Leyton Orient Football Club is a professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

club based in

Leyton Leyton () is a town in east London, England, within the London Borough of Waltham Forest. It borders Walthamstow to the north, Leytonstone to the east, and Stratford to the south, with Clapton, Hackney Wick and Homerton, across the River L ...

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the ...

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

, who compete in , the fourth tier of the

English football league system The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for men's association football clubs in England, with five teams from Wales, one from Guernsey, one from Jersey and one from the Isl ...

. They are the second oldest football club in London to play at a professional level, and are known to their fans by their nickname "the O's". The club's home colours are all red. They have played home matches at

Brisbane Road Brisbane Road, originally known as Osborne Road, is a football stadium in Brisbane Road, Leyton, East London, England. It has been the home ground of Leyton Orient since 1937, before which it was the home of amateur football team Leyton F.C., ...

since 1937, having previously played at

Millfields Lea Bridge is a district in the London Borough of Hackney and the London Borough of Waltham Forest in London, England. It lies 7 miles (11.3 km) northeast of Charing Cross. The area it takes its name from a bridge built over the River Le ...

and Lea Bridge Road. Founded in 1881 as the Glyn Cricket Club, they began playing football as Orient in 1888 and joined the London League in 1896 after success in the Clapton & District League. The club adopted the name Clapton Orient two years later and were elected into the

Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, the league is the oldest such competition in Association football around the wor ...

in 1905. Relegated out of the

Second Division In sport, the Second Division, also called Division 2 or Division II is usually the second highest division of a league, and will often have promotion and relegation with divisions above and below. Following the rise of Premier League style compet ...

in 1929, the club finally settled on the name Leyton Orient after

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

. They won the

Third Division South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

title in 1955–56 and secured promotion out of the Second Division in 1961–62, though were relegated out of the First Division after just one season, and suffered a further relegation in 1966. That November the club's name reverted to Orient F.C. and they went on to win the Third Division under the stewardship of

Jimmy Bloomfield James Henry Bloomfield (15 February 1934 – 3 April 1983) was an English football player and manager. He made nearly 500 appearances in the Football League, including more than 300 in the First Division with Arsenal, Birmingham City and West H ...

in 1969–70. Orient spent the 1970s playing in the second tier, winning two London Challenge Cups and reaching the 1977 Anglo-Scottish Cup final and

1977–78 FA Cup The 1977–78 FA Cup was the 97th season of the world's oldest knockout football competition, The Football Association Challenge Cup, or FA Cup. The final saw Ipswich Town beat Arsenal 1–0, with a goal from Roger Osborne. First round proper ...

semi-finals, before being relegated in 1982 and again in 1985. In 1987 the club reverted to being Leyton Orient again. They won promotion out of the Fourth Division via the play-offs in 1988–89, though were relegated again in 1995.

Barry Hearn Barry Maurice William Hearn (born 19 June 1948) is an English sporting events promoter and the founder and President of promotions company Matchroom Sport. Through Matchroom, Hearn is also involved in many sports including snooker, darts, ...

became chairman in 1995 after the club was put on sale for £5 by then-chairman Tony Wood, a period covered by the television documentary ''Orient: Club for a Fiver'' (made by production company Open Media for

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a fourth television service ...

and listed in ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'' magazine in 2020 as one of its "Top Five Sports Documentaries"). Orient gained promotion out of League Two with

Martin Ling Martin Ling (born 15 July 1966) is an English football manager and former player currently director of football for Leyton Orient. He played in over 100 Football League matches for each of Exeter City, Southend United, Swindon Town and Leyton ...

in 2005–06, before Hearn sold the club to Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti, who presided over two relegations in three years under 11 managers, taking the club out of the football league for the first time in 112 years.

Nigel Travis Nigel Travis is an English businessman and corporate executive. Travis was the CEO of the Dunkin' Brands group from January 2009 to July 2018. He has served the board at other corporations, including Papa John's and Blockbuster. History Travi ...

took over running the club in 2017 and appointed

Justin Edinburgh Justin Charles Edinburgh (18 December 1969 – 8 June 2019) was an English professional football manager and player who played as a left back. He notably played in the Premier League for Tottenham Hotspur, where he made 213 league appearance ...

as manager, and under this stable leadership the club went on to reach the

2019 FA Trophy final The 2019 FA Trophy Final was a football match between AFC Fylde and Leyton Orient on 19 May 2019. It was the final match of the 2018–19 FA Trophy The 2018–19 FA Trophy (known for sponsorship reasons as the Buildbase FA Trophy) is the 50th ...

and win promotion back into the Football League as champions of the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

in 2018–19.

History

Formation and name (1881–1914)

Leyton Orient were originally formed by members of the Glyn Cricket Club in 1881, many of whom were former students of the Independent College, Homerton in nearby Hackney (now

Homerton College Homerton College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. Its first premises were acquired in Homerton, London in 1768, by an informal gathering of Protestant dissenters with origins in the seventeenth century. In 1894, the co ...

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

); an annual fixture is still held between the club and the college. The team has had several name changes since, first as Eagle Cricket Club in 1886, then as Orient Football Club in 1888. The 12 history books written on the club by its historian Neilson N. Kaufman between 1974 and 2015 suggest that the choice of the name ''Orient'' came about at the behest of a player, Jack R Dearing, who was an employee of the

Orient Steam Navigation Company The Orient Steam Navigation Company, also known as the Orient Line, was a British shipping company with roots going back to the late 18th century. From the early 20th century onwards, an association began with P&O which became 51% shareholde ...

