The Bet

[Faramir]

28.11.09

Millwall (1) Leyton Orient (2)

Millwall- A.Smith 75

Orient- O.Oskarsson 85 D.Arrieta 88

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

Staring a first loss in EPL squarely in the face, Orient rallied for two late goals to edge Millwall 2-1 in an extremely entertaining match. The first half of the match may have been scoreless, but it was exciting and intense football as both sides attacked up and down the pitch. Orient's chances were continually blunted by the exceptional one-on-one tackling being done by the Millwall backline and a couple stellar saves by Nicky Weaver. Millwall's chances were stymied by the work of Jan Evrard and Sebastien Frey's acrobatics. Millwall finally took the lead in the match when Adam Smith dove and headed past Frey on a corner from Simon Campbell. Orient threw everyone forward in an attempt to earn the equalizer and almost paid the price- but Frey parried away Tim Cahill's blast. Stephen Pearson continued to show his field vision when his through ball found Orri Freyr Oskarsson inside the edge of the area. Before the defense could react, Oskarrson whistled a curving 20 yard shot past Weaver for the dramatic equalizer. Evrard then keyed the match winner with a terrific through ball to David Poole. Poole sent a sizzling cross that Danilo Arrieta half volleyed past Weaver for the match winner. Orient had to withstand more late chances from Millwall but hung on for the close 2-1 win.

[Guest]

You are invincible, aren´t you?

[Guest]

You are invincible, aren´t you?

[Faramir]

Nobody's Invincible Hammer But, you can get on a good roll...

***

3.12.09

West Ham (1) Leyton Orient (3) League Cup 4th round Extra Time

West Ham- L.Harbuzi 37

Orient- D.Fredheim Holm 48 M.Morris 92 M.Borriello 93

MOM- David Fox, Leyton Orient

Division 2 West Ham proved to the fans at Upton Park that they could play even with Orient, but David Fox's effort sent them home disappointed in the end. West Ham took the lead when Tony Craig chipped a pass to Labinot Harbuzi. Robert Huth failed to challenge Harbuzi and he had plenty of time to boom a shot off the inside post past Tommy Lee. Orient evened the match in the opening moments of the second half. Daniel Fredheim Holm made excellent contact with his head on a Richie Wellens free kick to drive it past Richard Simpson and equalize. Simpson played a great match in regulation time as he held the underdogs in with some superb saves to keep the match knotted at 1-1. In extra time it was a tired, but determined David Fox that took over. From the right sideline, Fox went past both Craig and Hayden Mullins before sending the ball to Matthew Morris. Morris volleyed the ball past Simpson for his 1st Orient goal and it was 2-1. Fox then made a run from deep in Orient territory all the way to the West Ham net. He crossed to Marco Borriello for the insurance goal and West Ham could only look dejectedly on as Orient celebrated moving up 3-1. West Ham had fought hard, but were clearly exhausted and couldn't offer much of a rally as Orient finished out the 3-1 win that sends them on in League Cup play.

"A coming out party for David Fox!" exclaimed Spencer Field.

Drabek smiled and nodded, "He really took over the match in the second half. Those two runs in extra time were done on pure heart, because I know he had very little left in the tank when he made them."

[Faramir]

5.12.09

Leyton Orient (4) Middlesbrough (1)

Orient- O.Oskarsson 16 D.Poole 19,47 J.Torhallsson 38

Middlesbrough- M.Christie 86

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient continued riding their hot streak as they struck early against visiting Middlesbrough and outworked them in a 4-1 win. Danny Byrne sprayed a long pass out to David Poole- who headed it to an unmarked Orri Freyr Oskarsson. Oskarsson again proved how deadly he can be around the net by placing his shot perfectly past Robert Green for his 15th goal of the season. It was another quick strike that put Orient up 2-0 as a Carl Laurie through ball found Poole with time to drive a midlevel shot past Green inside the right post for his 20th goal of the season. A poor free kick by Chris Riggott triggered Orient's 3rd goal. Byrne headed it to Poole and as both defenders reacted to him- he chipped it to a fast moving Johann Torhallsson. Torhallsson made a neat move that froze Green and then took the ball around him before slotting it home. Byrne created more havoc when he took the ball away from Frank Queudre at midfield. Stewart Parnaby was forced to challenge him and Byrne slipped it by him to Poole. Poole again rocketed a midlevel shot past Green for a 4-0 lead. Orient conceded a late consolation goal when Malcolm Christie deflected a cross from Simon Johnson past Sebastien Frey. That was the lone bright spot as Orient finished off the 4-1 win.

"Now comes the tough part of the schedule," sighed Drabek.

"You're telling me! 9 matches in the next month- and 7 of them on the road," grumbled Field.

"It will be a test of our depth for sure. Especially since our last 4 road matches are Liverpool, Tottenham, Aston Villa and Manchester United."

"All we need to do is survive this portion of the schedule and things will be looking up for our stretch run."

Drabek knocked on the wooden desk as he said, "Let's hope no major injuries during the stretch. We can ill afford them."

[Faramir]

8.12.09

Lyon (1) Leyton Orient (4) Champions Cup 1st phase Group C

Lyon- Kleber 1

Orient- M.Marchese 35 M.Borriello 45,74 D.Arrieta 66

MOM- Marco Borriello, Leyton Orient

Desperately trying to avoid losing all their matches in Group play, Lyon got off to a flying start- only to falter and crash again in a 4-1 loss to Orient. Kleber took full advantage of a miscue by Robert Huth, as Orient was playing few of their regulars, to score off the opening whistle. The ball was played back to Huth, but he didn't control it and then fell down when Kleber muscled him off the ball. Kleber took the ball down the middle and then slipped it underneath Tommy Lee when he rushed out to challenge him. Midway through the first half Lyon's fortunes started their downward plunge when Edmilson earned an immediate redcard for a vicious elbow that flattened Marco Borriello. Shortly after, as Orient took full advantage of the lessened coverage, Michele Marchese evened the match when he outleaped keeper Gregory Coupet for a Bojan Djordjic corner and pushed it past him for his 1st goal at Orient. Orient's pressure rewarded them with the halftime lead. Orri Freyr Oskarsson set Danilo Arrieta up nicely in the area, but Coupet was able to block away his low shot. Marco Borriello was lurking though and put the rebound back into the net for the 2-1 lead. Arrieta had felt a bit snakebit the entire match as Coupet had made several good stops on him, but he finally broke through for a goal when he headed a cross from Matthew Morris (on for Oskarsson) past Coupet to really help crush Lyon's rally hopes. It was all Borriello's hard work that resulted in his well deserved 2nd goal of the match. Borriello ran down a loose ball after a corner was headed away- sent the ball back to Carl Laurie and then scooted all the way back across the pitch to wind up receiving a through ball from Laurie that found him barely onside. Borriello fired a shot past Coupet into the lower left corner, while the Lyon defenders were bitterly protesting that he was offside and the referee was ignoring their pleas. That was the final goal in the 4-1 win. Orient was drawn to face Tottenham in the next phase of Champions Cup play.

***

"Ouch! Another one," sighed Drabek.

"I know losing his presence will hurt us on the backline," agreed Field

Titus Tumble

Leyton Orient today indicated that key defender Titus Bramble will miss the next two months following minor surgery on his torn groin muscle. Bramble was injured in practice and immediately sent off to the hospital. Bramble insisted he will be back 'sooner than the doctors say.' His loss will likely mean more playing time for Mark Harding and Robert Huth.

[Faramir]

12.12.09

WBA (2) Leyton Orient (1)

WBA- Junior 46 G.Campbell 55

Orient- S.Pearson 50

MOM- Thomas Gaardsoe, WBA

Orient suffered their first EPL loss of the season as sloppy defending doomed them in their trip to The Hawthorns. Orient failed to capitalize on their chances in the first half as both clubs played haphazard football. WBA gained the lead in the opening moments of the second half as Adam Chambers made a right side run and hit a curling cross. Orient had all the WBA players in the area marked, but the cross curved back out over them and Junior was just beyond the edge of the area and hit a screamer past Sebastien Frey. Orient evened the match when Stephen Pearson was quickest to whip a rebound past Russell Howarth after Howarth had made a good parry of a free kick from Robert Huth. WBA then quickly went back ahead when Graham Campbell knocked in the rebound for his 1st goal of the season after Frey had stopped Junior's deflection of a Jason Koumas corner. Orient tried to salvage a draw, but Howarth came up with the need stops in the WBA end to send their fans home celebrating the close 2-1 win. The win moved WBA up to 2nd place in the EPL.

