Ground: Brisbane Road (capacity 9271)
Location: London, England
Ticket price: £30 - Purchase online or at the ground
Leyton, located in East London, is a cosy little borough. Roughly 20 minutes from the station with a walk through the Coronation Gardens, where a bronze statue of Laurie Cunningham (who, of course, graced the pitch of the Bernabeu) is located, Brisbane Road is one of those grounds that’s fairly straightforward to get to (thankfully, as I was travelling in with half a leg).
The journey into Kings Cross and then subsequently into Leyton was fairly straightforward. The best route, if travelling into Kings Cross, is to take the Circle Line into Liverpool Street Station and then the Central Line to Leyton. For those that haven’t used the Tube before, the stations are clearly mapped, so you just need to look at where the train ends and see if your stop passes through it. Most stops on the Central line seemed to go through there.
Onto the O’s then. Leyton Orient were founded in 1881 as the Glyn Cricket Club and played in local London leagues until they were elected into the Football League in 1905, and soon settled in to become a fixture of English professional football. Though they would only reach the lofty heights of the old First Division once (in 1962-63, before finishing bottom of the league and being duly spat out again!), and in the 1990s would almost become an indirect casualty of the Rwandan Civil War (thanks to then-owner Tony Wood’s overseas investments), they always avoided falling out the proverbial trap door, mainly bouncing between the League’s third and fourth tiers.
In 2015, however, Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti bought the club, which saw one of their more successful managers, Russell Slade leave to manage Cardiff and saw the club hire various Italian managers with little success. They even had former Liverpool player Andrea Dossena play for the club during this period! Under Becchetti’s ownership, the club suffered two relegations in three years, bringing 112 years of history in the Football League to an end with nothing but a whimper.
Times were tough for Leyton Orient but after good work, first from Justin Edinburgh to get them out of the National League and then Ritchie Wellens guiding them back into League One, things are looking rosy for the O’s again. Unfortunately, Edinburgh suffered a cardiac arrest whilst in charge of the club and Leyton Orient have a stand named after him in his memory.
Before the game started, a minute’s silence was held in honour of Derek Reynolds, who sadly passed away aged 74 after falling ill during the midweek game against Lincoln City. Derek was a lifelong ‘O’ and worked for the club in the 90’s as the voice on the tannoy. A big loss.
The afternoon’s opponents were Rubén Sellés’ Reading, having just slipped into League One last season, and the way things were going, they were in danger of sinking further. Sitting in 22nd place with just three wins to their name in their first 11 games, things were looking bleaker by the week for the debt-ridden Royals.
I must say, Orient have one of the nicest stewards going. We ended up having a little chat about rugby league of all things prior to the game. He said that he supported Catalan Dragons because, "he wanted to be a bit different."
Orient started the brighter, with David Button making a string of impressive saves to keep the home side at bay. However, he had no answer to Jordan Brown's screeching strike from just outside the area.
Reading did respond with their own questions however, questions which Orient were struggling to answer. Their equaliser was comincal. A cross was played in by Azeez which found the head of an unmarked Ballard. His shot rattled the post, leaving Sol Brynn watching and praying. Bindon, again unmarked, was first to the rebound, scuffing a toe-poke that caught Brynn by surprise, spinning towards the far right corner. The shot sneaked in just as a defender came to clear it. The keeper was not at fault, but his defence were like statues.
Richie Wellens must have had a stern word with his boys during the half time break as Orient came out with a purpose in the second half, with Button being the only man seemingly capable to deny the O's. As Leyton Orient continued to knock on the door, the fans stood up for a minute’s applause in tribute to Reynolds. I’m sure his side’s resolve would have pleased the 74-year-old had he been in attendance today.
And what may have pleased him even further was a corner kick taken in the 89th minute. A corner whipped in by Jordan Brown was missed by David Button, who attempted to punch the ball away. The ball hit a Reading player as the ball bounced off his torso with substitute George Moncur first to react, blasting the ball home amongst an army of Royals arms and limbs determined to keep the ball out. As impressive as Button had been, that goal was on him.
And that was the end of the action. A deserved 2-1 win for Leyton Orient as the players walked over to clap their supporters. Jordan Brown released a short video, dedicating the win to Derek Reynolds. O's manager Ritchie Wellens also paid tribute to him in his post-match interview.
Having time to kill, I went to a chicken place called FAT Bites. Four piece chicken and chips for what I felt was a reasonable price. The chicken was tender, the batter soft and the chips nicely seasoned. A place I would heavily recommend going to if you’re in the area. 8.5/10.
The train home was delayed by 40 minutes due to a smashed window so I didn’t get back until midnight but overall, a good day. Brisbane Road is a really nice ground, great fans and a dodgy ticket system (I jest).
I've developed somewhat of an affinity with the East London club after watching them against Salford and they're the first team I look out for when the League One results come rolling in. In fact, Leyton Orient may well be my favourite League One club. Why? I don't know. I just want to be a bit different I suppose.
Leyton Orient 2-1 Reading 07/10/2023
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