, later part of P&O – Peninsular & Oriental. The club's name was changed again to Clapton Orient in 1898 to represent the area of London in which they played, though there was another team called Clapton F.C. Before their relegation in 2017, the O's were the second-oldest league club in London behind

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandswor ...

and were the 24th oldest club currently playing in the Football League. Following Fulham's promotion to the Premier League they became the oldest London club playing in the Football League. They played in the Second Division of the Southern Federation's League in 1904, joined the

in 1905. By this time players such as part-time outside right,

Herbert Kingaby Herbert Charles Lawrence Kingaby (1880-1934) was an English footballer, an outside rightThe Manchester Guardian, ''FOOTBALL PROFESSIONAL'S LAWSUIT''; 27 March 1912 for Clapton Orient, Aston Villa, Fulham and Peterborough City. He played part-t ...

could earn £2 4s (''2012: £'') per week – payment being somewhat sporadic. The name Leyton Orient was adopted following the conclusion of the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposi ...

. The club had moved to

in 1937, though again there was another team called

Leyton F.C. Leyton Football Club was an England, English association football club based in Leyton, in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. The club withdrew from the Isthmian League Division One North in January 2011 due to severe financial difficulties, ...

A further rename back simply to Orient took place in 1966 after the Borough of Leyton (in

Essex Essex () is a Ceremonial counties of England, county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the Riv ...

) was absorbed into the

London Borough of Waltham Forest The London Borough of Waltham Forest () is a London boroughs, London borough in north-east London, England. Its population is estimated to be 276,983 in 2019. It borders five other London boroughs: London Borough of Enfield, Enfield to the nort ...

. That renaming followed a financial crisis – one of several to hit the club and by no means the first or last – and restructuring of the company behind the club; this is remembered for a "pass the bucket" collection that took place at a special meeting of supporters in the East Stand, when complete closure was claimed to be a definite possibility. The club reverted to Leyton Orient in 1987, shortly after Tony Wood took over as chairman and at a time when a supporters' campaign was taking place in the ''Leyton Orientear''

fanzine A fanzine (blend of '' fan'' and ''magazine'' or ''-zine'') is a non-professional and non-official publication produced by enthusiasts of a particular cultural phenomenon (such as a literary or musical genre) for the pleasure of others who share ...

to reinstate the ''Leyton'' part of the club's name.

World War years (1914–1955)

The 1914–15 season was the last football season before the league was suspended due to the outbreak of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. A total of 41 members of the Clapton Orient team and staff joined up into the 17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment (the Footballers' Battalion), the highest of any football team in the country and the first to join up ''en masse''. At the final game of the season – Clapton Orient vs Leicester Fosse, 20,000 people came out to support the team. A farewell parade was also hosted but not before the O's had won 2–0. The

British Film Institute The British Film Institute (BFI) is a film and television charitable organisation which promotes and preserves film-making and television in the United Kingdom. The BFI uses funds provided by the National Lottery to encourage film production, ...

holds a brief recording of this historic match and parade in its archives. Leyton Orient FC League Performance

During the

Battle of the Somme The Battle of the Somme (French: Bataille de la Somme), also known as the Somme offensive, was a battle of the First World War fought by the armies of the British Empire and French Third Republic against the German Empire. It took place be ...

, three players gave their lives for king and country: Richard McFadden, George Scott and

William Jonas William Jonas (September 1890 – 27 July 1916), usually known as Billy or Willie, was an English footballer who played in the Football League for Clapton Orient. Career Starting his career with Jarrow Croft, Jonas scored twice in a Gateshe ...

. Though they were the only Orient staff to have died during the First World War, many others sustained wounds, some more than once and were not able to resume their football careers after the war. Prior to the First World War and whilst on a training run, O's striker McFadden had saved the lives of two young boys who were drowning in the

River Lea The River Lea ( ) is in South East England. It originates in Bedfordshire, in the Chiltern Hills, and flows southeast through Hertfordshire, along the Essex border and into Greater London, to meet the River Thames at Bow Creek. It is one of ...

- this, only a week or so after rescuing a little girl from a house fire, when walking through Clapton Park on his way to the O's ground. It is also documented that he had dragged a man from a burning building prior to signing for the Orient. Fred Brayer, a super fan of the club said "i feel sorry that we have been doing terrible and i have no hope for the future" History was made on Saturday 30 April 1921 when the Prince of Wales, later to become King Edward VIII, visited Clapton Stadium/Millfields Road to see the O's play Notts County. The Orient won 3–0 and this was the first time a member of royalty had attended a Football League match. The royal visit was to show gratitude for Clapton Orient's patriotic example during the Great War and there is now a plaque erected on the site of the Millfields Road Stadium to commemorate this historic event. The story of the club's major involvement in the First World War has been told in a 2005 book entitled ''They Took The Lead'', by Stephen Jenkins, deputy chairman of Leyton Orient Supporters' Club. In July 2006 Jenkins, assisted by Les Bailey, took a party of 150 Leyton Orient supporters and members of the Leyton and Manor Park Royal British Legion over to the Somme region of northern France, to visit World War I war graves and to pay their respects at the resting places of Richard McFadden, William Jonas and George Scott. This was the first official visit to the Orient war graves for 90 years. A second visit to the Somme took place the weekend of 12/13 July 2008, this time 183 O's supporters and members of the RBL made the historic pilgrimage. Chris Slegg, a BBC London reporter travelled with the party and footage of the Somme trip was shown on local news bulletins. In August 2009 Steve Jenkins, along with fellow O's supporter Theresa Burns and former Orient player

Peter Kitchen Michael Peter Kitchen (born 16 February 1952) is an English former professional footballer who played in the Football League in the 1970s and 80s as a forward. Career Born in Mexborough, Kitchen began his career at Doncaster Rovers, after be ...

