finished off Orient with a blistering left side run before drilling a shot past Lee. Orient only had one solid scoring chance in the 2nd half but Allaway stopped Torhallsson.

[Faramir]

8.2.06

Leyton Orient (1) Crewe Alexandra (1)

Orient- A.Birchall 26

Crewe- A.Smart 61

MOM- Lee Harrison, Leyton Orient

In a match that featured some wonderful displays of both ball movement and defensive coverage for both sides, the 1-1 final result was a fair one. Orient, resting both Johann Torhallsson and David Poole, received good work up front from the tandem of Allan Pearce and Adam Birchall. Birchall scored on a rebound to put Orient ahead in the first half after Dean Simpson had blocked Allan Pearce's initial shot. Orient had several good chances to go another goal up, but Simpson's posts were kind and the bounces went out. Crewe evened the match in the 2nd half when Allan Smart pounced on a rebound after Lee Harrison had parried Dean Ashton's initial shot. Both sides were working hard on defense and neither had a really good chance to score after that as time ran out on the 1-1 draw.

[Faramir]

11.2.06

Cardiff (0) Leyton Orient (0)

Cardiff- None

Orient- None

MOM- Lee Harrison, Leyton Orient

In a match that Cardiff controlled for the most part, Orient was able to take away a point due to the fine work by keeper Lee Harrison. Cardiff held sway over the midfield for most of the match and Orient really wasn't having any luck breaking into their zone. Defensively, Orient played well and gave Harrison the support he needed. They limited most of the Cardiff shots to out from the edge of the area or further and clamped down on anyone inside that space.

[Faramir]

18.2.06

Leyton Orient (4) Derby (0)

Orient- D.Poole 29,49 J.Torhallsson 42,45

Derby- None

MOM- Scott Huckerby, Leyton Orient

The dynamic duo of David Poole and Johann Torhallsson was back in fine form today as they sped Orient to an easy 4-0 win over struggling Derby. Derby was able to stay in the match for most of the first half thanks to keeper Lee Camp. Camp stopped both Poole and Torhallsson from close-in during the first ten minutes. Poole pounced on a rebound after Arild Nost Odland blasted a shot that he was able to parry. Orient built a 3-0 halftime lead on a pair of goals from Johann Torhallsson. The first came when Lee Sims hit a curling shot into Torhallsson and he outleaped Pablo Mills to deflect it past Camp. He struck for his 2nd in extra time as Poole flicked a header to Danny Byrne. Byrne broke in and then squared the ball for Torhallsson as he rifled it past Camp for his 20th goal of the season. Poole then capped the Orient scoring as he leaped and deflected a long Jonathan Spector free kick over the out-of-position Camp. Orient was content to run the time out from there and give Tommy Lee a clean sheet.

[Faramir]

22.2.06

Fulham (1) Leyton Orient (5)

Fulham- L.Saha 57

Orient- J.Torhallsson 4,23 D.Poole 35,66 D.Byrne 68

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

Orient used their speed advantage up front to great effect as Johann Torhallsson and David Poole caused fits for the Fulham backline and keeper Edwin van der Saar. Arild Nost Odland set up the first goal with a brilliant through ball that David Poole immediately launched at the net. A great save by van der Saar kept Poole's shot out, but Johann Torhallsson immediately took the rebound and went around him to score the 100th league goal of his career. Torhallsson scored his second goal with a looping shot that went over van der Saar and dropped into the net after Danny Byrne made a neat head ahead to him of a Lee Sims throw-in. Poole got into the scoring when Stephen Warne zinged a through ball that found him in full stride and he blasted a low shot inside the near post on van der Saar. Fulham finally found a bit of life when Barry Hayles chipped a pass to Louis Saha. Saha had a step on Carl Laurie and smashed a curving shot just inside the post on Lee Harrison to give the home side some hope. Orient quickly dashed that hope when Byrne's hard work allowed Poole to reach a ball on van der Saar's doorstep and he quickly whisked it past him for his 2nd goal of the match. Byrne then capped the scoring in the match when Poole put him a step free in the area and he fired a shot inside the far post. Fulham tried to get at least another goal back but Harrison had something to say about that as he tipped a Hayles header over the net and parried another Saha blast in the closing stage of the match to ensure the convincing 5-1 Orient win.

