Leyton Orient vs Crewe Alexandra
Leyton Orient take on Crewe Alexandra this Saturday afternoon for a place in the second round of the FA Cup ‘the oldest national football competition in the world’.
Leyton Orient
Richie Wellens’ team will be aiming to translate their impressive league form into a good cup run as they currently sit top of League Two, three points above second placed Stevenage with a game in hand.
The O’s earned a narrow victory over Salford City last weekend although the result didn’t quite reflect Orient’s near-total superiority in the game. Paul Smyth’s wonderful solo goal was the difference between the two sides at Brisbane Road.
Last season Orient progressed as far as the third round of the FA Cup last season, beating the Ebbsfleet United and Tranmere Rovers before they were knocked out by Championship side Stoke City.
Crewe Alexandra
The Railwaymen sit 16th in League Two, seven points clear of the relegation zone. Alex Morris’ team won’t be looking forward to their trip to East London to play the league leaders given that Crewe are currently on an eight-match winless run in all competitions.
The FA Cup is the last remaining cup competition available to the Railwaymen. Crewe were eliminated from the EFL Cup in the first round after suffering a 4-0 defeat away at Grimsby Town back in August. Alex Morris’ team are also unable to qualify from their group in the EFL trophy with one game left to play having lost both of their previous matches.
Crewe will be hoping to better their performance in this competition than they managed last season when they were knocked out in the first round by Swindon Town.
Player To Watch – Courtney Baker-Richardson
Orient will have to keep a close eye on Crewe’s forward Courtney Baker-Richardson. The striker has scored seven goals in his 15 league games this season.
Baker-Richardson may have even better goalscoring record if he hadn’t picked up a bizarre injury that ruled him out of the team’s 0-0 draw with Carlisle in October. The Crewe forward suffered the injury while playing on his Xbox.
Crewe manager Alex Morris disclosed the nature of Baker-Richardson’s injury during an interview with the South Wales Argus. He said, “He did it playing on his Xbox. Dropped his leg on the sofa and tweaked it. It’s an area of his body where he’s had issues before. There’s nothing we can do about it, but he’s having treatment and hopefully it settles down.”