[Faramir]

16.12.09

Carlisle (1) Leyton Orient (2) League Cup Quarterfinal Extra Time

Carlisle- G.Burt 96

Orient- J.Donnelly 92 M.Marchese 102-P

MOM- Michele Marchese, Leyton Orient

It was a match of missed opportunities for Orient and they counted themselves fortunate to be moving on to the Semifinals thanks to their 2-1 Extra Time win over Division 3 Carlisle. It was a match where Orient very much outclassed the underdog home side, but good work by Matt Clarke in net and poor shooting (and luck) on Orient's part sent the match scoreless into Extra Time. Clarke made the save of the match when he collected Jamie Donnelly's header after Elliot Grandin had smartly crossed to him in the last moments of second half extra time. Donnelly, who had come on for injured Danilo Arrieta, was holding his head in frustration- having bounced one back off the bar moments before. In Extra time it was Donnelly's frightening pace that proved decisive. Lee Davenport had taken a throw in away from Michele Marchese and flicked it back for Darren Kelly at the edge of the Carlisle area. Donnelly turned on the jets and reached the ball just before Kelly- then snapped a shot past Clarke inside the near right post to give Orient the advantage. Carlisle didn't quit though, unlike Mark Harding, and took advantage when Harding looked imploringly at the referee while Gary Burt outmuscled him. While Harding looked on and made a halfhearted effort to get back into the play, Burt took the ball down the pitch and rifled a 20 yard blast past Tommy Lee inside the left post. Harding immediately found himself on the bench as William Flood subbed on for him. Orient then pressed the attack again. It was Donnelly's pace again that caused Carlisle problems. Thomas Pinault was forced to take him down from behind trying to tackle and save a goal. That play resulted in a penalty kick call and despite the jeering of the entire home crowd, youngster Michele Marchese calmly stepped up and converted the penalty for a 2-1 Orient lead. Orient had to survive a couple more dangerous corners, but Lee provided steady play in closing out the unheralded home side and sending Orient into the Semifinals.

***

"We worked a lot harder than we needed to for that one," offered a tired Drabek.

"Missed chances- a lot of them. We weren't all that sharp, but we did play hard and controlled the tempo of the match," replied Field.

"Michele Marchese showed a lot today. He was dead tired at the end, but still outworking everyone else on the pitch. That was in contrast to Mark Harding- I am still upset with him."

"Youthful mistake," shrugged Field. "I think he learned something from it, but we will have to reinforce that you never quit on a play."

[Faramir]

19.12.09

Leyton Orient (3) Bradford City (0)

Orient- D.Poole 3,83 S.Pearson 29

Bradford City- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

With this match a rare home tilt in this challenging stretch of their schedule, Orient wanted to take full advantage of it- and did as they ran out a 3-0 winner over Bradford City. Orient was off quickly in the match as Robert Huth's vision and strong header down the center gave David Poole a great opportunity. When defender Mark Bower couldn't close quickly enough, Poole had plenty of time to boom a kick that got through keeper Alan Combe to give Orient a quick lead. Stephen Pearson scored on as pretty a shot as you can find to make it 2-0 Orient. Pearson hit a swerving 30 yard kick that just snuck in under the crossbar. Orient's central defenders, Huth and Eric Addo, did a super job of rendering Gifton Noel-Williams and Miko Aaritalo harmless througout the match. Poole's 2nd goal of the match clinched it for Orient and was a great individual effort as Isaac Okoronokwo tried hard to close him down, but he worked through him and precision placed a shot just inside the far left post

after Lee Sims found him with a searching pass.

[Faramir]

23.12.09

Liverpool (2) Leyton Orient (7)

Liverpool- A.Le Tallec 17 R.Gardner 31

Orient- S.Moore 12-P,61-P,77 M.Etherington 37 M.Borriello 45 D.Arrieta 84,89

MOM- Stefan Moore, Leyton Orient

Liverpool and Orient seemed intent on attacking in the match, but it was Orient's adjustments that provided the difference in the match as they cruised to a 7-2 rout that caused much consternation among the Anfield fans. Stefan Moore celebrated his return from injury with a big match. It began when he converted the penalty kick after Ross Gardner pushed Jan Kristiansen while he was in the air trying to put a head upon Matthew Etherington's corner. Liverpool wasted little time answering as Anthony Le Tallec scored after keeping Robert Huth from marking him closely. Harry Kewell made a nice run to setup Le Tallec for his goal. Liverpool moved in front when Emile Heskey headed a ball down for Gardner. Kristiansen challenged Gardner for the ball, but Gardner took it right past him and split the Orient defense before rocketing a 25 yard blast past Sebastien Frey inside the right post. Orient evened the match again when Etherington curled a 30 yard free kick past Christopher Kirkland. Thanks to Marco Borriello, Orient held a 3-2 halftime lead. Danilo Arrieta, who had subbed on for injured Danny Byrne, made a deft pass that found Borriello free in the area and his low shot eluded Kirkland. Orient started punishing Liverpool for mistakes in the second half, starting with Moore's 2nd penalty kick conversion of the match after Heskey was yellow carded for handballing in the area. Ethrerington made a nice touch pass that allowed Borriello to send a sweeping cross into the center- where Moore overpowered Carl Medjani to complete his hat-trick past Kirkland. Arrieta then capped off the match with a pair of goals. The first came when Moore found him after he slipped coverage. Kirkland saved his first shot, but he whisked the rebound in past the sprawled keeper. Arrieta's 2nd goal was a result of a laser pass from Carl Laurie that found him unmarked inside the edge of the area. Arrieta struck a precise shot that found the lower left corner of the net to finish off the 7-2 win.

***

"We rallied nicely when we went behind," commented Field.

"It was our own fault we wound up behind to start with- we blew our coverage on both goals and left Sebastien Frey hung out to dry. Still, it was a good adjustment to what they were trying to run against us that set up all of counter attacking. Our second half execution was close to flawless."

[Faramir]

26.12.09

Tottenham (0) Leyton Orient (5)

Tottenham- None

Orient- S.Moore 5,18 R.Huth 16 D.Poole 35 D.Arrieta 89

MOM- Stefan Moore, Leyton Orient

Orient celebrated both the day after Christmas and the midway point of the EPL season with another impressive road performance as they dumped Tottenham 5-0. Stefan Moore continued proving that he is recovered from his injuries as keyed the win. Moore and David Poole played a superb back and forth passing sequence down the pitch. Moore crossed back from close in, but the ball was slightly deflected by Abubakari Yakubu and it went back to Daniel Fredheim Holm. Fredheim Holm launched a shot at the net, but Robin Faber deflected it. Moore reacted first and fired it past Tim Howard while at a sharp angle for his 10th goal of the season. Robert Huth added his 1st goal for Orient when he deflected Fredheim Holm's corner past Howard. Quickly after that Moore added his 2nd goal of the match when he caught Howard on his heels and outleaped Ledley King to loop a header on a long pass from Huth over Howard. Poole showed his incredible reactions when Moore crossed back to him and Yakubu slightly deflected it. Before any other player could react, Poole wheeled and blasted it into the net for his 200th goal while at Orient. Orient then closed out the impressive win as Poole flicked a ball on for Arrieta. Arrieta beat King on the dribble and ripped a vicious right footer past Howard to finish the 5-0 scoreline. At midseason Orient now holds a 15 point cushion on both 2nd place Manchester United and 3rd place Chelsea (both with 37 points) due to their 17-1-1 mark so far. Orient is an amazing +50 goal differential at the midway mark.

[Faramir]

29.12.09

Leyton Orient (6) Leicester (0)

Orient- O.Oskarsson 7,30,90 D.Poole 45 R.Wellens 60 A.Isaksson 74-OG

Leicester- None

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

Orient came out with their three forward tactic against Leicester and the visitors proved unable to handle electric Orri Freyr Oskarsson as Orient buried them 6-0 to close out 2009. Oskarsson was on fire from the opening whistle on. His first goal came after Stefan Moore set him up outside the area. Oskarsson blasted his shot and Andreas Isaksson had no chance after Alex Morris slightly changed the direction on it and it bounced into the net. David Poole set up the next goal with a nice flick on that Oskarsson outraced two defenders and Isaksson to- before sliding it under the onrushing Isaksson for his 2nd goal of the match. Callum Davidson misjudged Danny Byrne's pass and that allowed the ball to go through to Poole, who wasted no time in firing it past Isaksson inside the right post to make it 3-0 at half with his 25th goal of the season. Richie Wellens chipped in with his 1st goal for Orient when he deflected a Jan Kristiansen corner past Isaksson. Isaksson then added to his own woes when he tried to grab a cross from Danilo Arrieta- only to lose the handle and allow the ball to go into the net. Oskarsson finished off his hat-trick thanks to unselfish play by Arrieta. Oskarsson's first shot was blocked away by Isaksson. Instead of blasting the rebound into the net, Arrieta laid the ball back for Oskarsson and he didn't miss the second time as he scored the 100th Career League goal to finish off the 6-0 win for Orient.

