The Bet

[Faramir]

17.9.13

Dinamo Kiev (1) Leyton Orient (0)

Dinamo Kiev- E.Rangel 11

Orient- None

MOM- Andriy Nesmachnyi, Dinamo Kiev

Even the return to the lineup of Stephen Pearson didn't help Orient as they put forth another lackluster offensive showing in losing 1-0 to Dinamo Kiev to start their Group play in Championship Cup action. The home fans went into an early frenzy when Sebastien Frey was only able to get a hand on a twisting 25 yard shot from Elgabry Rangel as Dinamo Kiev took the early lead. Orient seemed a step slow again on offense as they were able to move the ball, but not get the ball to the open person with a chance to score. Orient was further hamstrung when Richard Hunt strained a thigh and had to leave after David Poole had been subbed for. The cohesion that has fueled the Orient success the past few seasons is definately lacking in the club at present and Manager Drabek must be searching for the answers.

"I was stunned when Sebastien (Frey) missed that goal- that is the first really bad goal he has given up in the past few seasons," stated Drabek.

"I was too. I wish I could figure out what is missing- we seem to be moving the ball and then suddenly somebody hangs on to it too long or makes a terrible pass and we lose possession before getting a good chance."

[Faramir]

21.9.13

Leyton Orient (3) Coventry (2)

Orient- D.Vanni 11 M.Morris 42 J.Kristiansen 90

Coventry- E.Gudjonsen 79 S.Brown 87

MOM- Matthew Morris, Leyton Orient

Orient needed a dramatic match winner from Jan Kristiansen to escape with a 3-2 win over Coventry after squandering a 2 goal lead late in the second half. Davide Vanni scored his 1st goal of the season early in the match thanks to a good pass from David Poole. Coventry looked set to equal things after James Rowe (forced into playing center defense after Mark Harding was injured) was called for a handball in the area. Instead Sebastien Frey was able to make a parry of Lee Doherty's initial penalty kick and then tipped the shot on the rebound around the post. Orient appeared comfortably in command when Matthew Morris burst into the area to fire a low, scorching shot past Russell Howarth. Orient's luck seemed to turn in the second half as Vanni hit the post squarely and Morris drilled a shot off the crossbar, but the match still seemed firmly in hand. The Brisbane Road faithful began to get a bit nervous when Eidur Gudjonsen snuck through to zip a shot inside the right post. The nervousness turned to frustration when Coventry hit Orient on the counter-attack and found the backline stretched well up the pitch as Gudjonsen flicked a header on to Simon Moore and Moore outmuscled Rowe before slotting home the equalizer past Frey. Jan Kristiansen saved the day for Orient when the heady veteran swooped in to pick up a loose ball just beyond the six yard box and calmly fired a well placed shot past Howarth to give Orient an undeserved 3-2 win.

"Whew! We needed that win badly," commented Field.

"I think you have that wrong Spencer, we won badly. That was a disappointing effort late in the second half. We have got to get the backline squared away and working solidly, or we will not be able to win the matches we need to."

"I agree, but that will take settling on who should be the 'regular' backline and we haven't managed to do that yet."

"I know, I take the blame for that. I am going to have to winnow them out quickly and we will just have to live with their problems until they gel."

"You aren't considering Titus Bramble as a regular."

"I may have too- none of the youngsters have seemed ready to step up this season- despite my hopes that at least one would."

***

"That isn't good news," sighed Drabek.

"It could have been much worse. Because it was just a dislocation, James (Rowe) will only be out a month."

"True, if he had needed surgery, he might have been out a lot longer than that."

"Did the League Cup Draw come in?"

"Let me check the faxes. Here it is, we were drawn to play at Sheffield Wednesday to open the 3rd round of play."

[Faramir]

28.9.13

Aston Villa (2) Leyton Orient (5)

Aston Villa- M.Jakobsen 35-P W.Rooney 53

Orient- D.Davidson 69 J.Kristiansen 80 D.Poole 81 S.Lee 85 S.Massey 90

MOM- Steve Massey, Leyton Orient

Orient looked down and out when a bad throw-in by skipper Carl Laurie led directly to Wayne Rooney scoring to put Villa up 2-0 to the delight of their sold out home crowd. A funny thing happened on the way to that win though, as the moribund Orient offense suddenly woke up and exploded for 5 goals- 4 in the last 10 minutes of play to send Orient home relieved that they had won 5-2. Orient just couldn't put together much in the first half and was further stymied when Johann Torhallsson left in the first minutes of play and Lee Peacock came on to make his debut. Lee Sims was called for tripping ex-mate Rooney in the area and Mikael Jakobsen converted the penalty past Sebastien Frey to give Villa a first half lead. Orient did no better to open the second half and Laurie made a throw-in right to Fullback Dave Wilson. Wilson's perfect chip caught Jan Evrard flat footed and Rooney raced past him and then fired a well placed shot past Frey inside the right post. It appeared from the slumping shoulders, that Orient was done. Instead, led by veteran Jan Kristiansen, they fashioned a way back into the match. Danny Byrne started the rally with a superb run. Byrne picked up the ball just beyond midfield and took the ball reversed himself and went on the run all the way down the left side of the pitch. Byrne sent a perfect cross and Dave Davidson volleyed it past Luke Daniels for his 1st goal at Orient. Orient equalized when Byrne chipped a pass into David Poole and Poole picked out Kristiansen as he slipped past Fabian Andres Vargas. Kristiansen hit a half-volley past Daniels and Villa appeared stunned. They were numbed when Kristiansen stripped the ball from Vargas and found Byrne on the wing. Byrne's well placed pass found Poole with two steps on marker James McEveley and Poole wasted no time in rifling a shot past Daniels for his 1st goal of the season to give Orient a 3-2 lead. With Villa now pressing, Orient took advantage as Kristiansen drew defenders on his dribble and then picked out Steve Lee who had come into the play late. Lee snapped a shot inside the far left post for his 1st goal of the season in his 1st appearance. A terrible pass from Jonathan Bowers that went directly to Steve Massey in front of the net gave Orient the final goal when Massey whisked his shot past Daniels for his 1st goal at Orient to finish off the superb 5-2 fightback.

"Finally!" said a pleased Drabek. "I knew we had the goals in us somewhere- and we finally got them."

"The club showed a lot of heart today. If that means we have gelled, well our opponents should watch out."

[Faramir]

2.10.13

Leyton Orient (3) Celta (1) Champions Cup Group B

Orient- R.Hunt 3 D.Poole 5,67

Celta- D.Prieto 32

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient clearly needed this match badly after their faltering performance against Dinamo Kiev, and they showed how badly they wanted by seizing a 2-0 lead by the 5 minute mark of the match. They had to survive a rallying Celta squad, but were able to finally put the match away with a second half goal for an important 3-1 win. Richard Hunt got Orient off to a flying start when he skipped past Jorge Molina to drill home a loose ball after a pass from Carl Laurie was deflected by Dwight Pezzarossi. Moments later it was 2-0 when Hunt made a great play to reach the ball before it crossed the endline and hit a looping centering pass that David Poole was able to deflect past Pedro Soria. Celta drew a goal back when Antonio Jesus Perez lofted a free kick up into the middle and David Prieto challenged Sebastien Frey and outleaped him to flick the ball into the goal. Orient was aided by the poor shooting of Celta, as they wasted several good chances with shots well wide of the net. Poole triggered a huge celebration and a momentary stoppage of the match when he hooked home the rebound after Hunt had drilled a shot off the crossbar. The goal was not only Poole's 2nd of the match, but also his 300th goal at Orient. With the lead comfortable again, Orient settled down and played solid defense to finish off the 3-1 win. Dinamo Kiev throttled Maccabi Tel-Aviv 3-0 in the other Group match.

"It was great to celebrate David's (Poole) goal- it was both a memorable goal and a timely goal," stated a pleased Drabek.

"Hard to believe he has been able to score that many goals for us- after arriving as a cast-off," replied Field.

"He has been the key player for us since arriving."

[Faramir]

5.10.13

Leyton Orient (2) Manchester City (1)

Orient- M.Morris 19 D.Poole 32

Manchester City- M.Clausen 16

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient overcame a stumbling start to manage a 2-1 fightback win over visiting Manchester City. The early advantage went to Manchester City as Kasper Schmeichel made a couple nice saves early and then they surged in front. Mads Clausen made a dazzling run past Stephen Pearson and Jan Evrard after Giuseppe Sculli gave him a nice touch pass. Clausen skipped a low shot past James Hicks to give them the 1-0 lead. Orient hit back shortly after when Matthew Morris found plenty of space in the middle when Matthew Etherington zipped him a pass and Morris rifled a shot into the right side of the net past Schmeichel. Morris then keyed what would be the winning goal by sending a sharp cross from the edge of the six yard box. Schmeichel showed superb anticipation by trying to bat away the cross, but David Poole was there a second sooner and powered a header past Schmeichel to give Orient their final margin for the win. The second half featured many attacks, but none were dangerous as both sides backlines settled down and gave worthy performances in support of their keepers.

"A lucky win in my book, I wasn't too happy with our overall play," murmured a tired Drabek.

"Call it 'fortunate', not lucky," grinned Field. "We played just well enough to win and that is a sign of the composure of our club."

"True, the determination carried us today- because our execution certainly didn't."