, launched the O's Somme Memorial Fund with the objective of erecting a permanent memorial in northern France in honour of the Clapton Orient side that answered the call of king and country. A third trip to the Somme took place in July 2011 and the O's Memorial was unveiled in the village of Flers on Sunday 10 July.

Later 20th century (1955–2001)

John Sitton in Orient - Club for a Fiver

Leyton Orient were

Division Three South The Third Division South of The Football League was a tier in the English football league system from 1921 to 1958. It ran in parallel with the Third Division North with clubs elected to the League or relegated from Division Two allocated to on ...

champions in the 1955–56 season and spent 20 of the next 25 years in the Second Division, before being relegated at the end of the 1981–82 season. They have not been back to that level since. Orient's golden years were in the 1960s and 1970s. In the 1961–62 season Orient were promoted to the top tier of English football, the First Division (now the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Fo ...

), for the only time in their history, after finishing second in Division Two under the management of Johnny Carey. The team struggled in the top flight and were relegated after just one season. Nonetheless, they did defeat local rivals West Ham United at home. They were Division Three champions in the 1969–70 season and spent the whole of the 1970s in Division Two. In 1972 Orient achieved one of the most famous results in their history – coming back from 2–0 down to beat Chelsea 3–2 in the FA Cup fifth round. They were also Anglo-Scottish Cup Runners up in 1976–77. In 1978 Orient were defeated in the semi final of the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football compet ...

, the furthest they have progressed in that competition. In 1978 the club was indirectly responsible for the album ''

Variations Variation or Variations may refer to: Science and mathematics * Variation (astronomy), any perturbation of the mean motion or orbit of a planet or satellite, particularly of the moon * Genetic variation, the difference in DNA among individua ...

'' composed by

Andrew Lloyd Webber Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber (born 22 March 1948), is an English composer and impresario of musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 21 musical ...

for his brother, the

cellist The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a bowed (sometimes plucked and occasionally hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually tuned in perfect fifths: from low to high, C2, G2, D ...

Julian Lloyd Webber. This reached No.2 in the pop album charts. ''Variations'' came about as the result of a bet between the two brothers on the outcome of Orient's final game of the 1976–77 season against Hull City. In the 1980s Leyton Orient fared less well and after two relegations found themselves in the fourth tier of English football. However, they ended the decade on a high, as they were promoted in the 1988–89 season, when under manager Frank Clark they were promoted in the

Division Four The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

Play-Off Final after a 2–1 aggregate victory over Wrexham F.C. The early 1990s saw steady progress in the Third Division, missing out on a play-off place in the 1992–93 season on goal difference. However, the financial crisis at the club caused by then-chairman Tony Wood losing his business in the

Rwandan Civil War The Rwandan Civil War was a large-scale civil war in Rwanda which was fought between the Rwandan Armed Forces, representing the country's government, and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) from 1October 1990 to 18 July 1994. The war aro ...

led to a relegation back to the fourth tier, now renamed as the Third Division following the formation of the Premier League. Under manager Tommy Taylor, Orient were defeated in the 1999 and 2001 Third Division play-off finals, played at

Wembley Stadium Wembley Stadium (branded as Wembley Stadium connected by EE for sponsorship reasons) is a football stadium in Wembley, London. It opened in 2007 on the site of the Wembley Stadium (1923), original Wembley Stadium, which was demolished from 200 ...

and the

Millennium Stadium The Millennium Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm y Mileniwm), known since 2016 as the Principality Stadium ( cy, Stadiwm Principality) for sponsorship reasons, is the national stadium of Wales. Located in Cardiff, it is the home of the Wales national r ...

respectively. The latter final saw the fastest ever play-off final goal scored to date at the Millennium Stadium, as Orient's Chris Tate scored after just 27 seconds. Orient's fastest ever goal was scored after just 12 seconds by Lee Steele in a match against his former club Oxford at The Kassam Stadium on 28 March 2005.

Promotion to League One (2001–2010)

After the 2001 play-off final defeat, Leyton Orient took several years to recover from their second play-off final defeat in three years. After Tommy Taylor left the club,

Paul Brush Paul Brush (born 22 February 1958) is an English former professional footballer and coach who played in the Football League for West Ham United, Crystal Palace and Southend United. He is best known for his time with West Ham United, for whom h ...

spent two unsuccessful years in charge and after he was sacked, former player

took over as manager in October 2003, with Orient second-bottom of the league. After several years of steady improvement, Leyton Orient gained promotion in the 2005–06 season, finishing in third place and gaining automatic promotion to League One. This was the club's first automatic promotion in 36 years and ended a period of 11 years in the English league's bottom division. This promotion season also saw an excellent

run, with Leyton Orient progressing to the fourth round after beating Premiership side

. Promotion was only secured in the final minutes of the final game of the season, away at

Oxford United Oxford United Football Club is a professional football club in the city of Oxford, England. The team plays in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. The chairman is Grant Ferguson, the manager is Karl Robinson and th ...

; with the score tied at 2–2 and Orient seemingly destined to miss out yet again, news came through of a late goal scored against promotion rivals Grimsby Town F.C. that would potentially promote Orient. The Orient fans were still celebrating this when just 14 seconds later, Lee Steele scored to confirm Orient's promotion. The result also relegated Oxford to the

Football Conference The National League (named Vanarama National League for sponsorship reasons) is an association football league in England consisting of three divisions, the National League, National League North, and National League South. It was called the ...

. Grimsby's manager that season was Russell Slade, who would later become Orient's manager. In 2006–07, Orient endured a difficult season in the third tier, having spent most of the season in or around the relegation zone and were bottom of the table at times during the first half of the season. An improvement in fortunes after Christmas – including memorable wins against

Millwall Millwall is a district on the western and southern side of the Isle of Dogs, in east London, England, in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It lies to the immediate south of Canary Wharf and Limehouse, north of Greenwich and Deptford, eas ...