***

"To answer you before you ask Spencer, No we didn't need him. But, I think he may be the next up-and-coming English keeper. Obviously Arsenal thought so, playing him regularly at age 16. Because he turns 17 the day after we get him- we will be able to turn right around and sign him to a regular- not youth- contract," calmly asserted Drabek.

"I like him a lot, but we already have young keepers. Still, if you think he should be here..."

Orient Hires Hicks

Leyton Orient today announced the signing of promising young keeper James Hicks from struggling Arsenal. Arsenal dearly wanted to keep the 16 yr old who had been playing regularly for them this season- but he was more interested in coming to Orient. He stated he wanted to tutor under Sebastien Frey and that he was hoping to contribute to Orient's European play in the years to come. The tribunal set the compensation for Hicks at 1.1 Million.

[Faramir]

2.1.10

Leyton Orient (1) Nottingham Forest (0) FA Cup 3rd round

Orient- M.Borriello 45

Nottingham- None

MOM- Francesco Coco, Leyton Orient

Though the final line was only 1-0, this was a match dominated by Orient as they moved on in the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest. Orient opened quickly, but their shooting was off the mark today as they missed a couple of very good chances in the early going. Francesco Coco was the architect for the lone goal of the match. With time winding down in first half injury time, Coco made a left side run and then flipped the ball into open space- for Marco Borriello to run onto. His timing was perfect as Borriello reached the ball and hammered a shot that Kasey Keller could not stop as it bounded off the net with its force. James Hicks had a successful debut as Orient keeper and earned the clean sheet with a late parry on a blast from Richie Partridge. The one black cloud in the match was Daniel Fredheim Holm suffering broken ribs that will keep him out for the next 2 weeks.

[Guest]

I've spent the last few days reading through this and it is absolutley phenomenal. Keep it up.

[Guest]

great orient sorry kutgw

[Faramir]

Thanks guys, glad you like the story so far

***

6.1.10

Manchester United (2) Leyton Orient (0)

Manchester U- S.Tuncay 46 C.Ronaldo 64

Orient- None

MOM- Sanli Tuncay, Manchester United

Manchester United threw a blanket over the Orient forwards and midfielders as they throttled Orient in beating them 2-0. Though the first half was scoreless, it was clear that Manchester United was dictating the tempo of play. They were much quicker and crisper than Orient in the half, but had nothing to show for it. That changed to start the second half as Ruud van Nistlerooy made an excellent flick on and Sanli Tuncay made a strong header to push the ball past a diving Sebastien Frey. Marco Di Vaio launched a long pass that caught Orient leanining forward to try and equalize. Cristiano Ronaldo outraced Jan Evrard to the ball and blasted a low shot past Frey to make it 2-0. Orient never seriously tested Fabien Barthez and he had an easy time holding the clean sheet in the 2-0 Manchester United win.

***

Drabek shrugged, "That was the first really bad match we have had this season. We didn't play well from the opening whistle on."

"We just couldn't find any room to do anything in the midfield today. They really closed us down," replied Field.

[Faramir]

9.1.10

Leyton Orient (2) Blackburn (0)

Orient- D.Byrne 11,39

Blackburn- None

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

After not scoring the first half of the season, Danny Byrne scored twice to lead Orient over Blackburn 2-0 in a tightly contested match. Byrne proved to be lurking in the right area when Jan Kristiansen tackled the ball and it bounced to the edge of the area. Byrne made a quick cross over dribble and fired it past Brad Freidal to give Orient the lead. His second goal came when he curled a free kick past Freidal from 25 yards. Blackburn maintained pressure on Orient in the second half as they tried to rally, but the quickness of the Orient backline and steady work from Sebastien Frey helped maintain the clean sheet in the 2-0 win.

[Faramir]

13.1.10

Aston Villa (2) Leyton Orient (2)

Aston Villa- S.Barone 4 B.Pedretti 21

Orient- S.Moore 10 D.Poole 53

MOM- Thomas Sorensen, Aston Villa

Orient was forced to rally twice and had to settle for a 2-2 draw at Villa Park. Aston Villa was out to prove they could play with Orient in the early going and grabbed the lead when Simone Barone volleyed a winner after Dadi Einarsson headed the ball across the area for him. Orient evened the match when Barone slightly deflected a cross from Matthew Etherington and Moore reacted by slashing a shot past Sorensen. Villa moved ahead again when Sebastien Frey just plain missed a shot from the edge of the area by Benoit Pedretti. Orient kept pressuring Villa and evened the match when Orri Freyr Oskarsson, who had come on for injured David Fox, made a nice lofted pass that found Moore running down the left side. Moore crossed back into the middle and Sorensen bobbled the ball- with David Poole on hand to whisk it into the net after Sorensen lost the handle on the ball. Sorensen redeemed himself with 4 excellent saves down the stretch to preserve the 2-2 scoreline. He stopped Oskarsson twice on one-on-one situations and also managed to block away shots by Moore and Poole.

[Faramir]

16.1.10

Newcastle (2) Leyton Orient (1)

Newcastle- N.Anelka 28 M.Chopra 70

Orient- J.Torhallsson 18-P

MOM- Shay Given, Newcastle

Orient wasted numerous opportunities as they fell in a close 2-1 loss at St.James Park. Orient siezed the early lead in the match when Theo Lucius tripped Stefan Moore in the area. Johann Torhallsson converted the penalty kick for his 10th goal of the season and an Orient lead. Newcastle evened the match when Michael Chopra found Nicolas Anelka lurking behind Robert Huth. Anelka turned on the speed and then hit a cannon blast that trickled through Sebastien Frey and slowly bounced into the net. Orient wasted some excellent scoring opportunities as Given stopped both Moore and Stephen Pearson on good chances. Both clubs fought hard to gain the go ahead goal, but it Chopra's deflection of Yildiray Basturk's corner that finally found the net. Frey did come up with a game saving stop on Chopra's penalty kick shortly after- as Huth was called for holding Anelka in the area. In the closing moments it was Given who came up with the big saves as he stopped both Moore and Danilo Arrieta on very good chances to preserve the 2-1 win.

***

"We were just a bit off in the match. A step slow and a few seconds off on making the good pass," sighed Drabek.

"I think the entire club is just plain worn out right now. 12 League matches since November 28th, and only 3 of them at home? With the League and FA Cup matches mixed in? It has been a long stretch...."

"Almost over now, though we still have to face Everton on the road for the 1st leg of League Cup Semis."

[fergusdacat7]

cracking stuff faramir.

[Faramir]

Thanks much fergus- glad you are enjoying the story

***

20.1.10

Everton (0) Leyton Orient (3) League Cup Semifinal leg 1

Everton- None

Orient- D.Poole 17,20 J.Torhallsson 43

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient never let Everton get settled in the match and paid particular attention to muzzling Wayne Rooney as their work paid off in a 3-0 win at Goodison Park in the 1st leg of the League Cup Semifinal. Everton was unable to contain David Poole in the early going and paid dearly. Stephen Pearson made a hard working run down the left side before his cross was deflected by a diving Poole past Richard Wright to put Orient on the board first. Poole had slipped his coverage and had plenty of time to choose his shot after a long curving cross from Matthew Etherington found him in front of Wright. Michele Marchese's wonderful touch pass sprung Johann Torhallsson to blast inside the near left post to make it 3-0 at halftime. With the comfortable lead Orient was content to work hard on defense in the second half and maintain the clean sheet. In other Semifinal action it was Arsenal and Aston Villa battling to a 2-2 draw at Ashburton Grove.