[Faramir]

19.10.13

Arsenal (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Arsenal- Adriano 56

Orient- D.Byrne 15 D.Arrieta 36,42

MOM- Danny Byrne, Leyton Orient

Though the match was featured as an early season show-down between the top two clubs in EPL, it wound up being a disappointing affair for both the telly viewers and the fans at Ashburton Grove. Chris Kirkland was forced to leave the match in the opening moments of play and 19 year old Gary Francis was called on in net. Less than a minute later, Ashley Cole landed a doozy of a left hook on Danny Byrne and found himself redcarded and facing a serious suspension. Byrne took full advantage of extra space as he ravaged the left side of the Arsenal defense with his rampaging runs the rest of the first half. Byrne danced past Philippe Senderos and then caught Francis flat footed with a wrong footed shot for his 1st goal of the season. Byrne then skipped past Senderos and van der Meyde again before crossing smartly. Danilo Arrieta, on for injured Richard Hunt, flicked the cross past Francis for his 1st goal of the season. Byrne connected with Arrieta again a few minutes later as Arrieta converted another cross into his 2nd goal of the match and a 3-0 halftime lead. Arsenal's Adriano didn't quit and he gave their fans some faint hope when he dircected a cross from Sanli Tuncay past Sebstien Frey to draw a goal back, but that was as close as Orient allowed the home side in winning the 3-1 road tilt.

"What was up with Ashley Cole?" asked a bewildered Field.

"I thought you knew Spencer. There is bad blood between him and Danny (Byrne). It goes way back," replied Drabek.

"Still, he really lost control. That is going to cost him some matches..."

"You're right and I don't feel very bad about that."

***

"Good news Spencer."

"What?"

"Tony (Chamberlain) just cleared Jason Reynolds to play in our next match against Maccabi Tel-Aviv."

"That is great news. Full Recovery?"

"He believes so. He thinks Jason is all set for awhile now."

"It will be nice to have him back in the lineup, even if he will be a bit rusty."

[Faramir]

23.10.13

M.Tel-Aviv (0) Leyton Orient (2) Champions Cup Group B

M.Tel-Aviv- None

Orient- J.Reynolds 38 D.Arrieta 85

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

It was a plucky Maccabi Tel-Aviv side that faced Orient and thrilled their rabid home fans with their effort, but fell short on results as Orient won out 2-0. Tel-Aviv dodged an early bullet when Guy Mesika saved David Poole's penalty kick after Stephen Pearson was tripped in the area. Moments later Jason Reynolds celebrated his return to the lineup when he took a superb pass from Steed Malbranque and slipped it past Mesika inside the left post. Tel-Aviv came very close to evening the match shortly after as Alonso Solis rattled one of the post, but Andrea Rossi was able to slide and clear the loose ball away before Moshe Hadad could put it in. Rossi also made another timely clearance minutes later as he moved the ball out before Amir Genaim could put it past Sebastien Frey. Orient finally put the match away late in the second half when Danilo Arrieta (on for Reynolds) was a step quicker to a loose ball than Mesika and chipped it past the diving keeper to make the final 2-0 Orient. Dinamo Kiev continued their strong play with a 2-0 road win over Celta to remain atop Group B.

"Well, we lose Steed (Malbranque) for the next Cup match," stated Field.

"Yes, it was kind of silly yellow card to take. Time to see if Matthew (Morris) is ready for European competition."

"He has been impressive in league play. You can tell how much he has improved in the last couple of seasons."

[Faramir]

26.10.13

Leyton Orient (2) Wolves (1)

Orient- R.Hunt 19 D.Byrne 39

Wolves- D.Srna 22

MOM- Richard Hunt, Leyton Orient

Orient, obviously feeling the effects of their grueling match at Tel-Aviv, was sporting several new faces in their starting lineup as they hosted Wolves at Brisbane Road. David Poole was out of the starting lineup and Richard Hunt and Jason Reynolds were paired for the first time this season. Lee Talbot started in place of Matthew Morris (sporting a minor training injury). Orient didn't play superbly, but they did play well enough to edge Wolves in a match that wasn't as close as the 2-1 scoreline would indicate. Orient struck first in the match, as Richard Lee made some excellent saves early- but wasn't able to stop Richard Hunt's deflection of Talbot's corner kick. Wolves wasted little time drawing even as Florent Sinama-Pongolle slipped a pass through to Darijo Srna and he walked in alone before driving a shot past Sebastien Frey. Danny Byrne, after seeing Lee make a fantastic diving stop on an earlier free kick, drilled one that was slightly deflected off the wall and changed course enough to leave a frustrated Lee moving the wrong way as the ball skittered into the net. Orient held sway over the second half and allowed the Wolves only one more shot on Frey for the match in finishing out the 2-1 win.

"Lee (Talbot) really impressed me today. I feel a bit better about my decision to not re-sign Steed Malbranque after that play today," commented Drabek.

"He has very good vision on moving the ball to the right person. I thought Richard (Hunt) and Jason (Reynolds) paired up nicely."

"I have to agree with you. I wasn't sure how their pairing would work, but they meshed without problems."

[Faramir]

30.10.13

Sheffield Wednesday (0) Leyton Orient (3) League Cup 3rd round

Wednesday- None

Orient- R.Hunt 60,63 M.Harding 90

MOM- Lee Talbot, Leyton Orient

Clearly demonstrating that he has earned his place on the Senior side, Lee Talbot's excellent passing and corners sparked Orient to a 3-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday at Hillsborough in their League Cup 3rd round matchup. After a scoreless first half that featured Andreas Isaksson making three highlight reel saves against Davide Vanni, Richard Hunt and Matthew Etherington, it was Orient that finally broke on to the scoreboard first. Lee Talbot lofted a pass that Richard Hunt headed ahead to himself before lobbing a 30 yard chip over Isaksson for his 5th goal of the season. Less than three minutes later that combination worked again for Hunt as Talbot found him in space on the right and Hunt again lobbed a shot over Isaksson for his 2nd goal of the match. Mark Harding finished off the scoring and Sheffield Wednesday when he scored for the first time in almost two years when he deflected Etherington's curling free kick past Isaksson. Orient manager Drabek was clearly pleased with the effort of his patchwork lineup in the win. Daniel Carr was solid in the Orient net earning a clean sheet.

"Patchwork lineup?" grumped Drabek, "Our second and third line could start for many clubs. Patchwork lineup is an insult."

"You know how it is," offered Field soothingly. "Any time you trot out less than our best- they call it a patchwork lineup."

[Faramir]

2.11.13

Preston (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Preston- L.Mills 60

Orient- D.Poole 10 J.Reynolds 19 D.Arrieta 63

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Orient won out over a brave Preston effort thanks to the high-octane play of Jason Reynolds. Orient gained the early lead when David Poole deflected a Matthew Morris corner past Jan Schlosser for his 5th goal of the season. It was quickly 2-0 when Poole unselfishly laid the ball off for Reynolds on a counterattack and Reynolds placed his shot inside the left post. Preston rallied in the second half and were swarming in the Orient end. Lee Mills got credit for the goal to draw Preston one back when his hard shot was slightly deflected by Stephen Pearson and Sebastien Frey couldn't reach the ball before it rolled into the net. Orient quickly put a damper on those comeback hopes when Reynolds, now playing right wing after Danilo Arrieta had come on for Richard White, made a dazzling run and then smartly crossed to a trailing Arrieta. Arrieta had an easy time volleying into the open left side of the net to cap the 3-1 Orient road win.

"I love Jason's (Reynolds) versatility- put him at forward and he's at home, put him at wing and he's also at home," said Drabek.

"That last run of his was terrific and then the cross was right on a one-hop to Arrieta..."

"So far he has been worth every bit of cash we paid for him."

[Faramir]

5.11.13

Leyton Orient (2) Maccabi Tel-Aviv (0) Champions Cup Group B

Orient- S.Pearson 34 J.Reynolds 47

M.Tel-Aviv- None

MOM- Stephen Pearson, Leyton Orient

Orient used its veteran moxie to overcome another spirited challenge from Maccabi Tel-Aviv as they prevailed 2-0 at Brisbane Road. After struggling to get any shots in the early going, Stephen Pearson gave Orient the lead with his 1st goal of the season when he deflected Daniel Fredheim-Holm's corner past Guy Mesika. Orient added another goal early in the second half when David Poole slid a pass along the edge of the six yard to unmarked Jason Reynolds who had an easy time slotting the ball into the left side of the net. Orient kept up their smothering midfield play and never allowed the brave Israeli side a chance to rally from their deficit in closing out the clean sheet for Sebastien Frey. Dinamo Kiev again defeated Celta to ensure their place in the next round, while Orient is only one good result away from also clinching a chance to move on.

"Is it me, or has David (Poole) suddenly become very pass conscious?" asked Drabek.

Field shrugged, "He has more assists than goals, but I think that is a natural thing now that he seems to have meshed well with Jason (Reynolds) and Richard (Hunt), not to mention the longstanding work with Danilo (Arrieta)."

Drabek nodded, "Well, it seems to be working- I can't quarrel with the results."

[Faramir]

9.11.13

Leyton Orient (4) Blackburn (1)

Orient- D.Poole 35,76 S.Pearson 56 R.Hunt 83

Blackburn- G.Pazzini 19

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient roared back to take a 4-1 over Blackburn despite yielding an early goal to the visitors. It was a stuttering start for Orient as Jan Evrard looked completely lost when Denis Calencov twisted him into a pretzel on a dribble and then crossed back. Giampaolo Pazzini overpowered Titus Bramble to push a strong header past James Hicks for his 10th goal of the season as Blackburn grabbed a 1-0 lead. Moments later we sprung David Poole free, but Martin Krivanek made a brilliant save to push the ball just past the post. Poole did not miss on his next good chance as he took a superb through ball from Lee Talbot and danced around the diving Krivanek before rocketing his shot into the open net. The match remained a see-saw affair through the remainder of the first half, but poor shooting denied both sides chances to gain the lead. Orient struck early in the second half when Stephen Pearson showed exquisite timing in deflecting a corner from Talbot past Krivanek. Blackburn bitterly protested David Poole's 2nd strike of the game, as he was very close to being flagged for an offside call as Talbot chipped a pass to him and he blasted a low shot through Krivanek's hands. Talbot proved again that he is quickly developing into an offensive key for Orient when he creatively slipped another pass through that allowed Richard Hunt to take the ball around Krivanek and fire it home to cap off the 4-1 win.