, Tranmere Rovers and a vital win at eventually-relegated

Bradford City Bradford City Association Football Club is an English professional football club in Bradford, West Yorkshire. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system and are currently managed by Mark Hughes. Th ...

near the end of the season – helped them finish in 20th place, one spot above the relegation zone. Most of the 2006 promotion-winning side left at the end of the season. Some players were released, some declined new contracts and the club's longest-serving player

Matthew Lockwood Matthew Dominic Lockwood (born 17 October 1976) is an English former footballer and coach who is currently head coach of the Montserrat national football team. He played for teams including Leyton Orient, Nottingham Forest and Dundee. Lockwo ...

was re-signed but later moved in pre-season to Nottingham Forest. 2007–08 was better, as Orient finished 14th with 60 points. The O's began the season in fine form, not dropping out of the top seven until after Christmas. However a loss of form in the second half of the season, recording only three wins from the last 12 games, meant the season ended in a respectable mid-table finish. Leyton Orient kicked off the 2008–09 season with a 2–1 win over

Hereford United Hereford United Football Club was an association football club based in Hereford, England. They played at Edgar Street for their entire history. They were nicknamed 'The Whites' or 'The Lilywhites', after their predominantly white kit, or 'Th ...

at home.

Dean Beckwith Dean Stuart Beckwith (born 18 September 1983) is an English semi-professional footballer who plays as a central defender for Chatham Town. Career Early career Beckwith was born in Southwark, London and came through the youth system at Gillin ...

put Hereford ahead before JJ Melligan and

Adam Boyd Adam Mark Boyd (born 25 May 1982) is an English footballer who last played for Bishop Auckland. Boyd plays as a striker and started off playing in school while attending Grange Primary School, in his hometown of Hartlepool. During his studie ...

gave Orient the win. Orient then continued the season with multiple poor results and performances throughout September and October and their only wins were away matches against

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands County, England. Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east of Wolverhampton and from Lichfield. Walsall is th ...

and Southend United in the

Football League Trophy The English Football League Trophy, known for sponsorship purposes as the Papa Johns Trophy after restaurant chain Papa John's Pizza, is an annual English association football knockout competition open to all clubs in EFL League One and EFL ...

first round. However Orient were knocked out of the trophy in the following round in an away match at Brighton & Hove Albion. They were in 22nd position in the League One table. Orient booked a place in the second round of the

after beating Colchester United 1–0. Two Goals from Jason Demetriou and Danny Granville in a 1–2 away victory against

put Orient through to the third round of the FA Cup where they played

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

at home. They lost 4–1 and, after a run of bad form in the league, Orient parted company with manager Martin Ling and assistant Dean Smith. Youth team manager Kevin Nugent was named caretaker manager overseeing three games. On 5 February 2009

Geraint Williams David Geraint Williams (born 5 January 1962) is a Welsh football manager and former professional footballer. As a player, he was a midfielder from 1980 until 2000, notably featuring in the Premier League for Ipswich Town, as well as in the Foot ...

was announced as manager until the end of the season. He enjoyed a very positive start, winning seven of his first nine matches and moving Orient up to 15th. After Geraint Williams' positive influence on the team they secured their League One status on 13 April with a 1–0 win over Swindon Town at the County Ground and eventually finished the season in 14th place. Orient had a proud day when they beat former Premier League runners-up

Newcastle United Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East En ...

6–1 in a pre-season friendly match on 25 July 2009. By beating Colchester United away, in the first round of the

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by t ...

, they earned a home second round fixture against

Club,

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

Continued success (2010–2014)

On 3 April 2010 Geraint Williams was sacked as manager after a 3–1 home defeat to fellow relegation strugglers

Hartlepool Hartlepool () is a seaside and port town in County Durham, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Borough of Hartlepool. With an estimated population of 90,123, it is the second-largest settlement in County D ...

following a poor run of form. Kevin Nugent once again took control for the 2–1 defeat at

Southampton Southampton () is a port city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. It is located approximately south-west of London and west of Portsmouth. The city forms part of the South Hampshire built-up area, which also covers Po ...

on 5 April and after the match Russell Slade was named as manager until the end of the season. With even less time to save Orient from relegation than Williams before him, Slade managed to bring about a change in form that saw Orient finish in 17th place, just one point but four places clear of relegation. In the summer of 2010 Slade's contract was extended for two years. After a poor start to the 2010–11 season, Orient's league form picked up towards Christmas, culminating in an 8–2 win against non-league Droylsden in an FA Cup second round replay. In a game described as "the weirdest football match ever", Orient had trailed most of the game 2–0 but scored six goals in extra time to progress into the third round. Orient then beat high-flying

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

side Norwich City 1–0 at

Carrow Road Carrow Road is an association football stadium located in Norwich, Norfolk, England, and is the home of EFL Championship side Norwich City. The stadium is located toward the east of the city, near Norwich railway station and the River Wensum. ...

to progress into the fourth round where they met another Championship side,

Swansea City Swansea City Association Football Club (; cy, Clwb Pêl-droed Cymdeithas Dinas Abertawe) is a professional football club based in Swansea, Wales that plays in the Championship, the second tier of English football. Swansea have played their ho ...

, at the Liberty Stadium. Orient beat Swansea 2–1 to set up a glamour fifth round tie against Premier League giants

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostl ...

at Brisbane Road, which finished in a 1–1 draw thanks to a late Jonathan Téhoué equaliser for the O's. This set up a replay at the

Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...

