Daniel Fitzgerald is a lifelong Leyton Orient fan and has been a season ticket holder for over 20 years. During this time, he has experienced the highs of promotion to League One and endured the lows of relegation to the National League as well as Leyton’s financial strife.
I sat down with Daniel to talk about a wide range of subjects, from his early memories of going to Brisbane Road with his father to the club’s current success under the management of Richie Wellens.
To listen to an extended version of this interview please click on link here
So why are you an Orient fan?
“My Dad is an Orient fan, so it just made sense. He started taking me and I just followed in the footsteps of my father really.”
What’s your earliest memory of watching The Orient?
“My lasting memory is the 1988/89 play-off final against Wrexham. That season still sits in my mind because that was just phenomenal for us. The team that we had then, players like Paul Hill, Lee Harvey, Dickinson. We had some really good guys.”
Do you think the presence of other London clubs playing in the Premier League such as West Ham, Arsenal and Spurs makes it harder for Orient to attract fans?
“I don’t see it as a massive issue. A lot of people can’t get into Premier League clubs nowadays so a West Ham fan or a Tottenham fan might take their kids down the Orient to watch accessible football. Years ago, you used to see a lot of different football shirts down there and there’d never be a problem with that – it was people who couldn’t get to [Premier League] games. Whereas with the Orient you are guaranteed to be able to get to a game and it’s good to see the kids down there. It’s just whether they stick it out as Orient fans in the end or they move on!”
Have you successfully indoctrinated your children into supporting Leyton Orient?
“I’m trying desperately! They’re still quite young – my oldest has just turned seven. He’s been on a couple of occasions. He would go a bit more but when the weather turns like it has now it’s much harder to get them to sit there and be interested for the 90 minutes when it’s cold. But in the summertime, he’s enjoyed it so far. If people, ask him he always says Leyton Orient, but we also live in a household with West Ham season ticket holders so they’re in one ear and I’m in the other. There’s not much support on my side, it’s just me and my dad against an army of West Ham but hopefully he’ll stick with Leyton Orient.”
What’s been the biggest change at the club since you started going?
“There’s not been huge changes. I suppose the investment was one. When Barry Hearn came into the club, I thought he ran it very well, but it got to the stage where there wasn’t enough [money] for him to be able to put into the club and of course we took the backward step with the Italians (Francesco Becchetti) which I don’t think anyone could see coming. Now with Nigel Travis we’ve stabilised and there’s definitely a better platform for us now.
This season is going well?
“Yeah, very well – I don’t want to jinx it! There have been some phenomenal performances and long may that continue. I think we deserve that a little bit. I think we are a big enough club that if we do go up a league we can attract a few more players.
Richie Wellens seems the right man for the job?
“He’s doing a very good job. Wellens is doing the right things at the moment. We’ve also attracted some good players who have dropped down from higher leagues and have fitted in well. We’ve got a nice mix down there at the minute”.