"I am very, very impressed with Lee's (Talbot) play," stated a pleased Drabek. "He really has a great sense of where the offensive players are...and where they will *be* when the ball gets to them."

"His passing touch was excellent today. I was surprised at just how well that lineup fit together today- that was the first time we had tried it, correct?"

"Yes, and that could well be our lineup for the stretch this season. Jason (Reynolds) looked comfortable out on the right wing- of course I had seen him do well there when playing in the Confederations Cup. Richard (Hunt) and David (Poole) seem to pair well up front. Dave (Davidson) can still seem a bit intimidated, but he should be a superb leftwing for us. Stephen (Pearson) and Lee (Talbot) pair well in the middle. I thought they meshed nicely."

"We still have a few backline problems to work out."

"Our central defense is troubling. Titus (Bramble) seems to have lost a step or two and isn't quite the defensive force he was for us in the past. Jan (Evrard) played terrible today, but we know both are capable of better."

[Faramir]

"Well?" asked an agitated Will Drabek.

"Tony (Chamberlain) says it is broken, but not badly. He thinks a minimum of 3 weeks healing up."

Drabek sighed, "I guess it could be worse. Still, Danilo (Arrieta) is a key component of our club and we are bound to miss him."

***

"Another one," queried Field as he saw Drabek returning from the physio room.

"Yes, Richard (White) will be out three weeks with a bad ankle sprain."

"I hope this doesn't indicate a rash of injuries."

"Me too, we can ill afford them right now."

***

23.11.13

Leyton Orient (3) Chelsea (2)

Orient- R.Hunt 2,10,47

Chelsea- M.Kezman 20 S.Moore 85

MOM- Richard Hunt, Leyton Orient

It was the Richard Hunt show for Orient as they held on to edge Chelsea 3-2 in a tussle between top placed Orient and 3rd place Chelsea. Hunt was trouble for Chelsea from the opening whistle and scored early on to give Orient the quick lead after a nicely placed cross from David Poole gave him enough room to fire a shot past Marcos inside the near left post. Daniel Fredheim Holm then lofted a pass into space on the left side that Hunt ran down and then boomed a shot past Marcos for his 2nd goal of the match. Mateja Kezman answered for Chelsea when Andreas Iniesta picked him out breaking between Titus Bramble and Jan Evrard and Kezman easily slotted a shot past Sebastien Frey. Hunt finished off his hat-trick with his 10th goal of the season when Stephen Pearson zipped him a pass and he plastered a ball past Marcos as the Brisbane Road faithful rained down chants of 'Too old!' on the 39 year old Marcos. Chelsea wasn't through and showed heart as they attempted to rally. Stefan Moore fired a shot past Frey after the Orient backline again showed little of the teamwork and covering that previously had been their hallmark. Chelsea had two good chances to equalize, but Joe Cole and Hugo Viana both missed over the net on their opportunities.

"I am a bit worried about our keeper play," observed Drabek. "Neither Sebastien (Frey) nor James (Hicks) have played well of late."

"Between that and the unsteady backline play, we are yielding more goals than last season."

[Faramir]

27.11.13

Leyton Orient (2) Dinamo Kiev (0) Champions Cup Group B

Orient- R.Hunt 35 S.Pearson 76

Dinamo Kiev- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

The windy downpour that blanketed Brisbane Road turned the match into a slogging, grind it out affair- the type that Orient has excelled at over the last five seasons. Dinamo Kiev's dynamic duo of Elgabry Rangel and Diogo Rincon found themselves neutralized both by the weather and the excellent defensive work from Orient's midfield and backline. After both sides could get little going early on in the match Orient struck for a lightning goal when David Poole flicked on a long pass from Jan Evrard and the ball and Richard Hunt split defenders Goran Gavrancic and Goran Sablic. Hunt made a neat move on the dribble as he took the ball around Olexandr Shovkovskiy to give the home faithful a chance to roar and a halftime lead for Orient. It appeared the match might wind up with the 1-0 scoreline intact as the footing became more trecherous in the downpour. Andrea Rossi made a brilliant takeaway and slid the ball to Stephen Pearson. Pearson decided to blast away from 35 yards and it turned out to be a great decision as it caught Shovkovskiy leaning the wrong way and watching helplessly as his shot skidded into the net inside the left post for the clinching goal. Kiev's Rangel tried desperately to spur his side, but his pair of good chances were both parried away by Sebastien Frey to keep the clean sheet in the 2-0 Orient win. The win, combined with Maccabi Tel-Aviv's 1-0 upset of Celta ensured both Orient and Dinamo Kiev will advance to the next round of play. Orient currently holds the top spot over Kiev, despite being even with 12 points apiece in the Group play.

"A great effort in lousy conditions," muttered a drenched Drabek.

"Our fans looked liked drowned rats," chuckled Field. "I was amazed that so many stayed until the end."

"The fans weren't the only ones who looked, or felt, like drowned rats," grumbled Drabek as he shed his soaked shoes.

[Faramir]

30.11.13

Southampton (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Southampton- None

Orient- L.Talbot 1 D.Poole 39

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient took the early lead and used their stifling midfield defense to throttle Southampton as they edged them 2-0 at St. Mary's Stadium. A brilliant cross by Richard Hunt slipped through to Lee Talbot in the opening minute of play. Robert Green parried his initial shot, but Talbot whisked home the rebound past the sprawled Green to give Orient a quick lead with his 1st goal of the season. Hunt and Danny Byrne teamed up on a neat passing sequence that gave Byrne room in the area and he swept the ball into David Poole in the center of the six yard box. Poole proved as deadly as usual in that location as he smashed his shot past Green. Orient spent the second half staunchly defending Sebastien Frey. Frey earned his clean sheet with a couple of nice saves on Carlton Cole and Tom Thorpe midway through the second half. Orient narrowly missed adding a clinching goal when Lee Peacock was inches wide when he was sprung free on a good pass from Stephen Pearson. The win takes Orient to a 12-1-1 mark and a comfortable 8 point margin over 2nd place Tottenham at the 14 match mark of the season.

"David (Poole) was terrific again today," smiled Drabek.

"I think we take him for granted sometimes, but he doesn't miss those good chances," agreed Field.

"I am glad Richard's (Hunt) injury was minor, but I still plan on holding him out of the match against the League Cup match with Manchester United."

[Faramir]

3.12.13

Manchester United (4) Leyton Orient (2) League Cup 4th Round Extra-Time

Manchester U- C.Ronaldo 38,78,115 T.Rau 96

Orient- D.Vanni 71 J.Reynolds 90

MOM- Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United

Orient's usually steady backline disintegrated under the free-wheeling attacks of Cristiano Ronaldo and James Graham as Manchester United outlasted Orient to win 4-2 in Extra-Time and broom Orient from the the League Cup competition. ManchesterU was very sharp in the early going as both Ronaldo and Graham made lengthy runs before being closed down with last-ditch tackles. Orient paid the price for aggressive play when Andrea Rossi made a bad choice and was caught up the pitch as Rafael van der Vaart chipped a pass over him to Ronaldo. Ronaldo, with the whole right side of the pitch open had little trouble outmaneuvering Sebastien Frey before firing into the right side of the net for his 5th goal of the season. Orient battled back in the second half and Davide Vanni, who had been having a poor match, redeemed himself by driving a shot past Fabien Barthez after a nice pass from Matthew Etherington gave him room. ManU wasted little time regaining the lead as Ronaldo zipped past Jan Evrard and then blasted his 2nd goal of the match past Frey. Orient rallied again and stunned the already celebrating fans at Old Trafford when Jason Reynolds slipped a shot past Barthez on a well-designed free kick play in the last moments of second half injury time. Orient ran out of miracles in the Extra-Time and Tobias Rau scored his 1st goal of the season to put ManU in the lead. Ronaldo then capped off his superb match by flicking a header past Frey to complete his hat-trick on a deft cross from Graham.

"They just outplayed us today," sighed Drabek.

"Well, I really thought we would get to Barthez more- we had in the past- but today he was steady for them," replied Field.

"Our backline play wasn't very good. If we don't have a better effort in there, we will have problems with Racing in the Inter-continental Cup."

[Faramir]

6.12.13

Racing (0) Leyton Orient (2) Inter-Continental Cup- Yokohama, Japan

Racing- None

Orient- D.Poole 27 J.Evrard 37

MOM- Jan Evrard, Leyton Orient

Showing none of the indecisive play that marked their loss to Manchester United, Orient dominated Argentine side Racing in grinding out their 4th consecutive Inter-Continental Cup win 2-0 in Japan. Orient did not allow Racing a shot at Sebastien Frey as he collected an easy clean sheet in the match. Orient's game plan was to take full advantage of their edge in height as they lofted crosses, free kicks and corners into the Racing area. Richard Hunt's wicked cross was the catalyst for the first goal as David Poole shed his marker to put a strong header past Pablo Pereyra. Jan Evrard made it 2-0 when he deflected a curling Danny Byrne free kick past Pereyra for his 1st goal of the season. Orient played confidently with the lead, exhibiting the fine ball movement of the 'Red wave' that plans have come to expect. Pereyra kept his club in the match in the second half with a series of dazzling saves, but it wasn't enough as the blanketing Orient defensive coverage completely blunted Racing's offensive weapons in the impressive 2-0 win. In their four consecutive Inter-Continental wins, Orient has defeated four different South American clubs (Sao Paolo, Independiente, Vasco, Racing).