. Leyton Orient lost that replay 0–5, bringing to an end their longest run in the FA Cup since 1981–82. Either side of the Arsenal games, Leyton Orient achieved a club record-equalling 14 games unbeaten, putting the team just outside the play-off positions. However they were unable to maintain that momentum and ultimately missed out on the play-offs by just one point. The 2013–14 season saw more success for Orient, finishing third in the league and securing a place in the play-offs. They defeated Peterborough United to advance to the playoff final at Wembley, but lost in

the final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

to Rotherham United via a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

Sale, financial crisis and fall to Non-League (2014–2017)

The 2014–15 season saw a reversal of fortunes for Orient after the club was taken over by Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti. Long-standing manager Russell Slade left early in the season and was replaced by caretaker manager Kevin Nugent, followed in quick succession by

Mauro Milanese Mauro Milanese (born 17 September 1971) is an Italian former footballer and manager, who played as a left back. In 2014, he was manager of Leyton Orient. He is the current CEO (''amministratore unico'') of hometown club Triestina. Playing car ...

and then

Fabio Liverani Fabio Liverani (; born 29 April 1976) is an Italian football manager and former midfielder, who was most recently in charge of Cagliari. He made 288 Serie A appearances across 12 seasons, representing Perugia, Lazio, Fiorentina and Palermo. He wa ...

before Christmas 2014. A disastrous second half of the season meant that Orient was relegated from League One after a 2–2 draw at Swindon Town on the final day. Liverani, with only eight wins in 27 matches, left the club by mutual consent on 13 May 2015. Orient finished one place but six points away from a League Two play-off place in the 2015–16 season. However, the following season ( 2016–17) saw another disastrous slump, under five different managers, as well as off-pitch turmoil, including a winding-up hearing against Becchetti for unpaid taxes. Another managerial departure saw Daniel Webb resign from the club, with assistant manager

Omer Riza Omer Karime Ali Riza (born 8 November 1979) is a former footballer who is a coach at Watford's academy. Riza, who played as a forward, featured for English clubs Arsenal and West Ham United, Holland's Ado Den Haag and Turkish outfits Trabzons ...

taking over first-team duties until the end of the season. On 22 April 2017, Orient were relegated to the

after a 3–0 loss to Crewe Alexandra, ending their 112-year stay in the

. Becchetti saw continued criticism for his ownership, which resulted in a pitch invasion and protest against him on 29 April, resulting in the game being called off. On 22 June, the club was officially sold to Nigel Travis, the chairman of

Dunkin' Brands Dunkin' Brands Group, Inc. was an American restaurant holding company which ran three chains of fast-food restaurants: Dunkin' Donuts, Mister Donut, and Baskin-Robbins. It was headquartered in Canton, Massachusetts. History Allied-Lyons In 197 ...

Non-League and promotion back to League Two (2017–)

After a poor start to the season, manager Steve Davis, appointed at the start of the National League campaign, was sacked on 14 November 2017, and was replaced by

. Under Edinburgh the club fared better, and spent much of the 2018–19 season competing for promotion from the National League. However they were eliminated in the fourth round of qualifying for the 2018–19 FA Cup by

Maidstone United Maidstone United Football Club is a professional football club based in Maidstone, Kent, England. The team compete in the National League, at the fifth tier of the English football league system. The current club filled the void left by the ol ...

. On 27 April 2019, following a 0–0 draw with

Braintree Town Braintree Town Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Braintree, Essex, England. They are currently members of and play at Cressing Road. History The club was formed on 24 September 1898 as Manor Works, the works team of ...

, Orient secured promotion to League Two as champions of the National League after two years in non-League. The club also reached the

Final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

of the

FA Trophy The Football Association Challenge Trophy, commonly known as the FA Trophy, is a men's football knockout cup competition run by and named after the English Football Association and competed for primarily by semi-professional teams. The com ...

, but were defeated by AFC Fylde. On 3 June 2019, manager Justin Edinburgh was admitted to hospital following a cardiac arrest. He died five days later, aged 49. His assistant Ross Embleton was appointed as interim manager for the new season. Embleton was replaced by Carl Fletcher in October 2019 but Fletcher was sacked the following month after just five games in charge, and Embleton was reinstated as interim boss. Embleton was appointed permanently in January 2020 on a 12-month rolling contract. Orient's first season back in League Two produced a 17th-place finish, with the final table ultimately being determined on a weighted points per game basis because of football's suspension due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identi ...

. During this time, the club furloughed all players and staff to reduce the financial burden on the club due to the pandemic. The following season, the club finished in 11th place in League Two. Ross Embleton was sacked in February 2021 and was replaced by

Jobi McAnuff Joel Joshua Frederick Melvin "Jobi" McAnuff (born 9 November 1981) is a former footballer. He was predominantly a winger but he has also played as an occasional central midfielder. Since his retirement he has worked as a Pundit. He began his c ...

until the end of the season. In May 2021 Kenny Jackett was named as the new manager. Jackett was sacked in February 2022 and was replaced by Richie Wellens.

Kit and badge

Orient's crest is made up of two

wyvern A wyvern ( , sometimes spelled wivern) is a legendary winged dragon that has two legs. The wyvern in its various forms is important in heraldry, frequently appearing as a mascot of schools and athletic teams (chiefly in the United States, U ...

s facing each other over a football. The wyvern symbol was introduced in 1976 and is believed to incorporate Orient's links with the City of London – the wyvern is the symbol of the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, in mythology is the defender of the Thames – and with the sea, through the old Orient Shipping Company. The wyvern on the badge provided the inspiration for the club mascot Theo who got his name from a shortening of the club nickname, the O's. Theo first appeared in the 2000–01 season. Previous club crests have included a version of the Borough of Leyton's coat of arms and a single red dragon.

