Leyton Orient will be hoping to translate their promising away form into a better home performance when they host struggling Yeovil Town. Here we preview Saturday’s game:

Leyton Orient

Last Saturday Leyton Orient continued their strong form on the road, however, they had to settle for a point at Brunton Park as Carlisle kept their unbeaten league record intact.

Both sides had opportunities in the first half. Nicky Adams came agonizingly close to putting Carlisle in front but his shot hit the post. It was the O’s who managed to take the lead just before the break. Jordan Bowery slipped the ball to Paul McCallum and he fired the ball low and hard past Mark Gillespie.

The visitors held a narrow lead at half-time but Carlisle got back on level terms less than a minute into the second half. Substitute Charlie Wyke connected with Shaun Miller’s cross, poking the ball into the Orient net. Nicky Adams then forced Alex Cisak into making an acrobatic save in order to tip his long-range shot over the crossbar.

Orient managed to take the lead again shortly after the hour thanks to some neat play from  Harry Cornick. The Bournemouth loanee weaved his way into the Carlisle penalty area and fired the ball across the keeper and into the far corner.

The O’s held on to their lead going into the last five minutes. However, three minutes from time the home side were awarded a penalty, as Liam Kelly was judged to have blocked a Carlisle cross with his arm. Danny Grainger stepped up and found the net from the spot despite Cisak guessing the correct side.

Orient had come close to making it three consecutive away victories but the Cumbrians had managed to rescue a 2-2 draw to remain League Two’s only unbeaten side.

That draw saw the O’s slip one place to 8th in League Two. Orient are currently four points behind league leaders Plymouth.

Team News

Jay Simpson continued to be out of action last weekend due to his back injury, but he has managed to return to training this week. Simpson’s only appearance so far this season was in the league match against Stevenage in August and he has missed the last five games due to his back problem. Though he is now back in training, it remains to be seen whether he will be available for selection this weekend.

Like Simpson, Nigel Atangana has been on the sidelines in recent weeks, but he too has resumed training in the last seven days. Atangana has been struggling with a groin/hip flexor problem which forced him to miss the last two matches. There are still question marks over whether he will be in contention for a place in Saturday’s squad.

Josh Koroma missed the trip to Brunton Park due to illness, but he could be available for this week’s game.

Teddy Mezague won’t be fit enough to return from his Achilles injury until the new year.

Josh Doherty is unavailable as he has moved on loan to Altrincham this week as well.

Ex-Glovers

Harry Cornick spent the 2015/16 season on loan with Yeovil. He made 42 appearances for the Glovers and he finished the campaign as the club’s joint-top goalscorer with eight goals.

Gavin Massey had a loan spell at Huish Park during the 2011/12 season. The winger made 17 appearances for the Glovers, scoring three goals.

 

Yeovil Town

Last Season

League Two: 19th FA Cup: 3rd round  League Cup: 1st Round  Top scorer: Bird, Cornick, Zoko  8

The last few seasons at Huish Park have been tough for Yeovil fans. After suffering back-to-back relegations in 2013/14 and 2014/15 it looked like the Glovers were heading for a third last term.

Paul Sturrock oversaw a miserable start to the campaign as Yeovil lost 13 of their twenty league games under his management and they recorded just two league victories. Sturrock was sacked at the start of December with Yeovil at the foot of League Two with just 11 points.

Darren Way replaced Sturrock in the dugout at Huish Park and although he had to wait until the new year for his first league win, the Glovers lost just three of his first ten games in charge. After that, Way helped his team to go six games unbeaten, which included four consecutive wins. That run lifted them out of the relegation zone.

The Glovers lost four of their last ten games, but they had done more than enough to retain their Football League status, finishing in 19th, four places and  fourteen points above the drop.

Goals were hard to come by for the Glovers last term, their total of 43 for the season was the joint lowest return in League Two.

 

Summer Transfers

This Season

League Two: 23rd  League Cup: 2nd Round  Top-scorer: Tom Eaves 3

Yeovil have endured the same start to the new campaign as they have taken just four points from their seven league games, just as they did last term.