[Faramir]

25.2.06

Leyton Orient (3) Wigan (1)

Orient- D.Poole 24,54 A.Birchall 65

Wigan- A.Liddell 37-P

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient looked very sharp throughout the first half as their passing was causing Wigan no end of problems, but it was surely frustrating to be entering halftime even at 1-1. Orient kept coming in the 2nd half and finished off a strong 3-1 win. David Poole put Orient in the lead with his 25th goal of the season, when he was again in the right spot as Andy Oakes parried Allan Pearce's low screamer, but the ball bounced to Poole and he wasted no time slotting it in the net. Wigan equalized when Gary Roberts was whistled for pushing Lee McCulloch on a corner and Andy Liddell blasted the penalty kick through Tommy Lee's hands for his 5th goal of the season. Despite the error, Roberts had a solid debut for Orient and his soft touch pass put Poole free to score his 2nd of the match and give Orient the lead for good. Adam Birchall, subbing on for Pearce, scored after Poole gave him a back pass and he rifled it inside the near post on Oakes. Orient was content to frustrate the Wigan attempts to rally after that point in finishing off the win.

***

"They will be out to prove something against us," sighed Dorn.

Field nodded as they watched the final moments of the League Cup Final tick away with Reading losing to Tottenham by a 3-1 margin.

"I don't know, he is not exactly the type of player I was thinking of for the wing," stated Drabek.

"Trust me," continued Field. "Chelsea developed him, just because they released him doesn't mean he isn't going to be good. He isn't as flashy as our other wingers, but he is solid in every aspect of the game. He shouldn't cost much in wages to sign as well- and you know we are going to be making some changes over the summer."

Drabek nodded, "Ok, you convinced me."

Orient Signs Italian

Leyton Orient announced the signing on free of winger Michele Gallacio. Gallacio is a 20 year old Italian that came up through Chelsea's youth program.

[Faramir]

1.3.06

Reading (2) Leyton Orient (1)

Reading- S.Lenz 74,80

Orient- A.Birchall 32

MOM- Stefan Lenz, Reading

Reading came from behind to dump Orient behind the first two senior goals from Stefan Lenz. Orient held the lead at halftime as Adam Birchall had been nicely setup by Danny Byrne. It wasn't enough though as Lenz evened the match when he headed a corner past Lee Harrison to even things. Lenz then knocked in a rebound after Harrison had stopped Helgi Sigurdsson on his doorstep. Orient tried to rally, but the Reading defense throttled their forwards down the stretch and Zvjezdan Misimovic was stopped cold by Paul Smith the one time he was alone in front. With 9 matches remaining, Orient is 8 points free of 2nd place Brighton and 11 points clear of 3rd place WBA.

[Faramir]

The elderly man strolled by Drabek as he walked back from Brisbane Road to his car. Drabek paid no attention until he realized the man had turned and was only a few steps behind him. Warily, Drabek said, "May I help you?"

The deep throated chuckle that issued from the seedily dressed man was slightly disconcerting, "No. It is I who can help you. Meet me in a week in Cardiff at the Golden Leaf Inn at 5 PM (search). Drogo wanted you to have something."

The man turned away as if he had been begging and was disappointed at Drabek's refusal to contribute. Instinctively, Drabek knew better than to act differently or ask the man for more information- he turned and continued on his way to the car.

