The East Stand at Brisbane Road. Away supporters now get a block at the southern end. Photo © 2003-06 Ciderspace

Leyton Orient is one of the country's older-established clubs, being founded in 1881 and rejoicing in the name 'Glyn Cricket & Football Club'. This proved an unpopular choice however and by 1886 Glyn C & FC had become Eagle FC, the cricket connection being dropped altogether. The members evidently didn't like being called Eagle anymore than they did Glyn and two years later they changed the club's name again, this time to the more familiar Orient FC - apparently at the suggestion of a player who also worked for the Orient Shipping Line. They remained as just plain Orient for 11 years but then added Clapton to become Clapton Orient in 1898, in an effort to prove themselves posher than they really were, or something. Clapton Orient plied their trade until 1946 when the ever-dissatisfied members changed the name again, this time to Leyton Orient. And they settled on that ever since, yes? Er, no - in 1966 the 'Leyton' part was dropped and once again they became just plain Orient FC. At least they did until 1987, when for reasons known only to themselves the Leyton prefix returned, where it remains to this day. Until the next time they change......

The club's achievements have been generally modest over the years. In 1905-06 Clapton Orient appeared in the Football League for the first time and finished bottom of Division Two (there were only two divisions). It wasn't until 1910-11 that they achieved a top half finish. They continued mid-table until the mid-Twenties when they escaped relegation by the skin of their teeth three years in a row, finally going down to Division Three (South) on the fourth occasion in 1928-29. There they struggled in the lower reaches year after year too. It took them until 1953-54 before they managed a top half finish - eleventh. It was the start of a good period. They were runners-up in 1954-55 and the following season took the Championship. These were the Alec Stock years. Once into Division Two they again returned to their norm as a lower mid-table side until 1961-62 when, almost completely out of the blue, they finished runners-up to Liverpool. They were into Division One, and although they finished bottom and were immediately relegated they can still say they got there.

In 1965-66 three years of struggling in Division Two ended with them finishing bottom and they were down another level. Once again lower mid-table until a sudden Championship under Jimmy Bloomfield. This time they stayed until 1981-82, with only one top-half finish in that time, when they finished last and were relegated. In 1984-85 they went down again, to Divison Four. In 1988-89 they went up through the play-offs, staying there until 1994-95 (by which time it have been renamed Division Two) when relegated in last place. There they have remained, mostly lower mid-table.

In the F.A. Cup the same sort of pattern emerges: years of doing nothing and then a bolt from the blue. In 1977-78 they reached the semi-final of the FA Cup. And not through easy draws. The likes of Norwich, Chelsea, and Middlesborough had to be disposed of before they finally went out to Arsenal.

Financial problems in the 90's led to the PFA paying players wages and for a time there looked to be a real danger of the club slipping into liquidation, before multi-millionaire sports promoter Barry Hearn took over and stabilised the situation. Debt remains a millstone around the club's neck however, though the (partially completed) plan to redevelop the O's ground which includes the building of saleable/rentable property, is supposed to be the escape route. That redevelopment appears to have come to a grinding halt, with the old away end having been out of operation since 2004 and no sign of that empty side being built and ground capacity still reduced.

Mr Hearn is not a man known for his patience and it is perhaps worth noting that current manager Martin Ling, has come close to getting the axe, if certain rather grumpy sounding remarks from Hearn in the press in the past have been anything to go by. However, in order to get the best out of a manager you have to stick with him, and helped by some rather impressive squad rebuilding over the summer of 2007, Ling has surprised rather a lot of bookies (although not Ciderspace) by turning the sort of relegation-threatened form that the bookies predicted into a side that managed to hold a top of the table position during the early part of the 2007-08 season. They probably won't sustain that throughout the whole 46 games, but could easily find themselves in a play-off position come the end of the season and that would be an impressive achievement.