"We were back on the beam with this one, the boys really played well," offered a pleased Spencer Field.

"Very much so. We had them under siege the entire match. Our play was crisp throughout," replied Drabek.

"Thanks for giving me credit for the game plan in the press conference."

"Well, it was your idea. I hadn't realized that we had that kind of height advantage on them."

"I knew from our scouts that this was a small, quick club- not the kind of South American club we have faced in our other wins."

[Faramir]

10.12.13

Celta (1) Leyton Orient (3) Champions Cup Group B

Celta- D.Ortega 60

Orient- D.Poole 37,55 J.Evrard 44

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

In the showdown match that Orient needed for the top spot in Group B Qualifying, it was all Orient as they easily moved past Celta 3-1 in front of the disappointed fans at Vigo. Orient had the pressure on early, but Santiago Bouzo came up with a pair of brilliant saves early in the first half. Orient struck for the lead when a superb pass from Jason Reynolds gave David Poole enough time to whip a blistering low shot past Bouzo for his 10th goal of the season. A mistake by Bouzo cost Celta dearly in the late stages of the first half as he let a corner from Daniel Fredheim Holm slip through his hands and Jan Evrard was parked right at the far post to put the ball into the open net. Poole showed tremendous touch when he gave Orient a 3-0 lead in the second half with a perfectly lofted 30 yard chip over Bouzo after Stephen Pearson had skinned a pass and chipped it to Poole. Pearson created trouble for Celta until he came out after the Poole goal, as he continually was in the right place to intercept their clearing passes and through balls. Titus Bramble could only shake his head when he made a youngster's mistake in allowing Diego Ortega to slip past him on a nice 1-2 passing sequence that gave Celta a glimmer of hope. The glimmer quickly faded as Orient resumed their grinding midfield play to run out the 3-1 winners. Dinamo Kiev also won, but Orient captured the top spot in Group B with their win.

"I thought Steve (Massey) played very well at leftback- for never having appeared there before," observed Field.

"It was an experiment. I told Steve it might give us a way to get him more playing time and he was all for it if that was the case."

"Who did we get in our 2nd round draw?"

"A reporter told me it would be Inter."

"Nothing like a challenge," grinned Field.

"Everyone is a challenge once you get this far," smiled Drabek back.

[Faramir]

14.12.13

Leyton Orient (1) Newcastle (3)

Orient- D.Poole 62

Newcastle- M.Owen 24 Aruna 57,67

MOM- Aruna, Newcastle

Newcastle knocked the glow off Orient's last two impressive wins as they dominated them in a 3-1 win in front of the very disappointed Brisbane Road faithful. Aruna set up their first goal with impressive effort as he reached a ball before it crossed the backline and hooked it over to Michael Owen. Owen, who had slipped away from Ben Hutchinson's coverage smashed the ball past James Hicks as Newcastle grabbed the lead. Owen returned the favor early in the second half when he ran down a long pass from Harry Kewell and crossed to the center. Aruna slipped past Ryan Garry to deflect the cross past Hicks for a 2-0 lead. Orient gave their fans and themselves some hope when Stephen Pearson's long through ball caught Shay Given undecided about trying for it and then left grasping at air as Poole blasted a rising shot past him. Newcastle came right back to blunt the Orient hopes of a fightback when Aruna took advantage of a miscommunication between Garry and Carl Laurie to race in and rifle a shot past Hicks from close in. The fans were grumbling as they left Brisbane Road about the poor performance.

"You are taking a lot of heat over the choice to start Ben (Hutchinson) and Mark (Harding)," commented Field.

"I thought they both deserved another start, they have been practicing well," replied Drabek.

Field shrugged, "We need to work more on the backline communication- with all of them..."

***

"It is a sad day for me, but I think we have to do it," sighed Drabek.

"Come on, you helped give him a career. He is bitter, but that doesn't mean it is all your fault," replied Field.

Orient To Release Torhallsson

With Johann Torhallsson commenting publicly that he had been counting his days until retirement anyways and that he reached the point where he intensely disliked his Manager, it was little wonder that Orient took the course of releasing the veteran Icelandic forward today. Torhallsson was a linchpin in the early days of Orient's success and his best season with them was his 1st season when he helped Orient move up from 3rd Division with 36 goals and 25 assists. Torhallsson has potted 156 goals for Orient in his 11 seasons with them and was renowned for his rampaging style in the early Orient attack. Torhallsson stated "It is time for me to go. I plan on taking a coaching position either in England or back in Iceland." Manager Will Drabek refused to dwell on the recent bitterness between the two, saying simply, "All Orient fans can applaud and appreciate a consummate professional like Johann- who was such a big part of building our successful club."

[WeWillAlwaysBeALight]

that 'drowned rats' quote is an almost word for word copy of a radiohead interview after their gig in Oxford

[Faramir]

wewillalways- Since I am a Yank (midwest), not likely I heard it (also that was written a couple months ago at least- the time I was playing the story's season)

***

"It is just time to trim the squad down. We already know that Daniel (Carr), William (Flood) and Matthew (Etherington) aren't going to sign new contracts with us. Besides them, Mark (Harding) and Ben (Hutchinson) just need a lot more playing time- they aren't getting it up here. So it makes sense to move them down and try and trim the Senior squad to those regularly playing."

***

"What?!"

"You heard me Spencer. The Board actually blocked us releasing Johann."

"Why?"

Drabek chuckled, "It would cost too much money."

"What?! We have 156 MILLION in the black, a 66 MILLION transfer fund and they won't let us pay out 600K to release him?"

Drabek shrugged, "I can't tell them what to do. Sorry, Spencer- he is your problem now. Since we have to keep him- he is going on the Reserve side for the rest of the year."

"Thanks a lot," grumbled Field.

***

21.12.13

Birmingham (2) Leyton Orient (2)

Birmingham- D.Dunn 10 G.Foster 64

Orient- J.Reynolds 82 R.Hunt 90

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Only a last moment dramatic equalizer goal could salvage a poor peformance by Orient as they had to fight back from a two-goal deficit to wind up even with Birmingham at 2-2. Orient struggled in the first half and were fortunate to only be trailing by one goal. David Dunn gave the home side the lead when he knocked home a rebound after the Orient backline failed to clear away the loose ball when Sebastien Frey parried Buffour Gyan's rising blast. Orient still looked very flat in the second half, and their spirits appeared to be flagging when Frey uncharacteristically missed an easy 30 yard shot by Gary Foster that left Orient trailing 2-0. Jason Reynolds ignited the spark Orient desperately needed when a Stephen Pearson through ball put him in clean on Lee Donnelly and he tucked his 5th goal of the season inside the right post. Orient kept up the pressure , but it appeared Birmingham had held on as the seconds counted down. Danilo Arrieta desperately launched a looping cross from the left corner and Richard Hunt- who had missed two golden chances to score on an out-of-position Donnelly earlier- flicked the equalizer past him only seconds before the final whistle blew to end the draw.

"We did not play well at all in this one," commented Field.

"You're right and we certainly didn't deserve the draw, but Richard (Hunt) proved he can score the big goals," answered Drabek.

"It might be some leftover feelings from the way we turned the squad over this week."

"If it is- they better get over those feelings quickly, or there are going to be more changes."

[Faramir]

26.12.13

Leyton Orient (4) Manchester United (1)

Orient- L.Talbot 8 D.Poole 29,50 J.Evrard 67

Manchester U- J.Graham 59

MOM- Jan Evrard, Leyton Orient

Looking nothing like the club that fell to Manchester United in their League Cup match, Orient offered their fans a clinical performance as they easily handled Manchester United 4-1. 42-year old Fabien Barthez looked his age in suffering through his worst effort of the season as Orient took advantage of their chances early. Orient worked an excellent throw-in play that saw Jason Reynolds flick the ball on for David Poole. Poole then laid the ball back for Lee Talbot, who blasted a low shot past Barthez to earn a quick 1-0 lead. Talbot returned the favor with a slick pass through traffic that allowed Poole to whip a rising shot past Barthez to send Orient to a 2-0 halftime lead. Poole struck again for his 2nd goal of the match when he took a superb Richard Hunt cross and calmly half-volleyed it into the open right side of the net. Manchester United gained a moment of hope when Cristiano Ronaldo set-up James Graham nicely in front and he fired it past Sebastien Frey to ruin the clean sheet. Jan Evrard finished off the scoring when he boomed home a 25 yard free kick after Rafael van der Vaart drew his 2nd yellow card for knocking Stephen Pearson down in the center of the pitch just beyond the area.

"Very impressive. The boys really were ready for Manchester U this time," commented Field.

"All that talk in the press on the club's equality just stirred them up," grinned Drabek.

[Faramir]

28.12.13

Tottenham (2) Leyton Orient (2)

Tottenham- G.Pettit 51 J.Aliadiere 71

Orient- D.Poole 18 L.Talbot 70

MOM- Tim Howard, Tottenham

The televised showdown between #2 Tottenham and #1 Leyton Orient had stirring moments of every stripe for both the viewers and the packed house at White Hart Lane. Orient struck early to grab the lead when Richard Hunt, who had a stellar match, raced to collect a loose ball and then made a highlight reel run around the Tottenham backline. Hunt then snapped a pass by Ledley King to unmarked David Poole and Poole rifled the ball past Tim Howard into the left side of the net. Orient poured on the pressure the remainder of the first half, but Howard stood tall and acrobatically kept them from increasing their lead. Tottenham regained some momentum at halftime and stormed out to equalize behind their French connection of Jeremie Aliadiere and Guillaume Pettit. Aliadiere flicked a pass on and Pettit was unmarked as he fired a well-placed shot past Sebastien Frey. Orient took the lead again when Danilo Arrieta, on for a tiring Poole, slipped a pass to Lee Talbot off a free kick. Talbot skipped a shot past the sprawling Howard for a 2-1 lead. Tottenham struck right back to equalize when Aliadiere deflected a Pettit corner past Frey less than a minute later. Both sides had chances to take all three points, but Frey and Howard still had some spring as they kept the final at 2-2 and Orient remains three points in front of 2nd place Tottenham.