[Faramir]

23.1.10

Leyton Orient (4) WBA (0) FA Cup 4th round

Orient- A.Roberts 5 O.Oskarsson 68 J.Donnelly 87,90

WBA- None

MOM- Tommy Lee, Leyton Orient

In a match that looks much more lopsided when only viewing the final score- it was Orient taking better advantage of their chances in their 4-0 win over WBA in FA Cup action. Adam Roberts scored his 1st goal for Orient to give them the lead as he volleyed a free kick from Matthew Morris past Russell Howarth. Roberts lost a 2nd goal moments later when Danilo Arrieta was ruled offside after he had drilled a 20 yard kick home. WBA had plenty of chances to even the match, but their best one was in the opening moments of the second half. After a nice passing sequence, Tiberiu Ghioane blasted a shot past Tommy Lee- but it struck the post and bounced right back to Lee and he smothered it. Jason Koumas struck the netting just outside the post shortly later on a sizzling 25 yard free kick. Orient started putting the match out of reach as Orri Freyr Oskarsson (on for the tiring Roberts) took a nicely laid off ball from Elliot Grandin and fired a rising shot past Howarth inside the near left post. Jamie Donnelly, who came on for injured Daniel Fredheim Holm, put the match in the win column for Orient. Donnelly took a flicked on ball from Morris and smashed a shot past Howarth to the far right corner to make it 3-0. He then added his 2nd goal of the match when Grandin crossed smartly to him after Howarth had parried Oskarsson's initial blast. Donnelly easily redirected it into the left side of the net to send the large Brisbane Road crowd home very happy.

[Faramir]

30.1.10

Leyton Orient (4) Southampton (2)

Orient- D.Poole 15 D.Arrieta 74,76 M.Harding 89

Southampton- T.Thorpe 42 Kanu 48

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

The sign of a good club is that they don't get rattled when down, they just buckle down and work harder. Orient is a good club by that measure as they rallied to win over Southampton 4-2 at Brisbane Road. Orient jumped in front when David Poole's innate sense around the net had him parked on Stuart Taylor's doorstep- just waiting to slam the rebound that Taylor gave up on Stephen Pearson's hard, curving shot back into the net. Southampton caught Orient with an excellent counterattack to even things at halftime. Mathew Sadler sent a long pass that Tom Thorpe ran onto- then Thorpe blasted away at the Orient goal. Sebastien Frey got a portion of it, but it bounced past him into the net. Southampton took the lead early in the second half when Sadler made a brilliant left side run and crossed for Kanu. Kanu's header was slightly deflected by Robert Huth and the change of direction left Frey unable to get it. Orient rallied behind Danilo Arrieta, who subbed on for Stefan Moore. Matthew Etherington nodded the ball on to himself and then slipped it to Arrieta, who whipped a shot past the diving Taylor. Etherington and Arrieta also hooked up on the last goal as Etherington's hard cross was perfect for Arrieta to volley past Taylor inside the near right post. Orient then clinched the match when an Etherington corner sailed past a bunch of straining heads and fell to the ground in the perfect place for Mark Harding to tap it in to make the final 4-2.

[Faramir]

3.2.10

Leyton Orient (4) Everton (0) League Cup Semifinal 2nd leg (Leyton Orient advances on 7-0 aggregate)

Orient- O.Oskarsson 19 D.Ambrose 23 J.Donnelly 25,35

Everton- None

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

Everton found out that the Orient 2nd liners are just as hungry as the regulars as a patchwork lineup easily boosted Orient into the Finals with a 4-0 win over the visitors. Orri Freyr Oskarsson keyed Orient's impressive first half as he scored the first goal. Jon Spector made a nice pass that saw Oskarsson well behind Fredy William Thompson, and Oskarsson fired a midlevel shot past Richard Wright into the right side of the net for his 20th goal of the season. Darren Ambrose proved very opportunistic as Peter Clarke headed his free kick back out of the area. Ambrose volleyed the clearing header past Wright for his 1st goal of the season. Oskarsson's good flick allowed Jamie Donnelly to streak away and he took full advantage firing a shot inside the near right post past Wright. Oskarsson also had a hand in Donnelly's 2nd goal of the match. His pass into space tempted Wright to rush out, but Donnelly reached the ball first and took it right around the diving Wright to push the halftime lead to 4-0. With the match well in hand, both clubs played out the second half quietly and Orient advances into the Finals to face Aston Villa- who beat Arsenal 3-2 to earn their place.

[Faramir]

6.2.10

Wolves (3) Leyton Orient (3)

Wolves- P.Ferreira 22 J.Dyer 32,83

Orient- D.Fredheim Holm 28 D.Poole 35 S.Moore 64

MOM- Stefan Moore, Leyton Orient

Orient wasted a solid effort with indifferent backline play at the end which allowed the Wolves to salvage a 3-3 draw. The Wolves came out with plenty of vigor and applied pressure on Orient from the start. The Orient backline couldn't fully clear the ball away after Sebastien Frey blocked away Frederic Kanoute's close in shot and paid the price when Paulo Ferreira fired a blast from the edge of the area that trickled past Frey. Orient evened the match up when David Fox lofted the ball into the center and Daniel Fredheim Holm had the best timing as he leaped and headed it past Conejo Perez. Wolves jumped back ahead when Darijo Srna made a superb flick on a long free kick from Michael Ball. John Dyer took the ball and immediately blasted it past Frey before he could react. Orient again equalized as David Poole provided the instant reply. Poole headed a sharp cross from Fredheim Holm past Conejo Perez for his 30th goal of the season. Orient took their first lead in the match as Stefan Moore capped an excellent passing sequence that saw Poole flick the ball for Fredheim Holm- who immediately crossed to Moore. Moore drove a low shot past Conejo Perez and Orient looked on their way to a win. It didn't turn out that way, as Wolves again rallied and Robert Huth left Dyer unmarked again inside the area. Dyer took a nice threaded pass from Frederic Kanoute just inside the area and blasted it past Frey inside the left post to make the final score 3-3.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

10.2.10

Northern Ireland (1) England (1)

Northern Ireland- G.McCann 67

England- D.Fox 38

MOM- David Fox, England

Northern Ireland earned a morale boosting 1-1 draw against England at Windsor Park thanks to a free kick from Grant McCann. McCann's perfectly placed 30 yard free kick past Christopher Kirkland was the only shot they managed to gain against the visitors. England maintained pressure through a vast majority of the match and Roy Carroll played well in limiting England to only one goal. England's lone goal will be seen on countless highlight reels. It featured David Poole outleaping two defenders and as he was being jostled in the air- heading the ball back for a trailing David Fox. Fox then volleyed a 35 yard winner past Carroll to give England the first half lead. England had several good chances to win the match, but both Bobby Zamora and Michael Chopra were denied by Carroll in their 1st Caps. Also making 1st Cap appearences in the match for England were leftback Matthew Taylor, winger Aaron Lennon, rightback John Curtis and midfielder Adam Smith. The English attack suffered a few inconsistent stretches of play with so many newer players in the lineup, but it was clearly an excited and animated group that were pleased to have earned their first appearences. Manager Will Drabek indicated that the friendly against Italy in March will likely feature a preview of the actual World Cup roster.

[Faramir]

13.2.10

Leyton Orient (4) Sheffield United (1) FA Cup 5th round

Orient- O.Oskarsson 8,14,61 J.Donnelly 13

Sheffield United- P.Armstrong 5-P

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

Orient spotted visiting Sheffield United a goal in the early going but came roaring back for a solid 4-1 win in their FA Cup match. Ryan Garry was whistled for pushing Sam Parkin in the air during a free kick. With it coming just inside the area, it was a penalty kick for Paul Armstrong and he drilled it into the right side of the net past James Hicks. Orient wasted little time in getting even. Marco Borriello made a good pass that found Orri Freyr Oskarsson with a step on his marker and he had little trouble slotting it past Chris Day into the right side of the net. Francesco Coco's long pass to Oskarsson created the opportunity for the next goal. Oskarrson slipped a pass through to Jamie Donnelly and Donnelly went past Chris Morgan on the dribble before pushing a low shot past Day to put Orient into the lead. Just as quickly Orient went up 3-1 as Borriello again found Oskarsson lurking just inside the edge of the area and Oskarsson's excellently placed shot eluded Day into the right side of the net for Oskarsson's 50th goal at Orient. The match was firmly in hand for Orient as Oskarsson completed his hat-trick when he boomed home a 25 yard shot after Garry's excellent long pass found him in space. The 4-1 win sends Orient on to the 6th round of FA Cup action.