The old West Stand at Brisbane Road And that's the last you'll see of it - demolished. Photo © 2003-06 Ciderspace

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RECENT RESULTS

29/03/2008	Port Vale	Away	CCL1	L	1-2	3252		Boyd 26
05/04/2008	Leeds United	Home	CCL1	L	0-2	7602
12/04/2008	Oldham Athletic	Away	CCL1	L	0-2	4325
19/04/2008	Doncaster Rovers	Home	CCL1	D	1-1	4582		Gray 44
26/04/2008	Swansea City	Away	CCL1	L	1-4	16856		Gray 63
03/05/2008	Bristol Rovers	Home	CCL1	W	3-1	5132		Gray 12, Boyd 81, Ibehre 90

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

CLUB GOALSCORERS

Name	LGE	FAC	FAT	LGC	CC	Total
Adam Boyd	14	0	0	0	0	14
Wayne Gray	8	0	0	0	0	8
Jabo Ibehre	7	0	0	0	0	7
Sean Thornton	3	0	0	0	0	3
John Melligan	3	0	0	0	0	3
Jason Demetriou	3	0	0	0	0	3
Tamika Mkandawire	3	0	0	0	0	3
Adam Chambers	2	0	0	0	0	2
Charlie Daniels	2	0	0	0	0	2
Andy Barcham	1	0	0	0	0	1
Stephen Purches	1	0	0	0	0	1
Brian Saah	1	0	0	0	0	1
Luke Chambers	1	0	0	0	0	1

ATTENDANCE STATISTICS

Highest League Attendance: 7602, vs Leeds United, 05/04/2008
Lowest League Attendance: 3082, vs Swindon Town, 11/03/2008
Average League Attendance: 5210

CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS

Games Without A Win:	0		Games Without A Home Win:	0
Games Without An Away Win:	4		Games Without Defeat:	1
Games Without A Home Defeat:	2		Games Without An Away Defeat:	0
Games Without A Draw:	2		Games Without A Score Draw:	2
Games Without A No-Score Draw:	17		Games Without Scoring:	0
Games Without Conceding:	0		Home Results Sequence:	LWLLDW
Away Results Sequence:	DWLLLL		Overall Results Sequence:	LLLDLW

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The North Terrace at Brisbane Road. Used to be the venue for away supporters, but demolished. The new North Stand is supposedly 'in progress'. Photo © 2003-06 Ciderspace

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The South Stand at Brisbane Road - one of the new facilities at the ground. Photo © 2003-06 Ciderspace

General Leyton is east London.

By Road

Approaching London you will at some point hit the M25. Use this to get to the M11 (unless you're coming from Cambridge, in which case you'll already be on it) take the southbound carriageway for about 6 miles and take the right fork signposted for the North Circular.

At the bottom of the flyover where the roads merge, move into the left-hand lane and turn left at the roundabout on to the A104. After about 1 mile at the next roundabout take the right exit - still the A104 (a landmark here is the quaintly-decorated Lamb's Cafe). Half a mile further on, turn left into Leyton Green Road (signposted to Leyton and Stratford), and left again into a short slip-road past the bus garage entrance and left into Leyton High Road - you'll see the Leyton Leisure Lagoon opposite as you wait to make the turn. Continue until you spot the floodlights.

Alternatively: At the fork in the M11, take the left lane, which takes you to the large roundabout at Redbridge Tube Station - here you turn right on to the A12. Ignore the first exit which is actually signposted to Leyton, but take the next exit (signposted Stratford). At the top of the ramp, turn right, then right again at the lights. After a quarter mile, turn left by the garage into Oliver Road. The stadium is now about 50 yards on.

Parking

There's no parking at the stadium for riff-raff such as us - officials and invited guests only. It's street parking for the rest. Be aware that there are matchday parking restrictions in the area and local wardens specifically patrol the ground area for illegally parked cars. If you like collecting tickets, or even worse car clamps or collecting your car from the local pound, then just try your luck with them for the afternoon and you'll find out just how busy the local wardens can be.

