Leyton Orient host Cheltenham Town in what is bound to be an emotional affair at Brisbane Road as league football returns to Leyton.
The Cheltenham fans have earned a great reputation in the footballing community and will be warmly welcomed upon their visit to E10 after the incredible effort they have put into making tributes for the late, great Orient manager, Justin Edinburgh.
A heart-warming, crowd-funding campaign raising over £2,000 has seen the Cheltenham Town supporters group, 1887RedArmy, go to great lengths to pay tribute to Justin Edinburgh and to create a large flag to honour his accomplishments at Brisbane Road.
As for matters on the pitch, Cheltenham will be looking to build on last season’s 16th place finish in League Two. However ,the following pre-season was a lacklustre one for Michael Duff’s side. A total of six friendlies were played by various youthful Robins’ XI’s without a victory, the most noteworthy defeat being a 7-0 thrashing against Taunton Town.
An introduction to management for Ross Embleton sees the new O’s boss lead Orient into the new campaign after an undefeated pre-season. Impressive results included a 2-2 draw with Hull in Marbella and a 2-1 win over Premier League opposition in the form of a Norwich City XI.
The opening weekend of the season comes off the back of a busy transfer window for both sides. Marquee signings for Orient include forwards Lee Angol, Conor Wilkinson and Louis Dennis as well as the return of Josh Wright. As for the away side, Reuben Reid is set to make his debut after his switch from Forest Green to Cheltenham Town.
Recent meetings between the sides have favoured the Robins - who picked up four points against the O’s during their last campaign in the football league - a 1-0 victory for the visitors at Brisbane Road in February followed a 1-1 draw at Whaddon Road on the opening day of the 2016-17 season. Orient have drew five and won six of the 21 games against Saturday’s opposition.
Predicted Starting XI’s
Predicted Leyton Orient Starting XI: Brill Widdowson, Happe, Coulson, Ekpiteta, Happe, Ling, Wright, Clay, Maguire-Drew, Wilkinson, Angol.
Predicted Cheltenham Town Starting XI: Flinders, Hussey, Raglan, Boyle, Long, Broom, Tozer, Clements, Thomas, Varney, Reid.
What Do FansBet Say?
Leyton Orient: Evens
Draw: 49/20
Cheltenham Town: 13/5