Sponsorship

The club shirt sponsorship deals have included tie-ups with Independent Transport, Acclaim Entertainment, Marchpole, Matchroom Sport and PokerMillion.com. At the start of the 2008–09 season the club entered into a three-year deal with PartyGaming.com to present PartyPoker.com, PartyBets.com and PartyCasino.com on the front of players' and replica kits. During the 2012–13 season, the shirt sponsors were

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

and FIFA 13. The same sponsors were used for the 2013–14 season, only FIFA 13 became FIFA 14. For 2014–15, the club announced a deal with online bookmakers 666Bet. On 30 July 2015, Orient announced a deal that would see steel distributors and stockholders Rainham Steel feature on the home, away and third kits. From 2016 to 2018, Orient were sponsored by Energybet.com. From 2018 to 2019 onwards, Orient's principal shirt sponsor is The Sun's Dream Team. For the 2020–21 season, former loanee

Harry Kane Harry Edward Kane (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a striker for club Tottenham Hotspur and captains the England national team. A prolific goalscorer with strong link play, Kane is regarded as one of ...

sponsored Orient, using the space on their shirts to thank the key workers of the Coronavirus pandemic, and support the Haven House Children's Hospice and

Mind The mind is the set of faculties responsible for all mental phenomena. Often the term is also identified with the phenomena themselves. These faculties include thought, imagination, memory, will, and sensation. They are responsible for various m ...

, the mental health charity. 10% from the sale of every shirt is allocated to the charity named on the front. In November 2020, the club announced a new sponsorship with the most famous British YouTuber group the Sidemen, as the group were looking to support a local club and a stadium to record their popular football challenges.

Stadiums

Orient's initial ground was at Glyn Road between 1884 and 1896 when the club moved to Whittle's Athletic Ground.

Millfields

Whittle's Athletic Ground was originally a whippet racing ground later known as Millfields and Clapton Orient played there until 1930. The O's also played pre-season friendlies at

Leyton Cricket Ground Leyton Cricket Ground (formerly known as the County Ground or the Lyttelton Ground) is a cricket ground in Leyton, London. The ground was the headquarters and main home match venue of Essex County Cricket Club from 1886 until 1933, and was also ...

for several seasons. Millfields could hold 35,000 or more and was quite modern for its time, though larger crowds were typically for dog racing and speedway and was a major London venue for boxing and baseball. As Orient was only a tenant and facing high rents and competition with other events at Millfields Road, Orient owners left Millfields Road for another racing ground across

Hackney Marshes Hackney Marshes is an area of open space in London's Lower Lea Valley, lying on the western bank of the River Lea. It takes its name from its position on the eastern boundary of Hackney, the principal part of the London Borough of Hackney, an ...

soon after, having stayed for 30 years. The ground closed in 1969, the Greyhound Racing Association selling with housing redevelopment taking its place in 1974.

Lea Bridge Road

Clapton Orient left Millfields in 1930, moving to Lea Bridge Stadium which had been used as a speedway stadium. Orient's first match held there was a 3–1 win over Newport County on 4 September 1930, in front of a crowd of 5,505., p.141 However, the ground was closed for repairs by order of the Football League after the directors of

Torquay United Torquay United Football Club is a professional football club based in Torquay, Devon, England. The team currently compete in the , the fifth tier of English football. They have played their home matches at Plainmoor since 1921 and are nickna ...

complained that a wooden fence was too close to the touchline. Orient's next two home league fixtures (both victories) were held at

, the second attracting a crowd of just 1,916 to see the 3–1 win over Southend United. An

tie against Luton Town had to be held at

Arsenal Stadium Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, London, which was the home of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006. It was popularly known as "Highbury" due to its location and was given the affectionate nicknam ...

. The capacity of the stadium was 20,000 and although with improvements it could have been increased to 50,000, the Orient directors were never content with the ground. There were rumours of a move as far as Mitcham or a merger with short-lived neighbours

but a decision was made to move to

in time for the start of the 1937–38 season. The last Orient match to be held at Lea Bridge Road was another 3–1 victory over Southend United in front of a crowd of 2,541. The stadium was demolished in the 1970s.

Brisbane Road

Brisbane Road has undergone many changes since Orient's arrival. Previously known as Osborne Road and having been the home of

, it initially had only one stand (known as "the orange box") on the east side that held 475 people and cover on the west side for standing. All of the standing was cinder banks. The East Stand (also known as the Main Stand) was bought from Mitcham Greyhound Stadium in 1956 and eventually extended to cover the whole east side. The terraced enclosures at the front of the East Stand were replaced by seating in the late 1990s. Over the decades, the west side became a covered terrace and finally a seated-stand, while uncovered terracing was built at the north and south sides. As the ground's capacity was being progressively reduced through changes to ground safety regulations, Orient looked to redevelop Brisbane Road as an all-seater stadium to secure its future there. The initial plans, dubbed ''Orient 2000'' by the club, were revealed in the mid-1990s. The plans were ambitious, as they involved rotating the pitch and developing all four sides. However, the club's near-bankruptcy and subsequent buy-out by Barry Hearn meant that a more realistic redevelopment plan was instigated. The first phase involved demolition of the South Terrace in the late 1990s and after delays while National Lottery funding was unsuccessfully sought the new South Stand was opened at the start of the 1999–2000 season. Brisbane Road West Stand - 2