By Rail

Nearest tube station is Leyton on the Central Line, 5 mins walk from Brisbane Road. Turn right outside the station and follow the High Street until you pass Coronation Gardens Recreation Ground, then turn left into Buckingham Road. The away supporters' turnstiles are in Brisbane Road, which is the first right, at the other end of the ground.

The nearest overground station is Leyton Midland Road. This is situated on the north side of the town - just head down Leyton High Road through the town and you'll find the ground tucked away midway through the town on the right-hand side.

By Bus

Nos 58, 69, 97, and 158 run along Leyton High Road.

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Local Pubs :

The East End eh? Home of the great British boozer. The Queen Vic. The Queen Mum, gawd bless 'er. Actually it's a bl**dy great desert of smooth, ice, nitro and any other boring bland fizzy multi-national brands one cares to mention. So if you like to be seen drinking whatever was being heavily advertised on the TV last week you'll love it. We think the Birkbeck Tavern is probably the best all round hostelry in the area. If you want a meal with your beer then the Three Blackbirds is probably the best bet, though it's a fair walk to the ground from there.

Very limited food but sublime beer © Hugh Gleave Birkbeck Tavern: Free house. About ten minutes from the ground, and especially convenient if you've come by tube, this is one of the best pubs in the area. As you exit Leyton tube turn left away from the ground. Follow the path for 20 yards and there is a gap in the railings with steps leading down to the road below. At the bottom of the steps turn left and follow Station Road as it straightens up parallel with the tube line (behind a row of houses), and at the end of the road follow it to the right as it joins up with Langthorne Road. You should have a high brick wall on the left hand side, behind which is a graveyard. The Birkbeck is on the left 200 yards down Langthorne Road and can be seen from a distance. Stocks three or more guest ales on handpull and the usual selection of lagers and bottles as well as an excellent selection of whisky. Two of the ales on tap when we were there in the 2004-05 season were sublime. Used to stock Thatcher's cider but we are uncertain as to whether that is still the case. Food is confined to rolls and sandwiches. Opening is 11.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. (midnight Friday and Saturday). Birkbeck Tavern, 45 Langthorne Road, Leyton, London, E11 4HL. Tel: 020 8539 2584. Map: Click Here.

Coach and Horses: This is the closest pub to the ground, a one minute walk, and as such is the Orient "local", packed out on match days. There's large screen TV, and children are allowed. Whilst there's no trouble with away fans you might try elsewhere if you want to get served inside half an hour. Coach and Horses, 391 High Road, Leyton, London, E10 5NA. Tel: 02089889961. Map: Click Here.

King Harold: Closest pub to Leyton tube station, with a big screen and pool table. That's all we know. King Harold, 116 High Road, Leyton, London, E11. Map: Click Here.

The Drum: The nearest JD Wetherspoon pub. You'll know what to expect, though as one of the smallest and oldest in the chain, having been purchased in 1986, it has a bit more individuality and character than some of their more recent offerings. The Drum, 557-559 Lea Bridge Road, Walthamstow, London, E10 7EQ. Tel: 0208 5399845. Map: Click Here.

Three Blackbirds: Good for those coming by train as it's next to the Midland Road mainline station. A huge pub with two bars, three pool tables, jukebox, sports TV screen, arcade games, large garden and a playground. Attracts a youngish clientele. Food is cheap and plentiful, of the steaks, chips and burgers variety. The beer selection is average, but no real ales. Three Blackbirds, 640 High Road, Leyton, London, E10 6RN. Tel: 02085565348. Map: Click Here.

Likelihood the Natives Will Understand You :

Pretty high, they're used to all sorts in London. Glovers fans will have no problem understanding the locals, everyone either watches Eastenders now or used to watch it. Close your eyes and pretend you're on the telly.

Top-Tip :

This is a middling sort of area of London. You're unlikely to have gone there if there wasn't a football match, but equally you won't feel obliged to escape at top speed when it's over, as is the case for some other parts of the capital.

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[No responsibilty is taken for any inaccuracies. This page is entirely the product of bias and prejudice.]

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