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 Middlesbrough 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 remained a millstone around the club's neck however, though the redevelopment of the O's ground which included the building of saleable/rentable property, was seen as the escape route. That redevelopment happened in fits and starts, with long pauses in between, and it is not entirely clear how profitable it has been, though Orient do appear, on the surface at least, to be a more financially stable club than many at the moment.

Mr Hearn was not a man known for his patience, although to be fair to him he did stick by manager Martin Ling for a decent amount of time. Ling had got Orient promoted to League One in the summer of 2006 although that didn't stop the odd public grumble coming from the boardroom over that period. Each time Hearn seemed to be showing signs of bringing out a P45, Ling managed to turn their form around, and a 2007-08 14th place finish was certainly highly commendable for a club Orient's size, particularly as they'd spent much of the first half of that season dabbling with the big boys in the top six. The second half of that season though saw them fade though and with the O's continuing that trend by occupying a bottom four position for much of the campaign, Ling finally got the bullet in January 2009, having had over five years in East London. He was replaced temporarily by Kevin Nugent, before Nugent returned to the Assistant role when Geraint Williams was brought in. In the last three seasons in League One Orient have finished 20th, 14th and 14th. Hearn seems to have mellowed with age, or perhaps become more realistic. It's not entirely clear what his aspirations are for the club these days, but seems likely he's no longer harbouring delusions of storming into the Championship or even supping at the top table.

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

07/08/2010	Yeovil Town	Away	NPL1	L	1-2	4126		Revell 41
13/08/2010	Charlton Athletic	Home	NPL1	L	1-3	5535		McGleish 50
21/08/2010	Southampton	Away	NPL1	D	1-1	21468		Forbes 15
28/08/2010	Exeter City	Home	NPL1	W	3-0	4145		Revell 39, McGleish 70, Cox 80

FORTHCOMING FIXTURES

CLUB GOALSCORERS

Name	LGE	FAC	FAT	LGC	CC	Total
Scott McGleish	2	0	0	0	0	2
Alex Revell	2	0	0	0	0	2
Dean Cox	1	0	0	0	0	1
Terrell Forbes	1	0	0	0	0	1

ATTENDANCE STATISTICS

Highest League Attendance: 5535, vs Charlton Athletic, 13/08/2010
Lowest League Attendance: 4145, vs Exeter City, 28/08/2010
Average League Attendance: 4840

CURRENT LEAGUE SEQUENCE STATISTICS

Games Without A Win:	0		Games Without A Home Win:	0
Games Without An Away Win:	2		Games Without Defeat:	2
Games Without A Home Defeat:	1		Games Without An Away Defeat:	1
Games Without A Draw:	1		Games Without A Score Draw:	1
Games Without A No-Score Draw:	4		Games Without Scoring:	0
Games Without Conceding:	1		Home Results Sequence:	LW
Away Results Sequence:	LD		Overall Results Sequence:	LLDW

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The North Terrace at Brisbane Road. Used to be the venue for away supporters, but demolished. 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 evening 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.

Note for 19th January 2010 Fixture: This far out from the 19th there is only one planned tube line closure notified (below), but we'd recommend that you consult the Transport For London website nearer the day if you're relying on any particular routes around the city.

Overground rail services:
Currently there is no planned work affecting services running on the 19th, though note trains will not be stopping at Bank DLT station which is closed throughout January.

On the underground:
Waterloo & City Line, planned closure.

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 good 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, as well as their house beer, and the usual selection of lagers and bottles as well as an excellent selection of whisky. Used to stock Thatcher's cider but there hasn't been any on our last few visits. Food is confined to rolls and sandwiches. Opening is 11.00 a.m. - 11.00 p.m. (midnight Friday and Saturday). Good sized space out the back for smokers. This is a completely unpretentious London boozer in traditional style, and one of our favourite pubs on the football circuit. 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.

William IV: The brew pub for Brodie's beers, who began operations in 2008, taking over from the defunct Sweet William outfit: Brodie's Fabulous Beers. The outlet is about 20 to 25 minutes walk north of the stadium. The nearest overground rail station is Leyton Midland Road, the nearest tube Walthamstow Central. The food on offer is mostly Thai style. Courtyard at the back for smokers. Oh, and not to be sniffed at in London where the £3.00 pint is all too common, you can still get beer at under £2.00 (just) here. William IV, 816 High Road, Leyton, London, E10 6AE. Tel: 020 8556 2460. 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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