"It could have gone either way," sighed Drabek.

"Too true. We saw Howard stymie us a lot, but Sebastien (Frey) came up with some big saves when we needed him."

[Faramir]

"He is a good looking youngster," observed Field.

"Arsenal thought highly of him. They badly wanted to keep him," agreed Drabek.

"He isn't going to be ready to play for awhile. He had a slight injury that kept him out of training until his contract expired and he joined us."

"That's fine by me- no rush on getting him into the lineup."

Orient Beckons for Bradley

Promising 19 year old AMC Peter Bradley today joined Leyton Orient as he contract with Arsenal officially expired. Bradley had signed on with Orient three months ago and has been patiently waiting to make the move. He isn't expected to be ready for the Orient lineup anytime soon as he is just now recovering from a slight leg injury. Bradley was very pleased to be joining Orient, "They are one of the top clubs in England and for them to see something in me that would allow me to play for them is a compliment indeed."

***

1.1.14

Leyton Orient (6) WBA (0)

Orient- R.Hunt 18,23 M.Etherington 31,90 D.Poole 43,46

WBA- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

In a driving rainstorm to celebrate the New Year, Orient poured goals on visiting WBA as they routed them 6-0. The Orient forward tandem of Richard Hunt and David Poole was too much for the WBA backline, clearly struggling on the sodden turf, to handle as both Hunt and Poole notched two goals apiece before leaving early in the second half. Hunt's pair of goals came off of blinding runs into space as he outpaced and outmaneuvered the WBA defenders. Both of Poole's goals came from gaining great position in the area and then showing his lightning fast shot when the chances were presented to him. Besides the forward's antics, Orient also received the first two goals of the season that Matthew Etherington has scored. His first came on a beautiful 30 yard free kick past John Wilson. His 2nd closed out the scoring when a scorching blast was slightly deflected by defender Danny Greaves and that was enough to allow it to trickle past the stranded Wilson.

"One of the best matches we have played," commented Field.

"In one of the worst condtions," muttered Drabek as he was wringing out his sopping hat. "Fortunately we seemed to make the better of our footing."

Field nodded, "They really struggled out there. I haven't seen so much sliding since I went to see the Knights."

***

EPL Midseason Table- 19 matches

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Leyton Orient 45 pts (+25)

2- Tottenham 39 pts (+18)

3- Arsenal 38 pts (+12)

4- Chelsea 34 pts (+9)

5- Manchester United 33 pts (+6)

6- Southampton 32 pts (+10)

</pre>

[Faramir]

"I think they are pretty good signings," agreed Field. "They all will fit nicely into our depth chart."

"It will be interesting to see how they gel with our existing squad. Remember, we also have several departing after this season- like Matthew (Etherington)," offered Drabek.

"They should be fine. We manage to get playing time for all of main players- especially with European competition."

"That is what drew at least two of them to us."

Orient Announces Bosman Signings

With the signing season moving into full bloom in the dead of winter, Leyton Orient announced five Bosman signings that will occur on July 1st. Moving to Orient will be 30 year old French forward Jeremie Aliadiere (from Tottenham), 26 year old Danish keeper Kasper Schmeichel (from Manchester City), 27 year old versatile attacker Luke Moore (from Blackburn), 22 year old midfielder Michael Bates (from Wolfsburg) and the surprise return of 26 year old forward Jamie Donnelly. The additions will significantly boost the Orient experience level and depth as Orient has been considerably thinned out over the last several seasons due to contract expiration and several more players, including Matthew Etherington, are expected to leave at the conclusion of the season.

[Faramir]

4.1.14

Leyton Orient (3) Liverpool (2) FA Cup 3rd round

Orient- M.Morris 42 J.Evrard 45 D.Byrne 71

Liverpool- N.Morgan 68-P,74

MOM- Daniel Fredheim Holm, Leyton Orient

It was an inglorious win for Orient as they defeated Liverpool 3-2 at Brisbane Road to move on in the FA Cup competition, but it was a win nonetheless. Both sides battled evenly through much of the first half as Orient could not manage a cohesive attack due to some excellent work by the Liverpool midfield. The complexion of the match changed at 42 minutes when David Raven earned a redcard and a free kick from the edge of the Liverpool area for a knockdown, two-footed tackle from behind on Jason Reynolds. Matthew Morris made the visitors pay immediately for the indiscretion when he blasted the free kick off the wall, and the deflection changed the course of the ball enough that Ross Flitney had no chance of reaching it before it went into the net. Less than four minutes later, Orient struck again when Daniel Fredheim Holm slipped a pass to Jan Evrard after a free kick and Evrard saw enough space to snap a shot into the left side of the net from just inside the edge of the area. Liverpool fought back despite their man deficit and Neil Morgan converted the penalty kick after Ryan Garry was whistled for pushing David Fox in the area. Danny Byrne returned Orient to a two-goal lead when he took a brilliant cross from Fredheim Holm and banked it into the right side of the net. Liverpool remained resiliant and Morgan added his 2nd goal of the match when he was able to flick an ill-timed punch from James Hicks back into the net. Hicks redeemed himself in the last few minutes of play when a good pass from Fox put Anthony Le Tellec in alone on Hicks. Hicks was able to push his hard, low shot just wide of the post and save the 3-2 Orient win. Orient will be without the services of Jan Evrard for the next month due to a strained groin.

"We didn't play all that well," stated Drabek with a look to the ceiling.

"No, we didn't use the extra space they gave us with Raven off very well."

"Losing Jan (Evrard) was the worst thing in the match though."

[Faramir]

7.1.14

Leyton Orient (0) Everton (0)

Orient- None

Everton- None

MOM- Richard Wright, Everton

Showing the form that has kept him as the number 1 England keeper, Richard Wright played superbly in earning visiting Everton a scoreless draw against Orient. Despite not managing to get a shot on goal during the match, the Everton backline never faltered in support of Wright and cleared away every loose ball. Wright made stellar saves against Richard Hunt, David Poole and Lee Talbot to preserve the clean sheet. Orient's clean sheet was a shared one as Sebastien Frey started, but was lifted for James Hicks early in the second half due to a slight injury. The Orient midfield dominated the match with Talbot and Matthew Etherington continually troubling the visitors with their runs, but in the end Orient failed to put the ball past Wright and had to settle for a point from the scoreless draw.

"Frey is ok, right?"

"Yeah, Tony (Chamberlain) said he was fine after the match. Just tweaked his shoulder a bit."

"Whew, we didn't need to lose Sebastien for a stretch of time.

[Faramir]

8.1.14

Drabek smiled, but the sadness of the parting also showed on his face, "You have been a wonderful Assistant Spencer. I couldn't have achieved this success without you."

Field smiled, but it was a sad one as he merely nodded, unable to choke out any words.

"You will do great and I look forward to facing you across the pitch," continued Drabek.

Field managed a snort, "I don't! At least not until I have more to work with."

They both grinned at that comment and shook hands. Field left Drabek in the office contemplating the change.

Hull Names Field as New Manager

Hull, currently struggling in the relegation mire of Division 1, tabbed Leyton Orient Assistant Manager Spencer Field to take over as their new Manager. Field, the long-time Assistant to Will Drabek, welcomed the chance to head up the club. "The Tigers have a storied past and I hope that we can bring them to a much more promising future." There has been no word from the Orient camp on who might be named as Field's replacement, though there are many reported as being interested in working with the Brisbane Road club.

[superwalli]

Now that's a plottwist

Hope Will will get the same results without his right hand man!

[Simply Perfect]

It had to be a matter of time, his reputation must have been pretty high.

Cool as ever, Faramir.

[Faramir]

Thanks superwalli, Simply P It was a nice twist when it happened

Celebrating Orient's RL clinching of promotion to League 1 today

***

9.1.14

Orient Promotes Colley

In a surprise announcement, Leyton Orient today announced that Dave Colley had been promoted to the role of Assistant Manager from his position as Coach at the club. Colley, who has been with both Orient Manager Will Drabek and the past Assistant Manager Spencer Field, welcomed the advancement, "This is a great opportunity for me. I hope to demonstrate that the tutelage of both Will and Spencer has made me able to succeed in my new role at the club." There had been much discussion that Drabek would choose a more well-known 'name' for the open position and the rumors on those vying included some significant past Managers, as well as Assistant Managers and Coaches. In announcing his choice of Colley to fill the position, Drabek commented, "Dave has been with the club from the very start. I felt it was important to have somebody not only capable of filling all the duties of the position, but also aware of what this club started from. It took a lot of years of sweat, effort and determination to reach our current level of success. I wanted somebody who wouldn't assume that just because the club is this way now...that it had always been this way. In addition, Dave embodies the key values that I felt was needed to ensure that our entire staff would continue to work closely together."

Other rumours now swirling around the squad now seem to indicate that Coach Paul Quentin was unhappy at being passed over for the Assistant Manager job and wanting to leave to go back to France. Quentin offered a terse, "That's ridiculous!" when asked about that rumour. Another rumour indicates that Orient are in discussions with currently unemployed Dutch Coach Rene Meulensteen to replace Colley on the staff. Meulensteen was unable to be reached for comment about the matter.