[Faramir]

20.2.10

Leyton Orient (4) Leeds (0)

Orient- S.Moore 21,32,74 R.Huth 58

Leeds- None

MOM- Stefan Moore, Leyton Orient

Orient's tandem of David Poole and Stefan Moore has been extrememly effective together and Leeds saw first hand evidence in their 4-0 loss at Brisbane Road. Moore was very difficult for Leeds to cover and a nice quick passing sequence of David Fox to Stephen Pearson to Moore found him with enough room to drive a hard, low shot past Paul Robinson. Moore added his 2nd goal of the match and 15th of the season as he had an easy time redirecting Danny Byrne's cross to the wide open left side of the net after Byrne's nice run pressured the defense. Robert Huth moved the Orient lead to 3-0 as he hit a beautfiful 30 yard free kick into the upper left portion of the net past Robinson. Moore capped off the scoring when he completed his hat-trick. Poole made a lovely pass to give Moore enough room to take the ball around Robinson and drive it inside the near left post. Poole was unlucky in the match as he also beat Robinson twice with quick shots- only to see one clang off the post and one bounce back off the crossbar. Orient now moves to the 1st leg of their Champions Cup 2nd round in a midweek match against Tottenham.

[pooscalery]

Bring back those coaches comments after each match, they rule

[Faramir]

Hey Poo Will try to add more down the road...

***

24.2.10

Leyton Orient (2) Tottenham (0) Champions Cup 2nd round leg 1

Orient- D.Poole 5,58

Tottenham- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient played a superior match as they saw off Tottenham 2-0 in the first leg of their Champions Cup 2nd round play. David Poole put Orient off on a flyer when he was able to deflect a Daniel Fredheim Holm corner inside the left post past Tim Howard. Tottenham was able to only make a few good attacks, but one almost paid off when Helder Postiga fired a shot just wide of the far left post as he was left unmarked outside the six yard box. Poole's 2nd goal of the match was the result of as pretty a pass as you might see. Carl Laurie was just inside the Tottenham end and just launched a long pass. It seemed a laser guided missle as it went past three Tottenham players. At the other end of the pass, Poole was waiting and crunched a half volley past Howard. Orient came close again moments later, but Howard was able to stop Stefan Moore. Tottenham came close to gaining an important away goal in the late stages. Marcelo Danubio Zalayeta was left unmarked but Frey pushed his shot over the crossbar. Stilian Petrov was perfectly placed to put away a rebound after Frey blocked a Robbie Keane shot, but instead shot it harmlessly over the bar. Orient closed out the match from there, content with the 2-0 win.

***

Orient Players Crash Out

A freak training accident today will cost Leyton Orient the services of both Johann Torhallsson and Francesco Coco for the next three weeks. The two were working as part of the corners drill and while both leaped a third player got under both their legs and sent them crashing hard into each other. Both have several broken ribs and will be unable to play while they heal.

[Faramir]

28.2.10

Leyton Orient (3) Aston Villa (3) League Cup Final (Leyton Orient wins on Penalties)

Orient- D.Poole 18 S.Moore 36 O.Oskarsson 41

Aston Villa- T.Hitzlsperger 3-P, D.Vassell 37,85

MOM- David Fox, Leyton Orient

It was very quiet in Wembley and then a roar erupted- half in celebration, half in cursing as Danilo Arrieta converted his penalty kick past Thomas Sorensen to clinch Orient winning the League Cup. The Finals had everything a fan could want- a freewheeling first half featuring tremendous up and down play- a defensively played second half that featured tight coverage- an extra time featuring dramatic moments and ultimately a penalty shoot out to determine who took the Cup. It was a nightmare start for Orient when Robert Huth pushed Darius Vassell and it was ruled to have occurred in the area. Thomas Hitzlsperger calmly converted the penalty kick and Aston Villa was ahead quickly. Orient pressed home their attacks though and were rewarded when Curtis Woodhouse, starting in place of injured Stephen Pearson, slid a neat pass in for David Poole. Poole rifled his shot inside the far left post and it was 1-1. Quick ball movement allowed Stefan Moore to put Orient ahead when he hammered home his shot to finish off a crisp passing segment that was started by Poole and continued by Orri Freyr Oskarsson to Moore. Aston Villa hit back immediately as venerable Paul Scholes lofted a pass that Taiwo Atieno headed for Vassell. Vassell was quickest to the ball and his scorching low shot slipped past the usual steady hands of Sebastien Frey and into the net for his 15th goal of the season. Orient went ahead again before halftime as Oskarsson outleaped Hitzlsperger and deflected David Fox's corner past Sorensen. With the lead, Orient came out and tried to play a slower pace in the second half. As Orient reached the 75 minute mark, Orient manager Drabek pulled both Poole and Moore and went with what he hoped was a stronger defensive lineup. Aston Villa made many second guess that strategy when Darius Vassell shook off Robert Huth's marking and then bulled a shot past Frey to equalize at 3-3. The match went into extra time and Orient threw everything at Sorensen it could to try and break the deadlock. Poor finishing on the part of Danilo Arrieta caused much grumbling among the Orient supporters as he shot wide twice and then Sorensen stopped him when he was one-on-one in the last moments before penalties. With Poole and Moore already out, Drabek was left trying to pick a penalty kick rotation from among the hodge podge left on the pitch. Fox scored to lead off the penalty kicks and Sebastien Frey helped make up for his poor match by saving Taiwo Atieno's try. Jan Evrard converted his kick and was matched by Thomas Hitzlsperger. Jan Kristiansen had his head in his hands when fellow Dane Sorensen saved his kick, but Vassell repeated the pose moments later as he shot over the net. Lee Sims whipped a shot into the corner of the net to force Jonas Johansen to make his shot to keep Villa in the match. Johansen did just that, which left it up to Arrieta. Arrieta, who was being cheered for his poor shooting during the match, kept his focus and even though Sorensen guessed correctly on the shot- he could not keep it out and Orient were the League Cup Champions for the 1st time.

[Faramir]

3.3.10

Everton (0) Leyton Orient (3)

Everton- None

Orient- J.Donnelly 8 M.Marchese 20 M.Borriello 26

MOM- Marco Borriello, Leyton Orient

It was obvious that the entire Orient club was boosted by winning the League Cup. Despite playing no players from the Cup win, Orient managed to handle Everton 3-0 at Goodison Park. Orient pressured the home side from the opening whistle and when Danny Mills misplayed a ball in the left corner it was Marco Borriello sending a pass into the center. Phil Black made a good tackle on Michele Marchese in the area, but Jamie Donnelly was on the loose ball and struck a midlevel shot that Richard Wright could only get a piece of before it went into the net. Marchese made good with his next chance though as he deflected a Matthew Etherington corner past Wright to give Orient a 2-0 lead. A quick counterattack, keyed by Danny Byrne sending a pass up to Donnelly caught Everton pressing forward. Donnelly made a terrific lead pass to Borriello and Wright came out to try and smother the ball- but missed and Borriello had an easy time walking the ball into the net to make it 3-0. Everton's chances faded out moments later as key striker Jermain Dafoe, obviously upset at how the match was going, headbutted Matthias Franz in the face and will likely face a suspension. Orient backed off their attacking play in the second half, content to help Tommy Lee earn his clean sheet and finished out the 3-0 win with compunction.

[Faramir]

6.3.10

Burnley (0) Leyton Orient (3) FA Cup 6th round

Burnley- None

Orient- J.Donnelly 60 D.Arrieta 71 R.Calliste 80

MOM- Ramon Calliste, Leyton Orient

Division 1 Burnley faced a difficult proposition in hosting Orient- how to beat a club on a roll. They certainly gave it their best shot in a scoreless first half which featured some timely saves from keeper Boaz Myhill. It wasn't enough though as Orient, again featuring many of their 2nd line players, took better advantage of their chances in the second half on their way to a 3-0 win that sends them into the FA Cup Semifinals. Orient finally went ahead in the second half thanks to the hard work of Ramon Calliste. Calliste made a sliding tackle to take the ball away from Michael Ricketts at midfield and then deftly shifted a pass ahead to Jamie Donnelly. Donnelly, who had just subbed on for Marco Borriello, used his fresh legs to pull away from two defenders and then took the ball around Myhill on the dribble to give Orient the lead. Calliste was also the triggerman for the second goal as he collected a loose ball after a corner and found Danilo Arrieta alone inside the six yard box. Arrieta redirected the hard pass by a diving Myhill for the 2nd goal. Calliste then capped off the scoring himself when Matthias Franz sent the ball down the left and he outraced Justin Hoyte for the pass. Calliste fired a low shot into the far right corner for the final nail in the 3-0 win.

