Declan McCarthy looks ahead to the O’s upcoming London derby this weekend.
Setting the Scene
Leyton Orient will be looking to bounce back from defeat against Barnet last weekend when bottom of the league Dagenham & Redbridge visit the Matchroom Stadium this Saturday.
The defeat against Barnet leaves playoff hopefuls Orient without a win in their last four games, which ultimately resulted in player-manager Kevin Nolan being relieved of his managerial duties this week despite the result the O’s only being two points off the top seven.
Three points against relegation-threatened Dagenham & Redbridge would go some way to improving those chances of a playoff finish, as John Still’s side head to the Matchroom Stadium at the bottom of League Two.
In his third spell with the club, Still has only seen three wins in 17 league matches since returning to Dagenham & Redbridge in January.
Orient’s fellow east Londoners are currently 11 points adrift of safety with just 15 left to play for this season, and they could be relegated as early as Saturday if they lose and Stevenage beat Newport County this weekend.
The last time the two teams met was back in August, with goals from Paul McCallum, Dean Cox and a Lloyd James penalty being enough for Orient to take all three points despite Dagenham grabbing a late goal through Jamie Cureton.
Team News
Leyton Orient are likely to be without midfielder Jobi McAnuff who missed the defeat at Barnet due to a calf injury.
Captain Mathieu Baudry could return to the starting XI for the fist time since March, while first-year scholar Josh Koroma may be involved in the matchday squad once again having made his professional debut last Saturday.
For the Daggers, goalkeeper Liam O’Brien looks set to miss the rest of the season with a broken toe so Mark Cousins will carry on in his place.
Frankie Raymond and Matt Richards are edging closer to a return but are not quite ready yet.
The Key Men
With 23 league goals for Orient this year the former Arsenal striker Jay Simpson is one to watch. Despite the outstanding scoring record and being the leading goalscorer in League Two, the striker has failed to score in his last seven games.
If Simpson is not scoring then his speed, experience and dynamic play is something else he can bring to the table and is a crucial part to Leyton Orient’s success this year.
At the grand old age of 40, Jamie Cureton is the Daggers’ top scorer this season with six league goals.
The experienced forward has a keen eye for goal, and has shown that year-on-year with the striker set to carry on for a 20th season.
Despite failing to find the net in the last two matches Cureton scored in the Daggers’ last victory which came against Morecambe on April 5.
Stat Attack – Head to Head
Orient haven’t lost a game this year after leading at the half-time interval, though nor have they won after going into the break behind.
Judging from the last 20 competitive League Two matches, Dagenham & Redbridge are second from bottom in the form table, with only Stevenage below them.
In the last three league meetings between the teams there has been more than one goal per game.
Last 6 Results
| Leyton Orient | Dagenham & Redbridge
|
| Barnet 3-0 Leyton Orient | Luton Vs Dagenham & Redbridge |
| York 1-1 Leyton Orient | Dagenham & Redbridge 1-4 Portsmouth |
| Leyton Orient 0-2 Hartlepool | Dagenham & Redbridge 2-1 Morecambe |
| Accrington 1-0 Leyton Orient | Dagenham & Redbridge 0-1 Accrington |
| Leyton Orient 1-0 Morecambe | Oxford UTD 4-0 Dagenham & Redbridge |
| Oxford United 0-1 Leyton Orient | Hartlepool 3-1 Dagenham & Redbridge |
Previous league meetings
15.08.16 – League Two – Dagenham & Redbridge 1-3 Leyton Orient
22.03.11 – League One – Leyton Orient 1-1 Dagenham & Redbridge
4.9.10 – League One – Dagenham & Redbridge 2-0 Leyton Orient
Betting Odds – (Sky Bet Odds correct at the time of preview)
Leyton Orient are looking for their first win in five games and are backed at 2/5 while a draw is 100/30 and a Daggers win is 15/2.
With the history between both these sides scoring in the last two league fixtures you can bet on both teams to score at evens.
You can get odds of 5/1 for a correct score of a 2-0 Orient win.
Did you know?
The last time the Daggers beat Orient at Brisbane Road was back in 2007 in the Johnstone Paint Trophy, though Dagenham & Redbridge have never beaten Orient away from home in the league.
Orient have not lost in the previous four matches that top scorer Simpson has scored. You have to go back as far as Bristol Rovers away on December 28 when the O’s last lost with Simpson getting on the scoresheet.
Follow the action
Tickets are still available for the London tie.
Follow coverage of the game on the official Leyton Orient and Daggers Twitter pages (@Leytonorientfc & @Dag_RedFC)
If you are looking for audio coverage, you can listen to commentary from BBC London’s Dave Victor on Orient PlayerHD.