[Faramir]

10.1.14

Orient Marks Meulensteen

In confirmation of many rumours today, Leyton Orient moved immediately to fill the coaching position of Dave Colley- who was promoted to Assistant Manager yesterday. Orient announced that 47 year old Dutchman Rene Meulensteen had been signed as their newest Coach. Meulensteen, not well known or regarded, stated that he was overjoyed to be welcomed to the staff of Orient.

***

12.1.14

Middlesbrough (1) Leyton Orient (3)

Middlesbrough- F.Queudrue 47

Orient- D.Byrne 8 D.Poole 41 R.Hunt 59

MOM- Daniel Fredheim Holm, Leyton Orient

Orient produced a workmanlike performance as they tumbled Middlesbrough 3-1 at The Riverside. Orient gained the upper hand early when Daniel Fredheim Holm flicked on a long pass into the middle and Danny Byrne slipped between Kolo Toure and Stewart Parnaby before smashing a shot past Robert Olejnik. Orient made their half time lead 2-0 when Orient capped a great passing play started by Fredheim Holm and then featured a nice touch on by Hunt before David Poole strongly headed past Olejnik. Middlesbrough stormed out and got back into the match in the opening moments of the second half as Franck Queudrue overpowered Sebastien Frey on a curving 25 yard rocket of a free kick. Orient felt much more comfortable when Richard Hunt answered back midway through the second half. Poole unselfishly slid the ball across for Hunt to drive it inside the left post. Orient then gave Frey great help in defending the lead and finished out a solid 3-1 road win.

"Well, did it feel any different Dave?"

"Yeah, you might say so. It also felt really weird to be controlling the Reserves. I imagine it won't take long to get used to it."

"You will do fine. Just remember, there are always things that you want to adapt to your own approach. That is fine, as long as you stay within the overall club approach- or clear it with me first."

[Faramir]

18.1.14

Leyton Orient (2) Leeds (0)

Orient- D.Poole 12,14

Leeds- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient rode the scoring ability of David Poole to another victory as they won out over Leeds 2-0 in a match that was more one-sided than the score would indicate. Leeds keeper Paul Robinson deserves honorable mention for his work in keeping his club in the match after Poole's quick double-strike. Poole's 1st goal came courtesy of an excellent play by Lee Talbot. Talbot moved past two defenders before deftly pushing a pass to Poole as he came open breaking into the area. Poole rifled his shot just inside the near right post past Robinson and Orient was off. Richard Hunt made a good pass moments later to spring Poole again and he chipped the ball past the diving Robinson for his 2nd of the match and 20th goal of the season. From that point on, Robinson became Superman in the Leeds net. He made one-on-one saves on both Poole and Hunt. He made a diving parry of a wicked blast from Talbot. He stopped Danilo Arrieta (on for tiring Hunt) in another one-on-one situation later in the second half. All of that allowed Leeds to have some hope, but their best chances came on a pair of free kicks- they hit the post with one and the other skimmed the bar. Sebastien Frey added another clean sheet to his record as Orient closed out the 2-0 win.

"I think Lee (Talbot) may be one of the finest playmakers we have had here," observed Colley.

"It's funny Dave. I was thinking about David Fox and how we struggled a bit when he left. He was a linchpin when here- but he *never* made the kind of plays we are seeing out of Talbot. I think what you are saying is true."

"Both Richard (Hunt) and David (Poole) caused their backline huge problems today- they could not keep pace with either of them and that opened up a lot of space in the area for us."

[Faramir]

EPL Table- 22 Matches

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Leyton Orient 52 pts (+29)

2- Tottenham 48 pts (+21)

3- Arsenal 42 pts (+11)

4- Southampton 41 pts (+15)

5- Chelsea 40 pts (+11)

</pre>

***

19.1.14

"I can't tell you how flattered I am about the offer, but you should realize that at this point my complete loyalties lie with Leyton Orient," stated Drabek.

He listened intently for a moment and then chuckled, "I figured someone had leaked the word out from your end. It wasn't 20 minutes after your call to me this afternoon that the first rumours popped up on the Internet and just after that on TV. I have avoided making any comments to anyone I have talked too."

"Yes, well good luck to you too Sir Bob," he said smiling at adding the 'Sir'. "All the best to you in your search, I am certain you will find the right one who can work magic there to bring back the glory."

Colley looked questioningly at Drabek.

"Yes, Sir Bobby Charlton. Manchester United wanted me to take over as Manager."

"It would be a good job," smiled Colley.

"True, but it isn't the job I want," grinned Drabek.

[Faramir]

25.1.14

Leyton Orient (2) Manchester United (0) FA Cup 4th round

Orient- R.White 17 D.Arrieta 57

Manchester United- None

MOM- Lee Sims, Leyton Orient

James Hicks chalked up a clean sheet in avenging his previous poor performance against Manchester United and Fabien Barthez looked again like a keeper who has long overstayed his welcome as Orient dumped Manchester United 2-0 to broom them from the FA Cup competition. The first goal for Orient was also the 1st goal that Richard White has scored at Orient. He outleapt John O'Shea and deflected a lofted lofted pass from Davide Vanni past Barthez. Danilo Arrieta added a goal in the second half after subbing on for slightly injured Jason Reynolds to start the second half. Arrieta took a contested pass away from Rio Ferdinand and then made Barthez look silly as he skipped a shot past the sprawled keeper for the last goal in the match. Orient's backline did yeoman work as they kept explosive Cristiano Ronaldo from making much of an mark on the match.

"Steve (Senior) did pretty well in working against Cristiano Ronaldo," stated Colley.

"I was really pleased with how well he played. He made several timely tackles to rob them of good chances," replied Drabek.

"It was also nice to finally see Rich (White) get a goal- he has been working hard."

[Faramir]

29.1.14

Millwall (0) Leyton Orient (1)

Millwall- None

Orient- R.Hunt 56

MOM- Stephen Pearson, Leyton Orient

Millwall paid dearly for the one time that Patrick Ohlsson allowed Richard Hunt to escape his determined marking. Hunt raced down the open left side and then made a laser-guided shot past Nicky Weaver that went in off the inside of the right post. That was all Orient needed, and it was really all the stingy Millwall defense would allow as they supported Weaver with exceptional tackling, especially in their area. Offensively, Millwall had a few chances, but their best was at the end of the first half when Robert Vittek went in free on Sebastien Frey. Frey parried away his shot and kept his clean sheet for the remainder of the match as Orient survived for a closely played 1-0 road win.

"You know, the press was loving giving you flack earlier this season for using Hunt with Poole up front- versus leaving last season's Supporters Player of the Year Jason Reynolds," mentioned Colley.

"Well, I second guessed myself a lot before I made that choice. I just think if we can get Jason fully healthy and put him out on the rightwing- we have a lot more firepower in the lineup," replied Drabek.

"True, but then we lose Danny Byrne's contributions. He has really picked up his play of late."

"Yes, and that is one reason I haven't been rushing into using Jason out there. Also with all of our matches, it has made sense to keep Jason on a rotation that gets him into the lineup up front. That may change as the season moves on, but for now that is what I am leaning toward continuing."

[Faramir]

1.2.14

Leyton Orient (1) Bolton (0)

Orient- M.Morris 11

Bolton- None

MOM- Chris Howarth, Bolton

It was a roller coaster match for the Brisbane Road faithful, but in the end they seemed well satisified as Orient held on for a close 1-0 win over visiting Bolton. Orient had the jump in the early match, but Chris Howarth had two terrific saves against Richard Hunt and David Poole to keep Orient at bay. They were also assisted when Poole scored, but he was ruled offside on the play and the goal was disallowed. Orient struck for the lead when Matthew Etherington picked out Matthew Morris as he moved unmarked up the middle of the pitch. Morris drilled a rising shot past Howarth from just beyond the six yard box to move Orient up 1-0. Howarth kept things from getting worse in the first half with several other good saves. The complexion of the match changed when Lee Sims was redcarded for tackling from behind midway through the half. Bolton poured everything on, but Sebastien Frey earned his clean sheet with another steady match as Orient clung to the 1-0 lead until the final whistle.

"I thought the redcard on Lee (Sims) was a bit harsh," murmured a tired Drabek.

"At least we held on for the win."

[Faramir]

2.2.14

"Ah, that hurts badly," sighed Drabek.

"What's the news on Richard (Hunt)?" asked Colley.

"Five Months- he needs surgery to correct the torn hamstring."

"**** Five Months? That's going to hurt us a lot. He and David (Poole) have been causing the opposition fits."

"It was that or risk it getting worse and losing him longer."

"Well, he will be ready for next season. I suppose that changes our approach on Jason (Reynolds)?"

"Yes, he will have to move up front as soon as he is healthy enough again."

***

8.2.14

Coventry (1) Leyton Orient (1)

Coventry- G.Verheyen 23

Orient- D.Poole 8

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient seemed to be affected by the loss of sniper Richard Hunt, as they were outplayed by the home side Coventry in this match and were forced to battle for a closely contested 1-1 draw. Orient's dynamic tandem of last season- Jason Reynolds and David Poole- seemed to be fine in the early going and it was Reynold's flick-on header that allowed enough room for Poole to take the ball around Russell Howarth and score. Howarth got hot after the goal and made sensational saves on both Poole and Reynolds to keep Orient to one goal. Coventry struck back for their goal when David Cardoso was allowed space on the left and made a timely cross to find Guy Verheyen joining the play late. Verheyen's strong header sailed past Sebastien Frey as he appeared not to see it for the critical instant and it was 1-1. Coventry took heart from the goal and outplayed Orient the rest of the match limiting the visitors to only 5 more shots. Frey was called on to make a difficult parry when Cardoso blasted away from just inside the area. The final whistle found a very tired Orient squad going back home.

