Leyton Orient sit top of the National League following an impressive 3-1 win at home to Bromley. Goals from Jobi McAnuff, Josh Koroma and Macauley Bonne saw the O’s come from behind to take an important three points.
Marvin Ekpiteta suffered a dead leg during that game and was forced to come off in the first-half. The centre-back should be fit to play but his replacement last Saturday, Dan Happe, may have given Justin Edinburgh a selection head ache. The O’s boss was full of praise for the young defender:
“He hasn’t played for a long while, he came in and he was immense, fitting in seamlessly. It was a top performance.”
Midfielder Charlie Lee remains on the side-line after picking up a minor Medical Collateral Ligament (MCL) injury against AFC Fylde.
Sam Ling joins him as he recovers from an ankle injury, while Alex Lawless had minor surgery on his nose last week though is expected to be available for selection.
Tough Trip
Wrexham fell to third in the National League dropping two points away to Maidstone United in their most recent outing. The Welsh side are yet to lose on home soil as young manager Sam Ricketts looks to guide The Dragons to promotion.
Last time out, they salvaged a point away to Maidstone as Brad Walkers goal cancelled out Simon Walton’s opener for the hosts.
Centre-back Manny Smith has returned to full-training after recovering from a knee injury picked up against Solihull Moors in late August. However, Ricketts is unlikely to rush the 30 year-old back into match-action.
Doug Tharme is the only player to miss out, while Rekeil Pyke looks set to recover from a knock picked up at the weekend.
Star Men
Orient’s player of the month for October, Craig Clay, has been in fine form for the O’s. The 26 year-old played every minute of Orient’s league fixtures last month whilst picking up a Man of the Match award against Havant & Waterlooville.
The former Motherwell midfielder is yet to score in the National League and will be looking to put an end to his goal-scoring drought.
Wrexham’s Rekeil Pyke has bagged five league goals so far this season for The Dragons. The 21 year-old forward is on loan from Premier League side Huddersfield Town. Pyke, currently at Wrexham for his second loan spell, will be determined to impress his parent club.
Form Book
| Leyton Orient 3-1 Bromley | Maidstone 1-1 Wrexham |
| Fylde 1-3 Leyton Orient | Weston-Super-Mare 0-2 Wrexham (FA Cup) |
| Eastleigh 1-1 Leyton Orient | Wrexham 3-1 Gateshead |
| Leyton Orient 4-0 Havant & W | Wrexham 1-0 Hartlepool |
| Maidstone 2-0 Leyton Orient (FA Cup) | Chesterfield 1-1 Wrexham |
| Leyton Orient 0-0 Hartlepool | Wrexham 2-0 Harrogate Town |
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Leyton Orient: 1st | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 28 | 43 |
| Team | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS |
| Wrexham: 3rd | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 16 | 42 |
Stat Attack
- Wrexham have the best defence in the league conceding only 12 goals so far this season, while Leyton Orient have the best attack in the league scoring 41 goals.
- Dean Brill has played every single minute of Justin Edinburgh’s 50 games in charge at Leyton Orient.
Last Meeting
The previous encounter between these two sides saw Leyton Orient take all three points. Macauley Bonne’s 29th minute header was enough to secure the win at The Breyer Group Stadium on 21st April.
For the reverse fixture on 28th October 2017, both teams took a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw. Bonne grabbed the O’s first goal before Mark Ellis bagged a late equaliser.
When and Where?
The game will take place this Saturday 24th November at the Racecourse Ground, the home of Wrexham in north-west Wales, with kick-off at 15:00.
