Leyton Orient will be looking to move one step closer to Wembley when they welcome Gateshead to Brisbane Road in the FA Trophy Quarter-Finals on Saturday.
This will be the O’s first home tie of the competition after three consecutive away matches against Haringey Borough, Bognor Regis Town and Dover Athletic.
Justin Edinburgh’s side narrowly defeated Haringey and Bognor Regis 2-1 respectively, before beating Dover 4-3 thanks to David Mooney’s stoppage time winner in a thrilling encounter.
After taking Newport County to the FA Trophy final in 2012, falling on the wrong side of a 2-0 defeat to York City, Edinburgh will be eager to reward the Orient faithful with some silverware come May.
This week, Orient were pleased to announce that goalkeeper Dean Brill and midfielder Jobi McAnuff have signed contract extensions. Brill, 32, put pen to paper on a two-year deal while McAnuff, 36, has extended his stay in E10 until the end of next season. On the pitch, the O’s secured back-to-back away league victories beating AFC Fylde and Chester by a single goal which lifted them to 15th place.
The Visitors:
Gateshead make the five hour trip to E10 just two places and two points above Orient in the league. Steve Watson’s side will be looking for a confidence boost after winning just once in their previous four league games, so a place in the FA Trophy semi-finals would provide just that.
The Heed have played five games in the FA Trophy after going to a replay in the previous two rounds. After winning 2-1 against Guiseley, they drew 3-3 against Boreham Wood before winning the replay 2-1. In the previous round, they were held to a 2-2 draw at Maidstone United before comfortably winning 3-0 in the replay three days later.
In their previous outing, Gateshead took a share of the spoils in a 1-1 draw with Barrow on Tuesday night. Jordan Preston’s 80th minute equaliser snatched a point which saw the Tynesiders move up to 13th place in the National League.
Ones to Watch:
For Orient, new signing Sam Ling will be hoping to play a part after joining from Dagenham and Redbridge on February 7th. The 21-year old defender penned a two-and-a-half year deal in E10, returning to the club where he captained the Youth Team earlier in his career. Ling bolsters Orient’s defensive options and having been on the bench for Tuesday’s win at Chester, will be pushing for a start in the cup this weekend.
For Gateshead, forward Richard Peniket has scored three goals in the FA Trophy this season against Guiseley and Maidstone United respectively. He will be keen to add to this tally and help his side to the last four of the competition.
Previous Six Results:
| Chester 0-1 Leyton Orient | Barrow 1-1 Gateshead |
| AFC Fylde 0-1 Orient | Boreham Wood 2-1 Gateshead |
| Orient 1-1 Tranmere Rovers | Guiseley 0-1 Gateshead |
| Dover Athletic 3-4 Orient (FA Trophy) | Gateshead 1-2 AFC Fylde |
| FC Halifax Town 1-2 Orient | Gateshead 3-0 Maidstone United (FA Trophy) |
| Orient 2-3 Aldershot Town | Maidstone United 2-2 Gateshead (FA Trophy) |
Stats and Facts:
During their FA Trophy campaign, Orient have scored eight goals and netted two or more in each of their three matches.
However, the O’s have failed to keep a clean sheet in the FA Trophy so far.
Justin Edinburgh’s side have scored the first goal in two of their three FA Trophy matches (Bognor Regis and Dover Athletic).
Gateshead have scored 12 goals in the FA Trophy this season, netting two or more in each of their five matches.
They have kept just one clean sheet in five FA Trophy games, the 3-0 win at home to Maidstone United, and conceded seven across their other four ties.
Steve Watson’s men have played two more games than Orient in the FA Trophy, having been forced to replays in the previous two rounds.
Last Meeting:
Orient welcomed Gateshead to Brisbane Road for a National League clash under the lights on Tuesday October 24th, with the visitors emerging 2-0 victors on the night. A goal in each half from striker Jordan Burrow ensured the Heed took all three points back to Tyneside and extended Orient’s winless run to nine league matches.
Did you know?
Should the match end in a draw, it will require a replay in Tyneside to determine who progresses to the semi-final stage.
When and Where?
The match will take place this Saturday 24th February at Brisbane Road, the home of Leyton Orient, with kick-off at 3pm.
Missing the Match?
Don’t worry if you cannot make the match this weekend. If you are on social media, you can follow live updates of the action on both clubs’ Twitter accounts (@leytonorientfc and @GatesheadFC) while match reports will be available on both teams’ official websites after the final whistle.
Also, for Orient fans outside the UK the match will be available via live stream in an exciting new commercial venture for the club. Further information about this stream can be found on Orient’s official website.