"I don't know if it was the loss of Richard (Hunt) so much, or if we just had a bad match. We weren't sharp offensively or defensively," flatly stated Drabek.

"Lee (Talbot) never got going today and that doomed our offense more than any single factor."

[Faramir]

15.2.14

Aston Villa (0) Leyton Orient (1) FA Cup 5th Round

Villa- None

Orient- D.Vanni 83

MOM- Richard Clark, Aston Villa

A taut match wound up with the Villa Park faithful going home bitter after Orient scored a late goal to give them enough to win out 1-0 and move on in FA Cup competition. The lone goal of the match was scored by Davide Vanni, when a brilliant pass from Danny Byrne put him in free. Vanni buried his shot into the net past Luke Daniels and his fist thrust in the air was indicative that he had finally shed his frustrations from earlier in the match. Vanni had missed two excellent chances in the first half and had also been whistled for pushing Daniels on a corner, which nullified an Orient goal early in the second half. Villa tried to rally after the goal and the referee had to be escorted from the pitch afterwards when he waved off a goal by Wayne Rooney on an offside call in second half injury time. Neither club was particularly sharp in the match, but it was a close, entertaining one nevertheless.

[Faramir]

19.2.14

Leyton Orient (4) Aston Villa (1)

Orient- D.Arrieta 4,22,34 J.McEveley 26-OG

Villa- D.Savage 51

MOM- Danilo Arrieta, Leyton Orient

The Villa club that showed up Brisbane Road didn't offer anything resembling the fierce effort they showed in the FA Cup match and they paid dearly as Orient ended the match with a strong 4-goal first half. Danilo Arrieta, celebrating a rare starting opportunity, clearly made his bid for increased playing time in the wake of Richard Hunt's season-ending injury. Arrieta took a good long pass from Lee Sims and wheeled before slipping a shot past a surprised Luke Daniels to give Orient the lead in the opening moments. Things only got worse for Daniels as Arrieta struck again when Daniel Fredheim Holm found him as he ghosted clear in the area and Arrieta had an easy time snapping his shot inside the left post. Daniels' defenders were little help and James McEveley put Orient ahead 3-0 with a badly timed header that sailed past Daniels. Arrieta then capped off his hat-trick when Fredheim Holm again found him bursting clear in the area and his quick shot caught Daniels flat-footed. James Hicks lost his clean sheet early in the second half when David Savage boomed a 30 yard shot past him as he moved out to challenge. Orient settled from there and refused to give the visiting side any more hope of a comeback as they closed out the 4-1 win.

"Maybe we *should* play Danilo (Arrieta) more," commented a grinning Dave Colley.

"Well, he certainly made his bid for playing time. I think we can guarantee he will see some more starting time now," replied a pleased Drabek.

[Faramir]

22.2.14

Manchester City (0) Leyton Orient (1)

Manchester City- None

Orient- J.Reynolds 8

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Manchester City keeper Kasper Schmeichel was determined to quiet the swirling rumours that he wouldn't be trying as hard against the club he would be joining in the summer and he accomplished that. Unfortunately he was let down by his backline as Orient eked out a hard fought 1-0 win behind an early Jason Reynolds goal. Reynolds and David Poole played a beautiful 1-2 passing combination that caught Mikkel Bischoff leaning the wrong way and unable to close down Reynolds before he took the ball around the diving Schmeichel for the lone goal. Orient benefitted from good play in net as James Hicks earned his clean sheet with superb saves against Yakubu and Lee Croft when both seemed certain to score. Orient wasted the majority of their other chances as they weren't able to get their shots on net- but the times they did Schmeichel sparkled and that helped the crowd to try and root the home side back until the final whistle ended their hopes.

[Faramir]

26.2.14

Leyton Orient (4) Inter (0) Champions Cup 2nd Round Leg 1

Orient- S.Malbranque 23 D.Poole 53,70 D.Arrieta 66

Inter- None

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient took advantage of a patient counter-attacking approach in the second half to build on a 1-0 first half lead as they put visiting Inter in dire straits with a 4-0 win at Brisbane Road. The first half featured flowing attacks from both sides, but the only goal was from veteran Steed Malbranque. Malbranque, starting in place of injured Stephen Pearson, relished his 1st goal of the season after knocking him his own rebound after Stipe Pletikosa parried his initial header on a sweeping corner from Lee Talbot. Inter suffered a double injury blow at the end of the first half as both dynamic Vieirinha and Belozoglu Emre went out in the late stages of the half. Seemingly robbed of their creative force, Inter managed little offense in the second half. Orient struck early in the second half to add to their lead. Talbot made a superb play to set-up David Poole for the goal when he reached a loose ball first and chipped it past two defenders to the unmarked Poole. Poole, who had suffered through a horrid first half, showed his lightning quick shot as he snapped it past Pletikosa to make it 2-0. Orient then took advantage of a bad error by Jeremie Brechet as he allowed Poole to get a step on him on a throw-in. Poole then sent a nice cross in and Danilo Arrieta volleyed past Pletikosa to make it 3-0 Orient. Arrieta then returned the favor less than 4 minutes later as he crossed and Poole overpowered Brechet to flick a header past Pletikosa to cap the scoring with his 2nd goal of the match.

"Great effort!" beamed Drabek.

"I thought we were in a bit of trouble after how indifferently we played the first half," stated Dave Colley. "But the boys really put the ball away when we had the chances in the second half."

"I seriously thought about subbing for David (Poole) early in the second half. That first half performance was truly awful, but it turned out very nicely."

"That was also one of the best matches Steed (Malbranque) has ever played for us. He really stepped up in filling in for Stephen (Pearson) today."

[Faramir]

28.2.14

"Ah!" said Drabek in disgust. "These injuries are killing us!"

Colley slumped in his chair, "We certainly didn't need to lose Danilo (Arrieta) now, we are very thin at forward."

"How in heaven's name did he wind up with a broken shoulder- he barely bumped Lee (Sims)?"

"Tony (Chamberlain) thinks it must have been with how awkwardly he fell after they bumped. He thinks the ground caused the major portion of the damage. He thinks it will take a month to heal."

"Let's hope we don't lose any more forwards. We don't have that many more on our entire roster at present."

***

2.3.14

Leyton Orient (2) Arsenal (1)

Orient- D.Poole 49 D.Byrne 76

Arsenal- Adriano 66

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient edged a determined Arsenal side 2-1 behind the strength of second half goals from David Poole and Danny Byrne. The first half was very closely played and neither side could really manage a good scoring chance as both backlines were active in blunting attacks. Neither Chris Kirkland nor Sebastien Frey were heavily called on in the first half, but the tempo and frenetic pace changed in the second half. Orient struck first when Jason Reynolds made a heady play and just pushed a pass ahead for the streaking Poole. Poole drilled a low shot that Kirkland couldn't reach before it slipped inside the far left post. Arsenal rallied to equalize on a rare mistake by Stephen Pearson. Pearson lost the ball and Arsenal started a quick counter-attack from midfield that found Orient vulnerable when Adriano shed coverage and Steve Richardson sent the ball over Andrea Rossi to him. Frey got a hand on Adriano's close-in blast, but the ball trickled past him into the net. The match winner for Orient came when Carl Laurie carried the ball down the left wing. Laurie let loose with a curling cross. Arsenal was closely marking Reynolds and Poole and the ball curled past them- to unmarked Danny Byrne. Byrne's nice first touch allowed him to stop the cross before smashing a shot that skimmed past Kirkland for his 5th goal of the season. Frey was called on to preserve the win in the last few minutes of the match when he made superb saves on both Adriano and Sanli Tuncay as they managed to shake loose unmarked in front of the Orient net. The Brisbane Road fans were more than happy to celebrate the close 2-1 win as the final whistle sounded.

"Another super match by David (Poole)," observed Colley.

"He really seems to step up his play in important matches."

"Our backline stuttered a bit today."

"That was to be expected when we had both Titus (Bramble) and Jan (Evrard) out with injury. Rossi and Chris (Sutton) don't have that much experience in the middle as we have been using both of them mostly as fullbacks."

"Sutton's saving tackle on Adriano was a beauty though. We need to keep that one on highlights to show all our young defenders."

"That was a big 6 point swing today, with Tottenham losing at home to Millwall."

"Likely we will need all of those points at the end, Tottenham has been charging hard."

[Faramir]

8.3.14

Leyton Orient (0) Bradford City (0) FA Cup 6th round

Orient- None

Bradford- None

MOM- Alan Combe, Bradford City

The Brisbane Road faithful were left shaking their heads as a lacklustre performance by Orient will cause a replay in their FA Cup matchup with Bradford City. The visitors clearly were leaning on veteran keeper Alan Combe as their rock, and he came through in fine style with several sensational saves to keep Orient off the board. Bradford managed little offense and never got a shot on goal, but will be very happy with a home rematch against Orient to move on in the FA Cup competition. Orient looked sluggish the entire match and the offense never really seemed in sync. Jason Reynolds did some spectacular solo work up front, but he was about the only bright light in an otherwise dimmed Orient offense.

"We certainly didn't show our true colors today," muttered Drabek.

"It wasn't anything like our performances of late," agreed Colley. "At least we will have a good chance to right things with the replay."

"We do not need to be adding matches to our already long schedule at this time of the year. With all the injury problems, that is doubly true."