The next phase of redevelopment (replacement of the North Terrace and West Stand) ran into financial problems. Notwithstanding that finance for the redevelopment had already been raised by selling off the four corners of the stadium for residential blocks of flats, an increase in costs meant that an emergency general meeting of the company was needed in April 2005. It was agreed that the club should sell a c.999-year lease on the West Stand for £1.5 million to a consortium led by Barry Hearn (under the company name ''Samuel Beadie (Leyton) Ltd'' or ''SBLL''), with SBLL leasing back to the club on a same-length lease all of the stand except the office space for an annual rent of £1. The additional funds generated by this complicated arrangement were used to complete the building of the West Stand. External completion of the West Stand was achieved in mid-2005 and the stand was opened for the 2005–06 season. The stand has a single lower tier of seating, while further up the structure are directors' and corporate hospitality boxes, club offices and player facilities, which were fitted out in summer 2007, prior to which the players continued to use the facilities in the East Stand. A second EGM was held in May 2006, where it was agreed to sell further land behind the North and South Stands to SBLL for £1.25 million, the proceeds to be used to fund the building of the North Stand. The plan was to commence building the North Stand in July 2006 and for it to be open by Christmas 2006 but Waltham Forest council initially rejected the revised planning application for the stand and its adjoining additional flats. A revised application approved in early 2007 and construction began towards the end of the 2006–07 season. The stand – which has become the Family Stand – was completed before the 2007–08 season, giving the O's a four-sided ground once more, with a capacity of 9,271. The modernisation of the East Stand happened during the break between the season of 2013/14 and 2015/16. Black seats formed a pattern over the other red seats to spell out "The O's". During the 2008–09 season, Leyton Orient changed the name of the South Stand in honour of the late Orient top-scorer, Tommy Johnston and is known simply as the Tommy Johnston Stand.

Olympic Stadium proposal

On 18 October 2011, the club submitted a request to the Football League to become tenants of the London 2012

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games. An Olympic stadium is the site of the opening and closing ceremonies. Many, though not all, of these venues actually contain the words ''Olympic Stadium'' as ...

after the initial decision to award

West Ham West Ham is an area in East London, located east of Charing Cross in the west of the modern London Borough of Newham. The area, which lies immediately to the north of the River Thames and east of the River Lea, was originally an ancient ...

the stadium collapsed on 11 October 2011, following legal challenges from

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

and Leyton Orient. Orient also expressed an interest in ground sharing the stadium with West Ham, but West Ham were not keen on the idea, and in December 2012 West Ham was chosen as the permanent tenant of the Olympic Stadium. Orient chairman Barry Hearn voiced his complaints over West Ham United being given an anchor tenancy at the stadium. Orient claimed that the stadium was too close to their own, which they claimed would breach FA rules and by extension, move the club into bankruptcy. On 6 March, Barry Hearn stated that he would mount another legal challenge as he believed that the rules set out by the LLDC had not been followed. Hearn also said that he felt that Leyton Orient's proposed ground share had been ignored and not properly explored. Orient's legal challenge was ended when a confidential agreement between Orient and the

was reached.

Rivalries

Among Orient's main rivals are Southend United, with whom they contest the A13 derby. The rivalry came about after a period of Southend being Orient's geographically closest league rivals between 1998 and 2005. Although they have not often played in the same division, they have met in the League Cup in 2011–12 season, Leyton Orient beating the Shrimpers after extra time on penalties. More recently, Southend beat Orient 3–2 on aggregate in the 2012–13

Southern Area Final. Other local rivals include West Ham United,

Brentford Brentford is a suburban town in West London, England and part of the London Borough of Hounslow. It lies at the confluence of the River Brent and the Thames, west of Charing Cross. Its economy has diverse company headquarters buildings wh ...

Dagenham & Redbridge Dagenham & Redbridge Football Club is a professional association football club based in Dagenham, Greater London, England. The team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. Often known simply as D ...

, Colchester United and Barnet. To a lesser extent and from a little further afield, Brighton & Hove Albion and Cambridge United are also considered rivals. Historic rivals include neighbours

and two other disbanded/merged clubs,

Leytonstone Leytonstone () is an area in east London, England, north-east of Charing Cross. Part of the London Borough of Waltham Forest, a local authority district of Greater London. It adjoins Wanstead to the north-east, Forest Gate to the south-east, ...

and Walthamstow Avenue. The Dagenham & Redbridge rivalry continues the old rivalries with the latter two.

Players

Current squad

Out on loan

Club management

:Source:

Boardroom staff

Coaching positions

{, class="wikitable" style="text-align:left;" , - ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#FF0000;", Position ! style="color:#FFFFFF; background:#FF0000;", Name , - , Director of Football ,

, - , Head Coach ,

Richie Wellens Richard Paul Wellens (born 26 March 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. He is currently head coach of EFL League Two club Leyton Orient. Wellens began his career at Manchester United be ...

, - , Assistant Head Coach , Paul Terry , - , Goalkeeping Coach ,

Simon Royce Simon Ernest Royce (born 9 September 1971) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who is goalkeeping coach at Leyton Orient, As a player he was a goalkeeper who played in the Premier League for Charlton Athletic and Lei ...

, - , First Team Coach ,

Matt Harrold Matthew James Harrold (born 24 July 1984) is a former English professional footballer who played as a forward and is currently first team coach for club Leyton Orient. Harrold has had numerous previous clubs including Wycombe Wanderers, South ...

, - , First Team Performance Analyst , Joe Austin , - , Physical Performance Coach , Vacant , - , Head Physiotherapist , Vacant , - , Sports Therapist , Melvin Hancock , - , Sports Scientist , Vacant , - , Academy Manager , Lee Johnson , - , Club Doctors , {{ublist, Dr Carl Waldmann , - , Kit Manager , Adrian Martin , - , Chief Scout , Steve Foster

Notable Former players

* {{flagicon, England Kevin Campbell * {{flagicon, England

Laurie Cunningham Laurence Paul Cunningham (8 March 1956 – 15 July 1989) was an English professional footballer. A left winger, he notably played in England, France and Spain, where he became the first ever British player to sign for Real Madrid. Cunningham ...