[Faramir]

10.3.10

Tottenham (3) Leyton Orient (3) Champions Cup 2nd round 2nd leg (Orient advances on 5-3 aggregate)

Tottenham- R.Keane 13,45 M.Zalayeta 84

Orient- D.Poole 9,88 O.Oskarsson 15

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

It was a wild and wooly match as both sides aggressively attacked, but when the dust settled it was Orient moving on to the Champions Cup Quarterfinals on a 5-3 aggregate thanks to the 3-3 draw. Orient reached the scoreline first in the match as David Poole misfired on his penalty kick, but didn't miss when the rebound from Tim Howard came right back to him and blasted it into the right middle of the net. The penalty was the result of Helder Postiga pushing Jan Evrard from behind on a corner. Tottenham quickly evened the match as they caught Carl Laurie well up the pitch and Simon Davies went free down the right sideline. Davies sent a devastating cross that Robbie Keane drove past Sebastien Frey into the right side of the net for his 15th goal of the season. Orient moved back in front when Orri Freyr Oskarsson deflected a corner from Daneil Fredheim Holm past Howard for his 25th goal of the season. It looked like Orient would go to halftime ahead, but Lee Sims was caught well up the pitch and that left a world of room for Robbie Keane to run on the left. Keane caught Frey coming out to challenge and chipped over him to even things at 2-2. Both sides kept the frenzied pace in the second half, but Howard and Frey had regained their composure and were playing solidly. Marcelo Danubio Zalayeta returned the lead to Tottenham after subbing on for Helder Postiga. He caught Frey coming out to challenge him- and just as Keane had earlier- lobbed the ball over him to give Tottenham a 3-2 lead in the match. The Orient fans could see the equalizer coming. On a throw in, Robin Faber challenged Danny Byrne for the ball. Byrne outworked him and then pushed the ball just ahead to send Poole free. Poole proved again what a deadly striker he is in a one on one situation with a blazing shot into the left corner of the net to give Orient a 3-3 draw and aggregate advantage with his 35th goal of the season.

[Faramir]

15.3.10

Chelsea (2) Leyton Orient (3)

Chelsea- M.Ketzman 3,44

Orient- D.Arrieta 84 O.Oskarsson 89,90

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

The last ten minutes of their 3-2 win over Chelsea are likely the defining moment of a fine season for Orient. Orient had trailed from the opening moments of the match. An unusual indirect free kick inside the area cost Orient dearly as they failed to step up and challenge Mateja Kezman as he blistered the laid off touch from Geremi past Sebastien Frey for his 50th league goal. Chelsea maintained their pressure on Orient throughout the first half, as Orient appeared a half step slow the entire time. Chelsea looked comfortable as they headed to the half leading 2-0 when Kezman scored his 2nd of the match after Geremi picked him out with a cross when Titus Bramble could not keep him under wraps. 2nd place Chelsea appeared ready to make a statement and put the match out of reach to start the second half, but Frey made a terrific parry of Joe Cole's booming free kick. Orient still struggled and brought on Danilo Arrieta (for Stefan Moore) and Orri Freyr Oskarsson (for David Fox) in an attempt to generate some life. It didn't help right away, but Orient seemed to finally find their second wind and started making plays. At the 80th minute it was obvious to the squirming Stamford Bridge fans that Orient was moving into full gear and it would be up to Marcos to anchor their win. Marcos certainly played well enough as he made excellent stops of David Poole's close in header and then pushed Stephen Pearson's quick shot around the post. Orient never quit working and Oskarsson's deft pass found Arrieta alone just outside the six yard box. Marcos challenged him, but Arrieta had his number this time and snapped the shot past him inside the left post to give Orient a glimmer of hope. Marcos then made a pair of amazing saves to seemingly stymie the Orient rally. Oskarsson was in alone on him after motoring past Glen Johnson, but Marcos snared his rising shot with a tumbling save. Next, Marcos made a highlight reel reaction save after an Etherington cross picked out Poole. Poole's header looked to be in, but Marcos got his fingertips on it to leave the Orient faithful groaning in disbelief. Orient wasn't done yet though as Oskarrson picked out Arrieta on the left sideline with a good pass. Arrieta almost immediately lofted a pass back into the center. Poole and Simone Padoin both leaped, but Poole gave a quick flick down and Oskarsson smashed the ball past Marcos for a superb team goal and a dramatic equalizer. Orient had one more dose of magic left. Oskarrson again found Arrieta on the left. Arrieta crossed to the middle, but this time Poole headed the ball right back to Arrieta. With more room Arrieta was able to pick out Oskarsson unmarked on the far side of the net and sent a screaming cross to him that Oskarsson easily deflected into the net for the match winner. The late goal removed whatever wind Chelsea still had in their sails and they finished out quietly, watching in stunned disbelief as Orient celebrated the come from behind win that moved them from 2nd to 4th in the standings and brought Orient ever closer to repeating as Champions of the EPL.

[Guest]

Bloody Hell Faramir! I just began reading your story today and got up to page 6. This story has been going over a year! I've never known a story to go on so long!

Keep up the good work! As for me, I gotta try and read 11 more pages until im up-to-date.

[Guest]

And there we have it! I read the whole bloody thing in one day! Although I did miss out most of the match reports as they do get very samey after a while but i did enjoy the coach's comments after the game - very nice touch. It was a very entertaining read and was definately good enough to stop me from doing my English essay!

Just out of interest - do you still play this game or do you just write about it until yet get up to where you stopped playing?

[Faramir]

big_dave- actually there are several stories that are longer running than this one, but this is also one of my longest running ones. Thanks for the kind comments though- glad it kept your interest all the way through

To answer your question- the story isn't even close to caught up with the playing right now, and yes I am still actively playing this one- so there is even more to be posted

***

20.3.10

Leyton Orient (2) Bristol City (1)

Orient- D.Poole 36 J.Donnelly 56

Bristol City- L.Peacock 9

MOM- Lee Sims, Leyton Orient

Once again resting several players in anticipation of a midweek matchup against Real Sociedad in the 1st leg of the Champions Cup Quarterfinals, Orient was still able to come up with an effort to defeat plucky Bristol City 2-1. Bristol City, spurred on by the efforts of ex-Orient players, may be the last placed club but gave a good account of themselves at Brisbane Road. They took the lead in the match early on when a scramble on a free kick at the edge of the area allowed Stephen Carr to pick out an unmarkerd Lee Peacock on the far side. His pass was perfect for Peacock to tee it up and boom it past Tommy Lee to give the visitors the lead. Lee Sims took advantage of defender Boris Zivkovic already having a yellow card to send a challenging pass for David Poole. Poole, aware of Zivkovic's situation, outmuscled him and flicked the ball on for himself. Zivkovic couldn't keep pace and Poole fired a shot high into the upper right corner of the net over Jan Schlosser for the equalizer. Sims awareness paid off in the deciding goal as well. He stepped in front of a clearing kick and sent it back to Daniel Fredheim Holm. Fredheim Holm broke in on the left side and as the defenders shifted to stop his run, he crossed hard into the middle. Jamie Donnelly, who had come on for Poole to start the second half, was in the perfect place to head the cross past Schlosser for a 2-1 Orient lead. That is where the match stayed as both sides started wasting their few chances with poorly placed shooting. Orient was pleased to finish with the win which moved them closer to clinching the EPL crown.

"I was impressed with Jamie Donnelly today," stated Field.

"He showed he has good judgement and presence in the area," agreed Drabek. "We might have to see if we can't get him a bit more action than we have."

