E10 Braced For Title Battle

Leyton Orient sit five points ahead of Salford with the opportunity to go eight points clear of their title rivals if they are victorious.

Justin Edinburgh’s side come into the game on the back of a New Year’s Day win against Dagenham & Redbridge, with Macauley Bonne’s header giving the O’s all three points.

New signing Jordan Maguire-Drew will look to feature after joining the club from Brighton, though an appearance this Saturday would be subject to clearance having previously been with Wrexham.

Captain Jobi McAnuff returned for the home tie against the Daggers in midweek. Fellow midfielder Craig Clay should re-join the squad this Saturday following a spell on the sideline with a dead leg, but Justin Edinburgh has no other injury concerns.

Double Trouble

Salford beat Wrexham 2-0 at the Peninsula Stadium, ending a run of four defeats. Goals from Matt Green and Rory Gaffney handed The Ammies a much needed victory after a torrid festive period.

Graham Alexander’s side signed Matt Green from Lincoln City before Christmas, with the forward already finding the net twice for his new club.

However, Salford will be without Gus Mafuta who is suspended after picking up a straight red card during the 3-2 defeat to Barrow on December 29^th.

Form Book

Bonne vs Rooney

Two of the league’s hottest strikers will grace the field this Saturday in what has the potential to be a goal fest.

Orient’s Macauley Bonne leads the goal scoring charts with 18, a tally matched only by AFC Fylde’s Danny Rowe. Salford’s summer signing Adam Rooney sits just one behind with 17 league goals this campaign.

Bonne’s spectacular form in front of goal has seen numerous Football League clubs rumoured to be sniffing around. Clubs of all levels are said to have looked at Bonne who has been dubbed the new ‘Jamie Vardy.’

Adam Rooney shocked the football world when he moved from Aberdeen to Salford in the summer. The 30-year-old Irishman struggled early in his career to find his feet at numerous clubs, though enjoyed a fine four years at The Dons before making the move to the National League.

Stat Attack

• Orient have kept 13 clean sheets in 28 games, with the O’s keeping a clean sheet in 46% of their league games this season.
• With 18 league goals, Macauley Bonne’s biggest drought this season saw the Zimbabwean go two consecutive games without scoring.

Late Drama

Craig Clay’s 88^th minute deflected strike rescued a point for the O’s at Salford on the opening day of the 2018-19 National League season.

This came after Rory Gaffney had put The Ammies ahead with a debut goal for the club at the Peninsula Stadium.

The sides now find themselves at loggerheads in the title race along with Wrexham, and a win would be massive for both teams.

Player Profile

Justin Edinburgh has completed his first signing of the January transfer window with winger Jordan Maguire-Drew joining the club on a two-and-a-half year deal.

The 21-year-old youngster, formerly of Brighton, will join the squad immediately and embarks on his first permanent move following various loan spells, including a successful stint at Dagenham & Redbridge.

Maguire-Drew takes the number 10 shirt for his new club and will hope to be involved this Saturday.

When and Where?

The game will be played this Saturday 5th January at The Breyer Group Stadium with kick-off scheduled for 15:00.

Tickets are almost sold out for this fixture, however if you do make the trip to The Breyer Group Stadium, simply head to Stratford station and take one stop Eastbound on the Central line to Leyton station.

The stadium is no more than a 10-minute walk from the station and is signposted around the area. Alternatively, you can enter E10 5NF into your phone and follow the directions.