The Glovers didn’t have to wait as long for their first win of the season this time around, as they managed to beat Notts County at home on the opening day. They then followed that up with a point at Kenilworth Road in a 1-1 draw with Luton.

However, since then Darren Way’s side have lost five straight league games, including damaging defeats against Doncaster and Blackpool by three-goal margins.

Last weekend Yeovil hosted Hartlepool and the Glovers suffered a crushing defeat as the visitors grabbed the winning goal in stoppage time, extending Yeovil’s winless streak.

After a goalless first half, it was Yeovil who took the lead ten minutes into the second half as Matt Butcher’s low shot on the turn found its way into the Hartlepool net.  However, little more than ten minutes later Nathan Thomas equalised for the away side. He latched on to Trevor Carson’s long goal kick and lifted the ball over the on-rushing Artur Krysiak.

The match was heading for a draw when Carson produced some magic in stoppage time, curling the ball into the far corner of the Yeovil net from 25 yards.

Last Line-up:

Krysiak

Shephard  Lacey  Smith  Butcher

Dawson  Lawless  Dolan

Hedges  Eaves  Khan

(4-3-3)

Substitutes:

Maddison, Mugabi, Ezewele, Copp, Whitfield (Lawless 84′), McLeod (Eaves 76′), Campbell (Khan 76′)

That defeat leaves the Glovers in 23rd place going into this Saturday’s game. They have scored just two league goals on the road so far this term, only Portsmouth and Cambridge has scored fewer away goals in League Two.

Team News

Glovers boss Darren Way has close to a fully fit squad to choose from as he prepares for the trip to Brisbane Road.

Francois Zoko remains a doubt for the match as he has been struggling with a hip flexor problem. Ryan Dickson is the only other injury concern.

Yeovil will be without Ollie Bassett who has signed for Dorchester Town on loan.

Alex Lacey is available for selection again after returning from a broken arm last weekend.  Josh Ezewele and Darren Ward are both in contention for a place in the matchday squad as they have both recovered from their respective knee injuries.

Ex O’s

Ryan Hedges had a loan spell with the O’s from January 2015 until the end of the 2014/15 campaign. His first senior goal came during this spell as he managed two goals in 17 appearances in an Orient shirt.

Ryan Dickson will also be familiar to O’s fans as he made 9 appearances for the club during a loan spell in February 2012. He was sent off on two occasions, as Orient battled for survival in League One.

 

 

The O’s and the Glovers met at Huish Park on the final day of last season and Orient managed to sign off the campaign with a win. Ollie Palmer scored the only goal of the game three minutes from time to give Orient all three points.

When Leyton Orient hosted Yeovil Town in December last year the two sides played out a 1-1 draw.  The Glovers took the lead in first-half stoppage time as a series of defensive errors from the O’s allowed Francois Zoko to head home. However, second-half substitute Jobi McAnuff had a positive impact on the game and he put the O’s back on level terms fifteen minutes from time as he found the top corner with a 30-yard strike.

Orient’s last home win over Yeovil was in March 2015. The O’s claimed a comfortable 3-0 victory thanks to early goals from Chris Dagnall and Ryan Hedges. Jobi McAnuff then added a third to Orient’s tally just before the hour.

Yeovil have failed to win in their last five trips to Brisbane Road, however, their last win in E10 was an emphatic one. Shaun MacDonald gave the visitors an early lead and things got worse for the O’s as Matthew Spring was sent-off after a quarter-of-an-hour. MacDonald doubled his side’s advantage soon after and he then completed his hat-trick from the spot just before the interval. Andy Welsh made it 4-0 right after the restart and although Dean Cox pulled a goal back with twenty minutes remaining, Dean Bowditch made it 5-1 late on.

 

 

Match Officials

Referee: Darren Deadman

Assistants: Andrew Aylott and Stephen Finch

Fourth Official:  Nigel Lugg