[Faramir]

24.3.10

Leyton Orient (8) Real Sociedad (0)

Orient- O.Oskarsson 6,69,71 D.Poole 8-P,37 S.Moore 31 D.Fredheim Holm 35 D.Arrieta 90

Real Sociedad- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Real Sociedad could not have expected the buzzsaw that they walked into as Orient positioned themselves to move on to Champions Cup Semifinals with an 8-0 rout of the visiting Spanish side. It might have had something to do with the rested Orient players, but whatever the case Orient was ready to go and attack from the opening whistle. Carl Laurie's long pass started the counterattack for Orient. David Poole flicked on Laurie's pass and Orri Freyr Oskarsson used his pace to run the ball down, but his first shot was blocked away by Christian Abbiati. Oskarsson moved quickly and reached the ball first due to indecision on Luiz Alberto and Moises Filho's part. Oskarsson then dumped the ball into the left side of the net for a well earned goal to send the Brisbane Road crowd into a frenzy. The roar had barely abated when Luiz Alberto was yellow carded for tripping Oskarsson in the area and Poole smashed the penalty kick inside the right post. It was Oskarsson's turn to start things when he made a superb header on a free kick from Luiz Alberto and sent it toward Poole. Poole flicked the ball to the left and Stefan Moore had plenty of space to make a quick dip to throw Abbiati off before his shot skimmed inside the left post. Filho made a weak header to knock away a cross from Moore and it went right to Daniel Fredheim Holm just outside the edge of the area. Fredheim Holm made a quick move that deceived Yasser Anger and then he let loose a rising shot that Abbiati had no chance on from the edge of the six yard box. Moore's quick header across the pitch found Poole a step behind Luiz Alberto and before he could catch up Poole had whistled a shot past Abbiati inside the right post to make a nightmarish 5-0 halftime score for Real Sociedad. The Spanish side came out strongly in the second half, trying to salvage what they could, but it didn't get better- it got worse. David Fox, subbing on for Moore- with Oskarsson moving up front- sent a well judged pass into space that Oskarsson ran down. Before the defense could close, he rifled a low shot in for his 2nd goal of the match. Oskarsson then made a terrific pass that found Poole in full stride. As the defense closed on him, Poole laid the ball back to the unmarked Oskarsson on the left and he whisked it into the open net to complete his hat-trick with his 30th goal of the season. Orient finished off the magnificent win when Danilo Arrieta chipped the rebound past Abbiati after he had made a terrific save on a Stephen Pearson shot deflected by his defenders. The embarrassing loss cost Real Sociedad manager Raynald Denoueix his job- as he was fired immediately after the match.

[Faramir]

ENGLAND

27.3.10

England (4) Italy (3) Friendly

England- W.Rooney 11,17 S.Moore 52 D.Thompson 57

Italy- F.Miccoli 49,84 D.De Rossi 82

MOM- Wayne Rooney, England

England held on against a furious Italian onslaught to win out 4-3 in their entertaining friendly at Wembley. The introductions had to be halted as the sell out crowd- and both clubs- gave David Beckham a standing ovation when announced in the starting lineup. Beckham fought his way back from wrecking his knee and 15 months of rehabilitation and is having one of his finest seasons in Spain- and now was making his appearence for England after recovering. England got off to a quick start in the match as Wayne Rooney was on fire for England. Steven Gerrard put a pass into space and Rooney ran it down. Gianluigi Buffon made a good stop on his initial shot, but the ball bounced back to Rooney and he moved around Buffon. His 2nd try hit the post squarely, but instead of despairing he kept after it and Italian defender Nicola Legrottaglie must have felt like it was pinball as he turned and the ball went back by him off the post. Rooney finally sent it into the open net in a triumph of effort and England was in front. David Poole sent Rooney a perfect pass and Rooney fired it past Buffon inside the right post on the first try for his 2nd goal of the match. Italy stormed the English end for the second portion of the first half, but had nothing to show for it- due to their shooting being off the mark. Italy was right back in the match in the opening moments of the second half. Daniele De Rossi gave a sharp pass to Manuele Blasi. Blasi made a touch pass that found Fabrizio Miccoli open at the far side of the net and he whipped it in to make it a 2-1 match. Joe Cole's long pass found Beckham on the right and he forced Alessandro Nesta to commit before chipping a pass by him to Stefan Moore. Moore, making his 1st Cap and subbed on for Poole, wasted little time in picking his spot and firing a low shot past Buffon. England then made it 4-1 when David Thompson took the ball past Gianluca Zambrotta and struck a rising shot past Buffon. England relaxed too much though and Italy asserted themselves when De Rossi took advantage of Michael Dawson (1st Cap)to deflect a corner from Andrea Gasbarroni by Richard Wright. Moments later it was one-goal match as Miccoli scored his 2nd goal of the match when he lobbed a shot over Wright. Italy sent everyone forward- including keeper Morgan Di Sanctis for a late corner. Thompson almost made that backfire when his 75 yard shot slid just past the right post before De Sanctis could get back to the net. Matt Hill also made his 1st Cap in the match for England.

[Faramir]

31.3.10

Leyton Orient (2) Arsenal (2)

Orient- D.Poole 20,50

Arsenal- M.Zonneveld 81-P T.Henry 90

MOM- Michael Rensing, Arsenal

Orient wasted a golden chance to win against struggling Arsenal when they allowed Thierry Henry loose to score a dramatic equalizer in second half extra time and had to settle for a 2-2 draw. Orient controlled play in the first half, despite featuring a hodge podge lineup, and David Poole scored the lone goal of the half. Michael Rensing had a terrific half in the net for Arsenal, but made a mistake trying to punch away Bojan Djordjic's corner. It went right to Poole who was lurking at the top of the area and he didn't miss with his hard shot. Poole scored his 2nd of the match and 40th of the season early in the second half. Curtis Woodhouse lofted a pass that Jens Forster misjudged and the ball came down behind him as Poole had all the time he needed to find the place to beat Rensing with his shot. It appeared Orient was cruising home with the win, but Darren Ambrose made a terrible choice and brought down Emerson in the area. Mike Zonneveld converted the penalty and Arsenal was right back in the thick of things. Jan Evrard had a good match, but his misplay of a pass allowed Thierry Henry to swoop in and fire a shot inside the far left post past Frey to salvage a 2-2 draw for Arsenal.

[Guest]

Mate this has to be the BEST story I have ever read!

Am looking forward to your next installment, keep up the fantastic work!

[Faramir]

Thank you Shooting Star- glad you are enjoying the story

***

3.4.10

Bolton (3) Leyton Orient (3)

Bolton- R.Gardner 7 W.Bullock 21-P S.Reid 90-P

Orient- D.Poole 12 J.Kristiansen 62 J.Torhallsson 88

MOM- Ricardo Gardner, Bolton

Bolton used the referee's judgement to its fullest as they converted two penalty kicks- including one in second half extra time to split the points with Orient in a 3-3 draw. Ricardo Gardner was flying in the match and he scored the first goal with a sensational 50 yard chip shot over stranded James Hicks- a goal that will be on both highlight and blooper reels. David Poole answered back after David Fox threaded a good pass through to him and he fired it past Jussi Jaaskalainen. Mitchell Booth pushed Gardner in the area as he was trying to shoot and Wayne Bullock converted the penalty kick to bring things back to 2-2. Johann Torhallsson, making his first appearence in a long while because of injury, was able to drive a rebound home to put Orient back on top and it appeared to be the matchwinner. It didn't turn out that way as Matthew Etherington was yellow carded for tripping Ryan Wilkie in the area and Steven Reid converted the penalty kick to make the final 3-3.

***

6.4.10

"Congratulations Spencer! You are starting to make quite a name for yourself," teased Will Drabek.

Field laughed, "Well, winning is infectious- don't you know? The reserve side played really well this season and I am happy they took the top spot."

Leyton Orient Reserves Clinch Title

The Leyton Orient Reserves, duplicating the domination of the senior side, clinched the Reserves Championship today with a 2-0 win over the Southampton Reserves. Headed by Assistant Manager Spencer Field, the Orient Reserves have played consistently well this season and clinched the top spot with three matches remaining.

[Faramir]

7.4.10

Real Sociedad (0) Leyton Orient (1) Champions Cup Quarterfinals 2nd leg (Leyton Orient advances on 9-0 aggregate)

Real Sociedad- None

Orient- J.Evrard 4

MOM- Jan Evrard, Leyton Orient

In a match that had little intensity as both sides knew squarely where they stood, Orient won out 1-0 on an early corner conversion. Jan Evrard was able to outleap Moises Filho and deflect Daniel Fredheim Holm's corner past Christian Abbiati for his 1st goal at Orient. It was the only goal scored in the match that featured few spirited attacks and much wasting time in midfield possession. Real Sociedad put on a late surge to try and equalize, but Tommy Lee handled all of them to keep the clean sheet. The other clubs advancing to the Champions Cup Semis are FC Bayern (1-0 over Juventus), Dinamo Kiev (2-0 over Real Madrid) and PSV (5-5, but advance on away goals, over Manchester United).

[Faramir]

10.4.10

Leyton Orient (0) Millwall (0)

Orient- None

Millwall- None

MOM- Nicky Weaver, Millwall

In a pouring rain the Brisbane Road fans still found ways to celebrate as Orient will retain their EPL Championship. It would have been good for Orient to have closed out clinching the title with a win, but Nicky Weaver had something to say about that. Orient outshot their visitors 19-2, but Weaver was a rock and refused to allow anything by him. The wet weather slowed down the pace of the Orient attack, but their passing was still effective at generating good shots. David Poole came closest for Orient as he rang one off the crossbar, but that was one of the few Weaver did not get at least a hand on.