[Faramir]

11.3.06

Leyton Orient (3) Millwall (1)

Orient- D.Poole 7-P,38,87

Millwall- A.Fofana 45

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

By the end of the match, Alan Marriott had more than a passing acquaintance with David Poole. Poole struck for a hat-trick and could have had at least 3 more if Marriott had not been so sharp or the crossbar unkind. Despite the score this was a match that hung in the balance throughout the 2nd half until Poole finally clinched it for Orient. Poole opened the scoring in the match when he converted a penalty after Mark Phillips pushed Poole in the area on a corner kick. Arild Nost Odland sent a sensational through ball to spring Poole in alone as he beat Marriott cleanly for his 2nd goal of the match. Though they didn't have many chances in the first half Millwall got themselves right back into the match in first half extra time as Aboubaka Fofana deflected a Joey Barton corner past Tommy Lee. Lee had just made a superb save on Mark Quigley's booming free kick from the edge of the area, so it was disappointing for Orient to give that goal back. Millwall sensed blood and pushed the play in the Orient end in the 2nd half. Darren Huckerby was especially dangerous as he had room to run and had three good chances, but Lee parried two of them and smothered the third one to keep Orient clinging to their lead. Poole finally completed the hat-trick when Jonathan Spector headed a Marriott free kick forward and Poole scored a swerving shot.

[Faramir]

The atmosphere in the inn was surprisingly upscale. Rather than the dimly lit venue he expected- Drabek found himself in a mish-mash of pastels and strategically placed lighting. Lacking any better option he waited for someone to guide him to a table. A middle aged man, with a few smokey grey streaks in his moustache and black hair approached him and said, "Mr. Drabek. Please come with me."

Instead of guiding him to a table, he took him to one of the private corner dining rooms. Once inside, he closed the door and smiled grimly at him. "Welcome to my resteraunt Will- after all I did invite you."

Drabek looked more closely at the man and could see some of the faint resemblances to the old man that he had missed at first glance. "Was that your father?"

The man laughed softly, "No. That was me."

Now Drabek looked incredulous and then relaxed into a small chuckle. "You're really very good at the disguises."

A short bow was the reward for the compliment, "I should be. Trigger men need that ability- if they want to live for long. I am not one any longer- haven't been for a long time- I owed your father for getting me out of that portion of the business in time to live a normal life. You may not know it- but there is truth in the saying there is honor among thieves. Your father was a hard man, cruel at times, but he was also very honorable and always paid his debts."

Drabek nodded thoughtfully.

"I imagine you are wondering about all the subterfuge. The answer is your brother has had you shadowed since just before your father's death. Well, he did until he thought he knew where the missing piece of information was- that was a week ago- the same day I saw you. You don't have to worry anymore though."

Drabek didn't look surprised at the revelation, "He as much as told me he did that- when he called me in the middle of the night to gloat."

"It wasn't totally gloating- why he called you that night. He discovered he didn't have, nor did your father leave the information anywhere where he could find it. He was hoping to either learn if you had it- or discern if you knew where it was. When you didn't react, he was unsure- but didn't believe you had the information either. He was correct."

The man reached on top of the decorative clock in the room- and removed a panel. He brought out a videotape and a letter which he tossed to Drabek. "This is what you have been seeking- or rather waiting for."

Drabek held the videotape gingerly, "Is there any way we can get rid of this right now- I don't really want to view it."

"Certainly, I thought you might need this," stated the man as he flipped a powerful magnet to Drabek. "We can throw it into the incinerator after you have done that. The letter is from Drogo- so you might not want to torch it just yet."

After passing the magnet over both sides of the videotape several times, Drabek flipped it back and the man stowed it in his pocket. He then opened the letter while the man patiently waited.

