O’s Set for Six-Pointer Battle

Leyton Orient are back in action this weekend as Notts County visit the Matchroom stadium. Isaque Marques reports

Leyton Orient FC
Leyton Orient FC

This Saturday, Leyton Orient will host Notts County in an encounter that could be decisive for the O’s.

A victory will see the East London side move out of the relegation zone, leapfrogging the visitors and, depending on other results, Cheltenham and Accrington can also be left behind, although the latter have two games in hand.

The O’s have the worst home record in the league – picking up one win from their last five games at the Matchroom Stadium

Last Tuesday, Leyton Orient won in spectacular form away at Plymouth.

The O’s were 2-1 down with less than five minutes to play but managed to produce a heroic comeback to win their first game in seven.

Orient, although expected to be battling for the top places in the league, have been struggling to find stability and the winning formula.

The Londoners will now be looking to build on Tuesday’s result and create a string of good results to guarantee the much-wanted safety.

Notts County come into the game looking for their first away win since October 2016. The Magpies are on a terrible run of seven consecutive away defeats in League 2 and have failed to pick up a victory from their last 10 games in all competitions.

Former Orient manager, Kevin Nolan is sure to have a warm welcome from home fans on his return but his team are also in a delicate position and are desperate for precious points.

Team News

Orient’s captain, Liam Kelly won’t be available after being banned for six games for pushing a Plymouth Argyle ball boy.

Paul McCallum could make his return after an injury that kept him out three games.

For Notts County, there are still doubts over Thierry Audel’s fitness. The defender was subbed at half time on Wednesday’s draw to Exeter with a groin issue.

The Key men

Leyton Orient’s main man for this match has got to be Gavin Massey.

The 24-year-old winger has shown great skill with the ball on his feet, and can make good use of his pace to get past defenders.

He can cross the ball with danger and is able to produce efficient plays from cutting inside.

He was one of the players chiefly responsible for Orient’s comeback win against Plymouth, as he scored two of Orient’s three goals.

Notts County will need Jon Stead’s contribution if they want to come away with a positive result from this match.

The striker has scored 11 goals and is an aerial threat in the box.

The 33-year-old is very good at holding up the ball in advanced positions and uses his stature well to benefit his game.

Stat Attack – Head to Head

Orient have only won two out of the last 10 games played at The Matchroom Stadium, with the last home win coming on the Boxing Day fixture against Crawley Town (3-2).

Notts County have struggled away from home, having lost seven consecutive away games. The Magpies conceded 14 goals in the last five away games, to contribute to their poor league position.

Each team took all three points twice in the last four games between the two sides.

The last match between the two outfits finished with a 3-1 win to Notts County.

Previous league meetings:

Last 5 results

24.09.16 – League Two – Notts County 3-1 Leyton Orient

20.02.16 – League Two – Notts County 0-1 Leyton Orient

03.10.15 – League Two – Leyton Orient 3-1 Notts County

10.02.15 – League One – Leyton Orient 0-1 Notts County

16.09.14 – League One – Notts County 1-1 Leyton Orient

Betting Odds – (Sky Bet Odds correct at the time of preview)

Leyton Orient are aiming to earn all three points in what could be a decisive match. Sky Bet offer odds of 17/10 on the O’s to win the game.

Looking at the teams’ current forms it could be wise to bet on Both Teams To Score at 4/6.

You can get odds of 15/8 on Gavin Massey to score anytime.

Did you know?

Only one game between the two sides finished scoreless. The match took place in March 2014, and Notts County hosted Leyton Orient.

The largest winning margin in a game between the two sides was four goals. In September 2013, Leyton Orient hosted Notts County and earned all three points with an emphatic win with the score of 5-1.

Follow the action

Tickets are still available for the match.

Follow coverage of the game on Leyton Orient’s and Notts County’s official Twitter pages ( @Leytonorientfc & @Official_NCFC)

If you are looking for audio coverage, you can listen to commentary from BBC London’s Dave Victor on Orient PlayerHD.

No posts to display