[Faramir]

12.3.14

Inter (1) Leyton Orient (1) Champions Cup 2nd Round Leg 2 (Leyton Orient advances on 5-1 aggregate)

Inter- Martins 2

Orient- T.Bramble 75

MOM- Per Morten Kristiansen, Inter

Inter fans were roaring, hoping for a monumental comeback, as the Italian side scored in the opening moments of the match. Instead they were treated to another display of veteran moxie from Orient which didn't panic despite the early goal and kept control of the flow of the match throughout while never really pressing offensively. The Orient passing was crisp and they pushed hard down both flanks, but showed restraint in not forcing plays that they didn't need after holding a 4-0 aggregate lead from the first leg. Inter was forced to bring on reserve keeper Per Morten Kristiansen when Stipe Pletikosa went down with an injury in the last moments of the first half. Kristiansen earned his pay today by keeping Inter in the lead early in the second half with a trio of scintillating saves. Orient finally evened the match when Steed Malbranque, of the Orient contract dilemma, sent a swerving corner in that Titus Bramble deflected past Kristiansen for his 1st goal of the season. Orient was content with the 1-1 scoreline and will move on behind their strong performance.

"It was weird seeing Per Morten (Kristiansen) coming out to play against us- even after all these years," ruefully commented Drabek.

"He had a hand in our past," agreed Colley.

"Make sure you tell the other coaches that I was extremely pleased with the preparation of the club- we handled that match very nicely," said Drabek as he started to leave for the press conference.

[Faramir]

14.3.14

"We drew Juventus for the Champions Cup Quarters," commented Drabek.

"Nothing like facing another Italian club," observed Colley.

"The road to the Cup seems to lead through them."

"Who are the other matchups?"

"Dortmund-Dinamo Kiev, Bayern-PSV, Real Sociedad-Milan."

"Interesting mix of clubs this time."

***

16.3.14

Leyton Orient (3) Preston (1)

Orient- M.Morris 36,72 D.Vanni 69

Preston- N.Warren 18

MOM- Matthew Morris, Leyton Orient

The Orient fans at Brisbane Road were stunned early on when Neil Warren- last month's Young Player of the Month- continued to demonstrate his ability when he flicked a header that Sebastien Frey couldn't handle and slipped through his hands to give the visitors an early lead. Preston kept that lead despite good Orient chances as Jan Schlosser was brilliant. Schlosser made diving parries on both Matthew Morris and Jason Reynolds in the early going and dodged a bullet when Reynold's header slipped through his hands, but trickled wide of the net. Orient equalized midway through the first half when David Poole showed superb vision as he flicked on a long pass and found Morris unmarked in the area. Morris danced around a diving Schlosser before firing the ball into the net. Orient lost the go-ahead goal late in the half when Reynolds was ruled offside as Poole scored. Early in the second half, Poole lost his 2nd goal to an offside call- this time it was his own offside. Schlosser made a couple more dazzling saves, but couldn't stop Davide Vanni pushing home the rebound after Schlosser parried a hard blast from Morris. Morris then capped his best match at Orient as he blasted a rising shot past Schlosser after Poole again alertly picked him out with a pass. The 3-1 win was a testament to relentless Orient offensive pressure.

"I thought Schlosser had our number after the early going," said Colley.

"And I thought the referee and his assistant had it," grinned Drabek.

"Well, they were both obvious offsides- at least it wasn't a close call."

"I was happy to see Davide (Vanni) finally get another goal- he had been struggling to score lately."

[Faramir]

17.3.14

"I was surprised that Steed (Malbranque) finally signed a new contract with us," questioned Colley.

"It took a lot of negotiation. I think he finally realized that we weren't going to give him a contract anywhere around the 45K a week deal he initially got. He finally settled for about half that- 25K a week- for 2 years," answered Drabek.

"I am glad we were able to retain him. He has helped several of our young midfielders quite a lot this season."

"I am also happy he decided to stay- we can use his veteran presence in Europe for sure."

***

19.3.14

Bradford City (1) Leyton Orient (2) FA Cup 6th round replay

Bradford- M.Wilson 62

Orient- L.Sims 28 D.Fredheim Holm 88

MOM- Lee Sims, Leyton Orient

After a litany of missed chances and good saves by Bradford keeper Brian Clark, Orient was finally able to score the winning marker late in thier difficult replay at Valley Parade. Orient had taken the lead in the first half with one of the more bizarre goals seen this season. Lee Sims sent a long pass rocketing down the center of the pitch. Jason Reynolds, Will Haining and keeper Clark all leaped for the ball. Reynolds mistimed his leap, but his jump also threw off Haining and Clark and all three watched as the ball dropped beyond Clark and rolled into the net before Clark's diving leap could grab it. Orient appeared to be going up 2-0 when Reynolds made a brilliant move with the ball around both Simon Francis and Clark- but he missed the wide open net to the right. Less than a minute later, Bradford made that miss agonizing when Marc Wilson deflected a cross from Adam Griffin past James Hicks (who had come on for a slightly injured Sebastien Frey). Orient wasted several good chances after that with poor shooting, but when the match was on the line it was the veterans that stepped up again. Stephen Pearson made an excellent pass that found Daniel Fredheim Holm with space in the area and Fredheim Holm sent a well-placed shot past Clark inside the left post for the late match-winner.

"Who do we have next in FA then?" asked Drabek.

"Ipswich- at Wembley for the Semis."

[Faramir]

22.3.14

Blackburn (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Blackburn- None

Orient- S.Malbranque 1 D.Poole 41-P

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

Orient stung Blackburn in the opening minute of the match and then took advantage of a bad decision to gain the only goals they needed to win 2-0 at Ewood Park. David Poole leaped and flicked a header back out of the area. Steed Malbranque lined the ball and then blasted a scorching drive past Martin Krivanek to quiet the huge home crowd. The match was even for long stretches after that as both Krivanek and James Hicks were called on to make some timely saves. Orient took full advantage when Kieran Richardson knocked over Davide Vanni in the area as Poole stepped up and calmly drilled the penalty kick past Krivanek for his 25th goal of the season. The second half saw a determined defense from the stalwart Orient side as they ably supported Hicks to notch another clean sheet in an important 2-0 road win.

"Well, we are looking good with 8 matches to go," offered a pleased Drabek.

"Don't forget we have a match in hand over Tottenham now as well," stated Dave Colley.

"All the better. It would be nice to get there sooner- than later."

EPL Table 22.3.14

<pre class="ip-ubbcode-code-pre">

1- Leyton Orient (30 played) 74 pts (+40)

2- Tottenham (31) 64 pts (+30)

3- Arsenal (31) 62 pts (+18)

4- Southampton (31) 54 pts (+16)

5- Chelsea (30) 50 pts (+7)

</pre>

[Faramir]

26.3.14

Juventus (1) Leyton Orient (5) Champions Cup Quarterfinals Leg 1

Juventus- M.Pierini 13

Orient- D.Poole 50,55-P,65,71-P,89

MOM- David Poole, Leyton Orient

An amazing second half performance by David Poole leaves Orient in a great position to move on to the Champions Cup Semifinals. Juventus looked really good in the early going as they took the lead when Massimo Pierini deflected a cross from Adrian Mutu past Sebastien Frey in the early stages of the first half. Juventus stymied the Orient attack as their mobile backline was doing a good job of tackling and marking and venerable Gianluigi Buffon snared every shot hit at him. While Orient was in the dressing room, it is rumored that Poole suddenly found his superman suit, because he came out on fire in the second half. Steed Malbranque, on at half for ineffective Lee Talbot, whipped a through ball that put Poole in free and he caught Buffon leaning the wrong way as he fired a shot past him to equalize. Orient took the lead when Luigi D'Angelo was forced to take down Poole in the area after another good pass from Malbranque. Poole stepped up and sent Buffon the wrong way on the penalty for his 2nd goal of the match. In no time at all, Poole finished the hat-trick when he ran onto a long goal kick from Frey and struck a curving shot past Buffon just inside the right post. Juventus yielded another penalty when Danny Byrne was tripped in the area by Matteo Brighi and Poole snapped home the penalty for his 4th goal of the match. It became a 5-spot for Poole when he scored again off a good pass from Daniel Fredheim Holm for his 30th goal of the season late in the half. Poole almost had 6, but Buffon got just enough of a hand on the ball to send it trickling past the far post in injury time. The commanding 5-1 win might well assure Orient a place in the Semifinals.

"Poole at his best," said Colley admiringly.

"He really turned it on in the second half. He is just an amazing shooter around the net- he doesn't miss many good chances."

[Faramir]

2.4.14

Wolves (0) Leyton Orient (2)

Wolves- None

Orient- J.Reynolds 18,45

MOM- Jason Reynolds, Leyton Orient

Wolves Daniel Carr was out to make a statement against his old club and did so in the early going with a couple fantastic saves, but Orient managed two highlight reel goals from Jason Reynolds as they rolled over Wolves 2-0 at Molineux. Carr parried away a wicked blast from David Poole in the opening moments of the match and then tipped a header from Matthew Morris over the bar. He wasn't so fortunate when Orient worked a neat passing sequence that saw Matthew Etherington loft a pass in and Reynolds deflected it in past Carr off the bottom of the crossbar. The Wolves added to their own problems when James Griffin let his temper get the best of him and the referee awarded him a pair of quick yellow cards midway through the first half. Reynolds 2nd goal of the match was also due to a good pass from Etherington, but he spun around a tackle attempt by Michael Ball before beating Carr with a shot of the inside of the near right post. With the 2-goal cushion and a man advantage, Orient was content to grind out the second half exercising ball control. Carr came up with two more saves to keep the margin from being worse, but Orient was happy to close out another 2-0 clean sheet for James Hicks.

"Jason (Reynolds) was fantastic today," bubbled Colley.

"He has that spark of excitement in his play," agreed Drabek.

"That second goal was one of the best I have seen this year- to be able to spin past a defender and then fire a shot off the inside of the near post..."