Justin Edinburgh’s side have enjoyed a brilliant start to the National League season securing 29 points and sit just the one point behind leaders Salford City. The East Londoners will be looking to bounce back following their first defeat of the season where Jonah Ayunga’s strike was enough to see the O’s edged out by Sutton.
Before the defeat, Orient were on a 13-game unbeaten run and played some wonderful football. The O’s have looked extremely comfortable away from home, beating Braintree Town 5-1 and Harrogate Town 3-0 in recent fixtures.
Sam Ling and James Brophy both returned to the bench against Sutton following injuries. However, former Wolverhampton Wanderers defender George Elokobi may not make the squad as he recovers from a hamstring injury picked up against Ebbsfleet United in early August.
The Opposition:
Maidenhead have struggled for consistency with their last six fixtures seeing them alternate between losing and winning. Last time out, league leaders Salford City made short work of the tie beating The Magpies 3-0.
Alan Devonshire’s side have looked more comfortable at York Road with 10 of their 17 points secured at home. Their loss to Salford City was the first time in five games they had been beaten in front of a home crowd.
Skipper Alan Massey missed the defeat last weekend through injury, though the home side were boosted by the return of attacking midfielder Adrian Clifton and striker Josh Kelly.
Ones to Watch:
Macauley Bonne just can’t stop scoring and has picked up right where he left off last season. The Zimbabwean is the league’s top goal scorer having found the net nine times already this season. The forward bagged a hat-trick in the 5-1 thrashing of Braintree Town and will be looking to add to his tally.
James Brophy returned from injury last weekend, coming on after 65 minutes. The 24-year old winger has two goals this season and really made a difference in Orient’s second-half performance against the U’s. Though he may not start the game, Edinburgh will know he is capable of making an impact off the bench.
Maidenhead United’s men to watch are the two players back from injury. Josh Kelly has five goals already this season whilst Adrian Clifton has four. The pair returning will be a huge boost for The Magpies and with a home crowd cheering them on, Orient’s defence will have to be in fine form to keep both players quiet.
Previous Six Results:
| Leyton Orient 0-1 Sutton United | Maidenhead 0-3 Salford City |
| Braintree Town 1-5 Leyton Orient | Chesterfield 1-3 Maidenhead |
| Harrogate Town 0-3 Leyton Orient | Barrow 2-0 Maidenhead |
| Leyton Orient 3-1 Barnet | Maidenhead 3-0 Halifax |
| Halifax 1-1 Leyton Orient | Barnet 1-0 Maidenhead |
| Leyton Orient 3-0 Solihull Moors | Maidenhead 2-0 Eastleigh |
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Leyton Orient: 2ND | 14 | 8 | 5 | 1 | 17 | 29 |
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Maidenhead United: 16th | 14 | 5 | 2 | 7 | -2 | 17 |
Stats and Facts
- Bonne has played 1,167 minutes of football averaging a goal every 130 minutes.
- Orient have failed to score in a game only once this season, last time out against Sutton.
- Maidenhead have kept two clean sheets in their last five home games.
Last Meeting
These teams last met on the 24th April in E10. An early goal from Ryan Upward ensured Maidenhead won the game 1-0. With only one match of the season remaining after this fixture the victory ensured The Magpies finished 12th, one place above the O’s in 13th.
Did you know?
Maidenhead defender Ayo Obileye began his career in Leyton Orient’s youth set up. The 24-year old from Homerton was with Orient for two years before being snapped up by Chelsea as a 16-year old schoolboy eight years ago.
When and Where?
Kick-off is at 3pm this Saturday 6th October at York Road, the home of Maidenhead United.