"At least we were able to clinch it at home," smiled Drabek.

"Now, all we have to do is keep going in the Champs Cup and FA Cup competitions," replied Field.

[Faramir]

14.4.10

Blackburn (0) Leyton Orient (4) FA Cup Semifinal

Blackburn- None

Orient- S.Moore 14 D.Poole 17 S.Pearson 35 D.Arrieta 79

MOM- Jan Evrard, Leyton Orient

Orient hadn't looked particularly sharp coming into this FA Cup Semifinal and that had given Blackburn hope. That hope faded quickly as the quick, aggressive Orient passing overwhelmed their defense in the first half. Orient's first goal was a testament to the hard work of its players as they refused to give up on the play. David Fox started the play by shaking off a foot in the thigh to move the ball on to Stephen Pearson. Pearson fought through a would be tackler and pushed the ball to David Poole. Poole, with two defenders draped on his back moved the ball to Stefan Moore. Moore, with David Thompson trying to tackle the ball away, managed to push it far enough ahead to get a shot off. Brad Friedal blocked the ball, but it lay just beyond his reach. Moore never quit coming and was able to chip the ball past Friedal for the goal. Fox got his chance to shine on the next goal as he made a brilliant run with the ball, weaving through both Paul Konchesky and David Vaughan before smashing a shot at Friedal. Friedal parried the shot but as usual David Poole was on the doorstep to knock the rebound into the net. Pearson made things grim on the Blackburn sideline when he challenged Friedal for a Fox inswinging corner and got enough of the ball to drive it past him- raising the Orient lead to 3-0 at half. With the lead, Orient was content to play a more composed game in the second half. Blackburn had more possession, but weren't able to get any really good shots against Sebastien Frey. Danilo Arrieta capped off the scoring in the match when he collected a pass in front of Friedal and made a quick move that Martin Taylor couldn't counter before firing a shot that trickled through Friedal to make the final margin 4-0.

[Faramir]

17.4.10

Leyton Orient (4) Manchester United (0)

Orient- D.Poole 24,56 R.Wellens 70 J.Donnelly 76

Manchester United- None

MOM- Sebastien Frey, Leyton Orient

One old, very tired French keeper shaking hands with a younger French keeper who had received well earned MOM honours- the picture summed up the match very nicely. Manchester United came out from the opening whistle with fire in their eyes. They were getting good chances right and left, only to see Sebastien Frey performing magic tricks to keep the ball out of the net. Manchester United needed a good result as they are battling Tottenham and Chelsea for 2nd place, but instead they saw the youth they let slip away- David Poole- put them in a hole. Poole's 1st goal was an easy one. Rio Ferdinand had left him to challenge Danny Byrne. Byrne noticed him coming and chipped the ball past him to Poole alone midway in the area. Poole rarely misses with time and opportunity and he didn't this time as he drove the ball into the far left portion of the net past Fabien Barthez. That remained the lone goal of the first half as the visitors again swarmed the Orient net, only to be continually denied by Frey. Early in the second half Poole struck again. Jamie Donnelly outworked Phillipe Mexes in the left corner and sent the ball back into the center. Both Ferdinand and Andrea Pirlo had moved up the pitch in anticipation of the counter, but when Donnelly took the ball away from Mexes they were stranded as Poole steamed by them into the open in front of Barthez. Barthez had no chance at all as Donnelly got the ball to Poole and he drilled a low shot into right corner of the net for his 220th goal at Orient. In a scramble at the edge of the area after a corner, Curtis Woodhouse had the presence to see Richie Wellens open just outside the other side of the area. He slipped the ball over to him and Wellens crushed the shot past Barthez before he could move to make it 3-0 Orient. Jamie Donnelly then capped the scoring in the match when he deflected a beautiful outswinging cross from Byrne past Barthez for his 10th goal of the season. The 4-0 win meant Manchester United and Tottenham were even for 2nd place, but ManU still led on goal differential.

[Faramir]

21.4.10

Leyton Orient (5) FC Bayern (0) Champions Cup Semifinal 1st leg

Orient- O.Oskarsson 11,24,39,43 S.Moore 52

Bayern- None

MOM- Orri Freyr Oskarsson, Leyton Orient

Despite the fact that Orient had featured Orri Freyr Oskarsson as a forward in a 433 lineup before- they hadn't shown the lineup in awhile and it certainly caught FC Bayern off guard. Oskarsson found space as he roamed over the entire pitch- generating havoc with the Bayern defensive coverage as he keyed the 5-0 Orient win in the 1st leg of the Champions Cup Semifinal. His first goal came when Michael Carrick threaded a nice pass through coverage after a free kick from deep in Orient's zone. Oskarsson made a touch volley on the good pass and it fooled Oliver Kahn as it skittered into the left side of the net. Stephen Pearson found Samuel Kuffour was a step slow in covering Oskarsson and his pass was in the perfect place for Oskarsson to drive a high shot into the top of the net past Kahn for his 2nd goal of the match. A botched coverage on a throw in saw Michael Ballack and Kuffour both staring at each other as they watched Oskarsson complete his hat-trick by driving a ball inside the right post off a cross from Stefan Moore in the left corner. Orient's counter attack, started by Pearson, found Moore with two defenders close by- so he outleaped both and flicked the ball on. Uwe Winter didn't have enough pace to keep up with Oskarsson as he roared down the pitch, collected Moore's flick, and then buried the ball underneath a diving Kahn to score his 4th goal in an amazing half of football. Orient came out from halftime intent on denying any away goals to Bayern and their coverage, unlike Bayerns, was very effective as they kept Diego and Daniel Carvalho under wraps. Orient added one more to the tally when Pearson lobbed a pass over Kuffour that Moore was quickest to- and Moore whipped a quick rising shot past Kahn for his 20th goal of the season to finish off the scoring in the impressive 5-0 Orient win. In the first leg of the other Semifinal match, Dinamo Kiev and PSV battled to a scoreless draw in Kiev.

[Faramir]

24.4.10

Middlesbrough (1) Leyton Orient (2)

Middlesbrough- S.Johnson 15

Orient- D.Poole 34,76

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Middlesbrough prodded a slow moving Orient effort when they scored early in the match, but in the end they weren't able to keep David Poole under cover and Orient came back for the 2-1 win. Middlesbrough showed plenty of life in the match and it was taking advantage of a ball bouncing weirdly off Michele Marchese that allowed Simon Johnson to swoop in on the right side and fire a shot inside the near right post past Tommy Lee. The home side came close to adding another but David Bellion could only hang his head after he shot over the net when all alone in front. Stefan Moore's pass into the center caused a mad scramble for the ball. It wasn't too surprising when the ball bounced free- it was David Poole right there to tap it into the net to even the match with his 45th goal of the season. Johann Torhallsson, on for a tiring Moore, proved he and Poole still have a great sense of each other's location on the pitch as he sent a blind pass into space on the right. Poole was away, with two strides on the defenders all the way down the pitch, and he smashed a shot into the right side of the net past Robert Green to put Orient ahead 2-1. Middlesbrough tried to rally, but the Orient midfield clogged the passing lanes and kept sending the ball back into the Middlesbrough end. Orient worked hard and kept the 2-1 score as the final margin of the road win.

[Faramir]

1.5.10

Leyton Orient (1) WBA (1)

Orient- M.Borriello 17

WBA- J.Roberts 53

MOM- Jason Roberts, WBA

Orient seemed a bit distracted by their upcoming 2nd leg Champions Cup match at Bayern and with few regulars in the lineup they played a haphazard match. WBA wanted the win badly and played hard the entire match. The two clubs earned the 1-1 draw that would allow them to split the points. Matthew Etherington's fine pass set up a blistering shot from Marco Borriello that sailed past Russell Howarth. Howarth made a pair of very good saves to keep the margin at one goal as he stopped both Danny Byrne and Curtis Woodhouse on excellent chances. WBA looked the fresher club in the second half as they bottled Orient up in their own end. Angelo Palombo triggered the equalizer when he stepped in front of a Byrne pass and was off to the races toward the Orient goal. As Eric Addo shifted to challenge him, he slipped the ball past him to unmarked Jason Roberts and Roberts fired a low shot past Sebastien Frey to make it 1-1. Frey then had to be sharp to stop Roberts again shortly after. The two sides battled until the final whistle and the 1-1 draw was a fair result.