* {{flagicon, England

* {{flagicon, Kosovo Naim Uka

Honours

Football League Second Division The Football League Second Division was the second level division in the English football league system between 1892 and 1992. Following the foundation of the FA Premier League, the Football League divisions were renumbered and the third t ...

(2nd tier) **Runners-up: 1961–62 *

Football League Third Division The Football League Third Division was the third tier of the English football league system in 1920–21 and again from 1958 until 1992. When the FA Premier League was formed, the division become the fourth tier level. In 2004, following the ...

(3rd tier) **Champions: 1955–56, 1969–70 *

Football League Fourth Division The Football League Fourth Division was the fourth-highest division in the English football league system from the 1958–59 season until the creation of the Premier League prior to the 1992–93 season. Whilst the division disappeared in name ...

/ League Two (4th tier) **3rd place promotion: 2005–06 **Play-off winners: 1988–89 *

(5th tier) **Champions: 2018–19 *

**Runners-up: 2018–19 * Anglo-Scottish Cup **Runners-up: 1976–77 * London Challenge Cup **Winners: 1912, 1972, 1973, 1993 * Dubonnet Cup **Winners: 1911

Club records

*Biggest victory: 8–0 v

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

, Division 3 South 12 November 1955; 8–0 v

Rochdale Rochdale ( ) is a large town in Greater Manchester, England, at the foothills of the South Pennines in the dale on the River Roch, northwest of Oldham and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative centre of the Metropolitan Bor ...

, Division 4 14 October 1987; 8–0 v Colchester United, Division 4 15 October 1988; 8–0 v Doncaster Rovers, Division 3 28 December 1997 *Biggest defeat: 0–8 v

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park, ...

4th Round 30 January 1929 *Highest attendance: 38,219 v

{{cite book , last= Twydell , first= Dave , title= Football League Grounds For A Change , year= 1991 , page=178 , isbn=0-9513321-4-7 Division 2 16 March 1929 *Most capped international player: 22 –

(

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispa ...

) (32 in total) *Most league goals in a season: 35 – Tommy Johnston 1957–58, Division 2 *Most league goals in total: 121 – Tommy Johnston, 1956–58, 1959–61 *Highest transfer fee received: £1,000,000 –

Gabriel Zakuani Gabriel Abdala Zakuani (born 31 May 1986) is a Congolese retired professional footballer who played as a defender. He was most recently manager of Spalding United. Zakuani began his career with Leyton Orient, and was a vital member of the sid ...

July 2006;

Moses Odubajo Moses Adeshina Ayoola Junior Odubajo (born 28 July 1993) is an English professional footballer who plays as a right winger or a right back for Greek Super League club Aris. He is a product of the Leyton Orient youth system and represented Engla ...

June 2014 *Highest transfer fee paid: £200,000 – Liam Kelly from

Oldham Athletic Oldham Athletic Association Football Club is a professional football club in Oldham, Greater Manchester, England, which competes in the National League, the fifth tier of the English football league system. The history of Oldham Athletic be ...

July 2016 *The fastest recorded goal in a Playoff Final: Chris Tate, May 2001 v

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, between the Ribble and Wyre rivers, and is ...

– 27 seconds

Supporters

The supporter fan-base is usually centred in

. The Supporters club is the official supporters representative although there is a smaller group called ''Leyton Orient Fans Trust''. that are involved in fans rep meeting alongside the supporters club, The fans trust coordinated protests against the owner at the time between 2017 and 2019 at

Blackpool F.C. Blackpool Football Club is a professional association football club based in the seaside town of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1887, th ...

(along with home fans who were also protesting their management), which included a protest down Leyton high road which was attended by a couple of hundred people. In April 2016 a smaller fans group known at the time as OTF arranged pitch protests against

Hartlepool United Hartlepool United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Hartlepool, County Durham, England. The team competes in League Two, the fourth tier of the English football league system. They were founded in 1908 as Hartle ...

, where the fans stormed the pitch and Colchester United where the game was abandoned after a pitch invasion with five minutes remaining which saw thousands enter the pitch effectively getting the game abandoned. although the remaining five minutes were eventually played three hours later behind closed doors, the protest brought much needed publicity to the club's plight, with worldwide news coverage. Notable fans include Bob Mills, Daniel Mays,

Colin Matthews Colin Matthews, OBE (born 13 February 1946) is an English composer of contemporary classical music. Noted for his large-scale orchestral compositions, Matthews is also a prolific arranger of other composer's music, including works by Berlioz, ...

, and Andrew's brother Julian.{{cite web, url=http://www.julianlloydwebber.com/biography.asp, title=Julian Lloyd Webber – Biography, work=julianlloydwebber.com, url-status=dead, archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080106223758/http://www.julianlloydwebber.com/biography.asp, archive-date=6 January 2008 The album ''

'', which was famously used as the theme tune for

London Weekend Television London Weekend Television (LWT) (now part of the non-franchised ITV London region) was the ITV network franchise holder for Greater London and the Home Counties at weekends, broadcasting from Fridays at 5.15 pm (7:00 pm from 1968 un ...

's South Bank Show, was written by Andrew Lloyd Webber as the result of his losing a bet to Julian Lloyd Webber on the result of a Leyton Orient match. Julian later presented a gold disc of ''Variations'' to the club chairman at half time during a game with Leicester City.{{citation needed, date=January 2022

References

{{Reflist

External links

{{Commons category {{BBC football info, BBClinkname=leyton-orient
Leyton Orient official websiteLeyton Orient Fans' Trust
{{Leyton Orient F.C. {{Leyton Orient F.C. seasons {{Football League Two {{EFL League One {{Football in London {{Authority control 1881 establishments in England Association football clubs established in 1881 Sport in the London Borough of Waltham Forest Football clubs in London Football clubs in England Southern Football League clubs English Football League clubs