All you need to know ahead of Brisbane Road trip
Leyton Orient v Luton Town
Sky Bet League 2
Saturday 5th March 2016, kick-off 3pm
Official live online commentary on Hatters Player
• Town aiming for fourth straight win
• Hatters six points behind seventh-placed Orient
• Town eyeing ninth away victory
• Sell-out in the away end
• Hatters won five of last seven visits to Orient
• Nathan Jones won four of last five matches
WHO? Leyton Orient, aka the O’s, from Leyton, East London – officially in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. They started out as Clapton Orient, renamed themselves Leyton Orient, then dropped the ‘Leyton’ bit before adding that back again in 1987. The club have spent the majority of their most recent history in the bottom two divisions – not since the early 1980s were the O’s in the second tier. Orient spent just one season in the top-flight – in 1962/63
WHERE? Brisbane Road has been Orient’s home since 1937 when it was opened. Its current all-seated capacity is 9,271. The ground’s attendance record was set for the visit of West Ham in a 1964 FA Cup tie against West Ham when 34,345 squeezed. Hatters fans have been allocated just under 1,400 seats in the East Stand – previously the Main Stand – which is the oldest part of Brisbane Road following the redevelopments of three stands.
SELL-OUT. All 1,385 tickets available for Town fans have now been sold. The game has been made all-ticket as a result with no tickets available on the day. Any Hatters found in home areas face possible ejection.
HOW TO GET THERE. Luton to Leyton is an hour’s drive by road, covering some 45 miles, depending which way you travel. Your best bet is to take the M25 clockwise, leaving at junction M27 and taking the M11 south towards London. From that point on the directions alone would fill this page so it’s best to plan your journey online or use your satnav. The postcode is E10 5NF. The Bobbers are also running a coach to York. Their fare is £29 adults, £26 concessions. Call 01234 856542 to book your seat. And of course you can also take the tube. Leyton station (Central Line) is a quarter-of-a-mile walk away.
HAVEN’T WE MET BEFORE? There have been 63 meetings between the Town and Orient in their various guises down the years, with the Hatters leading 30-17 in the head-to-head with 16 ending draws. At Brisbane Road the Hatters have won on five of their last seven visits. The Town lost on their last visit in 2008 in League 1 in Mick Harford’s first game in charge. Their last win in the Football League at the East London venue came on a Tuesday night in September 2001 when over 2,000 Town fans witnessed a 3-1 win thanks to goals from Matt Taylor, Jean Louis Valois and Steve Howard.
THIS TIME ROUND. Orient, relegated from League 1 last term, sit in the final Play-Off spot in the League 2 table. New player/boss Kevin Nolan has seen his side win five of their last eight games. Last Saturday they beat Crawley at Brisbane Road before earning a point in a 2-2 draw at Carlisle on Tuesday. At home the O’s have won eight of their 17 matches this season and in Jay Simpson they have the division’s top goalscorer Jay Simpson who has 23 of their 51 League goals this term.
TOWN TEAM NEWS. It looks like a case of as you were for the Hatters following Tuesday’s 1-0 win over Morecambe with no fresh injuries worries for manager Nathan Jones. Nathan Doyle and Josh McQuoid remain the only two definite absentees but the pair are making progress in their recovery from injury.
REF WATCH. Saturday’s referee is Charles Breakspear. The Surrey official has shown 120 yellow cards and just three reds in 29 matches this season. It will be his first game involving the Town this term but last season he oversaw the 2-2 with York in which he sent-off Stephen McNulty.
LIVE AND ONLINE. As ever, we’ll be reporting live from Brisbane Road. Build-up starts at noon, so get on our early blog on the Wall for all the latest updates. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for photos, videos and all the behind-the-scenes action. Hatters Player subscribers will be able to listen to live commentary from just before 3pm with Simon Pitts in the press box. Post-match, remember to check out the official website, YouTube channel and Player for reports, interviews and photographs and don’t forget to tune in later in the weekend for all the highlights in glorious HD!