"Will- you were right and I was a fool to ignore your advice. Hugo has somehow hooked up with another shadowy outfit- of which I am able to discover little. The key to his full entrance appears to be the evidence against your sister- so I would guess it is ultimately directed at her husband. Whoever they are- they are powerful and I am taking steps to safeguard both myself and the evidence. You don't need to know the name of the man who holds this, but you should know that he is not known as an associate of mine- nor was he ever around from the time your brother was born. He owes me, but I also owe him- so please do not bring problems to him if you can help it. He is capable, perhaps the most chameleon-like man I have known- so don't be surprised at his abilities. I hope to talk to you when things have quieted down, but know that in the end I am pleased and proud of your success at the task I set before you and that I fully believe you will finally collect on the bet."

Will looked at the man, "Ok, I won't ask your name. What did you say about not having to worry anymore?"

The man shrugged his shoulders, "Drogo and I were friends long ago- and though we drifted apart we never completely lost touch. What Hugo had done to him was a personal affront to me. Drogo knew if that happened, that I would take revenge for him. It is done."

Drabek looked quizically at the man, "But what is done?"

"Hugo won't be back to bother you again."

"How did you manage that?"

"Better you don't know the details Will, but in general terms he was searching for the evidence. He needed it badly- as your father stated there was something underlying that need. I already had the evidence, so I baited a trap for him. He won't be returning."

Will nodded and asked nothing else.

"If you ever need me- and I do mean ever- you can leave a message for Mr. Wilson at Dunwoody Booksellers. It will reach me."

Drabek nodded, "I guess I owe you thanks for all that you have done- I do appreciate it."

"Thank you. It wasn't a pleasure- but I know it will make life better for at least you and your sister. Good luck in your further adventures in Management- I know many in the know who think you are destined for big things- maybe even on the National scene."

Drabek shook his head, "I doubt that- I just want to finish the season out and gain promotion. I can be happy with that."

[Faramir]

18.3.06

Rotherham (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Rotherham- S.Spann 74

Orient- D.Poole 26 A.Birchall 72,77

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Despite nursing a bad shoulder, David Poole started for Orient and got them on the way, before Adam Birchall subbed on for him and finished the task in the 3-1 win at Millmoor. Poole missed a couple of early chances, but didn't miss when Martin Reeves pass allowed him time to strike a rising shot past Mike Pollitt. With Poole visibly wincing, Orient Manager Drabek chose to replace him with Adam Birchall and it proved provident when Pollitt parried a low screamer from Johann Torhallsson and Birchall chipped the rebound into the open net for his 5th goal since arriving at Orient. Ex-Orient Silvio Reinaldo Spann used his frightening pace to outstrip the Orient backline before beating Tommy Lee with a shot inside the near post. Orient pegged Rotherham right back though as Torhallsson zipped a pass that allowed Birchall to blast a shot that trickled past Pollitt. From that point on Orient put the match in the hands of Lee and he was spectacular. He stopped Darren Byfield twice on one-on-ones and also made a stellar parry of a header from John-Barry Nusum to keep the final score in the Orient win 3-1.

***

"We have had three scouts looking at him, and all have raved about him. I am not totally sure he is ready physically for the rigors, but ManU has already played him in some of their lesser Cup matches. The question is- do we really need another midfielder?" asked Field.

"Well Spencer, here is the deal. If we get promoted (they both shared a hint of a grin), then we are likely to be further in the hole on club finances- and like as not, we won't have much or any transfer funds," stated Drabek. "My thinking is if we can afford him- why not go for it now- when we have enough funds to make it happen. He certainly is going to be an asset to us, and I think I can convince him and his agent to accept a contract from us."

Field nodded along with the summation, "Ok. I see your point. It probably is as good as time as we may have to get someone of his caliber."

Harbuzi Coming to Orient

Leyton Orient announced the transfer purchase of promising young Swedish midfielder Labinot Harbuzi from Manchester United. The reported transfer cost was 130K, with an additional sell-on clause. Harbuzi has been heavily capped on the Swedish Under-21 side and is reportedly under consideration for addition to the National side. Manager Drabek commented that it was a pleasure to bring a midfielder with the talent of Harbuzi to Orient.