It’s midnight. Orient are just about ready to kick-off. I’m tired but won’t sleep till around 2:30am. That’s part of the price you pay for supporting them from Down Under and it only gets worse when the clocks change in a few weeks.
By the time I’ve sat through the torment of the game, I still cannot go to bed until I have fully analysed the other games, the updated league table and consequences and possibilities for the following matches.
I emigrated to Sydney a few months after the heartbreak of Wembley in 2014. There was so much to look forward to. With the new Italian ownership, I was almost sure that I’d miss out on a promotion party to the Championship.
Of course, things didn’t work out that way but my support from afar has never wavered. So often, I’d be kidding myself that things would turn around and it was that hope that keep me awake into the silly hours.
Although I miss Orient very much, I have returned a couple of times to see games, including Justin Edinburgh’s very first in charge at Solihull Moors. Only now am I actually starting to enjoy the progress the club is making.
On that point, I truly couldn’t be happier with what Nigel and Kent (along with countless others) have done to bring the club back from the brink. The road ahead may be long and frustrating but we really couldn’t ask for any more.
Having lived in Chelmsford, I took for granted just how close Orient was to me. I used to go to Brisbane Road with my dad as we had season tickets year-on-year but as family life started to take hold, I was seeing fewer games and now more than ever. I crave the opportunity to jump in the car on a Saturday and head to a game and enjoy the whole experience – see some familiar faces, take in the cool air and smells of cheap, overpriced burgers. I can only hope that Dave Travis can sort out the live streaming of matches to bring a little of that experience back for people like me.
With an Orient flag proudly displayed on my garage wall and seeing my son wearing the O’s home kit, I’m doing my bit to bring a taste of the Orient to the Sydney suburbs in amongst the masses of youngsters clad with Premier League replica shirts.
Before the season began, I predicted Orient would finish in 4th place. As I write this, we are ten games unbeaten and looking more and more solid as the weeks go by. So many things need to work in our favour if we are to achieve the top spot but I’d settle for the play-offs. After all, if we do get to Wembley again, I’d have to insist on buying a ticket home!
Up the O's.
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