Orient Look to Sail Past Dover

Leyton Orient will be looking to keep their Wembley dream alive when they travel to face Dover Athletic in the FA Trophy Third Round this Saturday.

The O’s trip to The Crabble will be their third consecutive away tie in the competition, having seen off Haringey Borough and Bognor Regis Town in the previous rounds.

Orient came from behind to see off Haringey Borough in the first round. The hosts went ahead inside five minutes thanks to Michael Ademiluyi’s strike, before second half goals from Josh Coulson and Matt Harrold sent the O’s into the next round.

In the second round Orient were drawn against National League South outfit Bognor Regis Town. Macauley Bonne’s header put the O’s in front before Jimmy Muitt scored late on for the hosts to force extra-time. On 105 minutes, Orient snatched the winner when Josh Koroma’s long-range strike booked the O’s a place in the Third Round.

Head Coach Justin Edinburgh has experienced an FA Trophy final earlier in his managerial career, taking Newport County to Wembley where they fell to a 2-0 defeat against York City in May 2012.

The Opposition

For Dover, they will be playing their third consecutive home match in the FA Trophy after seeing off National League South Eastbourne Borough in the First Round, before edging out Evo-Stik Premier Division outfit Marine in the Second Round.

Second-half goals from Mitch Pinnock, Ryan Bird, and James Alabi helped Chris Kinnear’s men overcome Eastbourne, before they scraped past Marine 4-3 in a seven-goal thriller a fortnight ago.

It’ll be an interesting encounter between two teams at opposite ends of the National League table. Both Dover and Orient come into the match on the back of league victories against Guiseley and Halifax Town respectively, and will be keen to continue this form with progression in the cup.

Ones to Watch

For Orient, 19-year-old forward Josh Koroma scored the winner against Bognor Regis in the previous round. He also scored the decisive goal in the O’s 2-1 win over Halifax in the National League on Tuesday night. With this good form in mind, Koroma will be pushing for a spot in the starting eleven this weekend.

As for Dover, striker Ryan Bird has scored in both his sides FA Trophy games so far and is the club’s top goalscorer in the league with 12 this season. At 6ft 4in tall, Bird will possess strength and good aerial ability that could cause Orient problems on the day.

Previous Results

Stats and Facts

Orient have scored four goals in the FA Trophy so far, with four different goal scorers (Josh Coulson, Matt Harrold, Macauley Bonne, and Josh Koroma)

The O’s have scored two goals in each of their last three matches, having gone three games without a goal from 30th December to 6th January.

Dover are without a clean sheet in league or cup since 30th December, a run that stretches to five games.

However, the Kent side have scored 12 goals in that time but conceded ten in the process.

Last Meeting

Orient welcomed then league leaders Dover to Brisbane Road in the Vanarama National League on 18th November, playing out a 1-1 draw on a cold and rainy afternoon in E10.

Nortei Nortey’s low strike put the Kent club ahead after 23 minutes. However, Orient were a different side in the second half and snatched an equaliser when Craig Clay curled the ball home on 78 minutes to earn the O’s a well-deserved point.

Did you know?

This will be only the second meeting between Leyton Orient and Dover Athletic, with Orient returning to the port town on 3rd March in the National League.

Where and When?

The match will take place at The Crabble Athletic Ground, the home of Dover Athletic, 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 via both clubs’ Twitter accounts (@leytonorientfc and @DAFCLiveText)

Also, match reports will be available on both clubs’ official websites after the game.