Leyton Orient vs. Tranmere Rovers match preview

Greenacre and Goodison could be missing for Tranmere as the Rovers head south

After their F.A. Cup draw against Hereford on Saturday, Tranmere Rovers fans, players and staff face the prospect of a long Tuesday night trip to London, as Rovers take on Leyton Orient in Coca-Cola League Two at Brisbane Road. The fixture has been re-arranged after the match was originally meant to take place on Saturday 5^th January, but Rovers'
progression in the F.A. Cup resulted in the game being re-arranged.

Rovers will be looking for their first league win on the road since early October as they take on a Leyton Orient side who have been in fine form so far this season in League One, although their home form has been anything but consistent.

Leyton Orient team profile:

Formed: 1881

Ground: Brisbane Road

Manager: Martin Ling

Nickname: The O's

Season Finish 2006/07: 20th (Coca-Cola League One)

Previous Meetings:

Despite having played the likes of Luton, Crewe and Carlisle twice in the league, this game will be the first meeting between Rovers and Leyton Orient for the 2007/08 season.

The first time the two sides met last season, Rovers ran out 3-0 winners as they continued their good start to the season with an comfortable win against a poor Leyton Orient side.

Rovers took the lead quite increadible on nine minutes as goalkeeper Gavin Ward opened the scoring on nine minutes with a sheer fluke of a goal. Ward hoofed a long free kick, awarded for an Orient player being offside, forward from about 15 yards outside his area. The ball was pushed forward by the wind and it bounced over Morris, who could only get his finger tips to the ball as it went in. Had the Orient 'keeper left the ball, the goal would not have stood as Ward's hoof was from an indirect free-kick.

Three minutes later, Tranmere doubled their lead. Ward again hoofed the ball clear, and this time it came to Shuker who saw his shot blocked. The ball only rebounded out to Greenacre though, who netted to make it 2-0.

With 11 minutes left in the match, Tranmere got a deserved third, with Greenacre getting his second of the match. Kevin Ellison received the ball from Jason McAteer and crossed to Greenacre, who, after seeing his first shot saved, smashed the ball through the legs of the Orient 'keeper.

The re-match at Brisbane Road on February 24^th saw a somewhat different result and performance from Rovers however, as injuries and suspensions took their toll on the team and Tranmere lost 3-1.

Rovers started the game with Danny Harrison and Gareth Taylor in defence thanks to injuries to Stockdale, McCready and Goodison whilst the substitute's bench had only Ellison who had played more than ten minutes of first team football.

The home side opened the scoring on 18-minutes as Miller fired home from Lockwood's corner before on 29-minutes on-loan striker Jarvis netted after Alexander had crossed from the left.

On 34-minutes, Greenacre got his third of the season against Orient as he halved the home sides lead as the striker netted from Danny Harrison's right-wing cross after Mullin had headed the ball back across goal.

However, five minutes later Orient secured the game as Jarvis got his second of the game, effectively killing the away side off. Again, the goal came from a Lockwood cross as the left-back, now with Nottingham Forest, found Jarvis in the penalty area, who put Orient 3-1 up.

Vital Stats:

The first two meetings between these sides came in the F.A. Cup, as Orient eventually beat Tranmere on a replay in the 1953/54 season

In eleven away games against Leyton Orient, Tranmere have just two wins, whilst the London side have seven

In six of the last seven games between the two teams, one side has scored three goals or more

In the last eight fixtures between the teams, the away side has only scored in two games, with Tranmere getting both of those goals

Tranmere have scored 32 goals in 22 games against Orient, although only eight of them have come in London

On This Day:

2002: Tranmere, managed by Dave Watson win 3-1 away to Southend in Division Two, with Allison, Flynn and Price scoring the Tranmere goals

2000: Rovers complete another famous cup victory as they win 1-0 against Premiership side Sunderland in the Fourth Round of the F.A. Cup, with Wayne Allison scoring the only goal of the game in the first half. The game was not without controversy however, as Clint Hill was sent off by referee Rob Harris, however his number was shown as the player substituted as he walked off, replaced by Stephen Frail.

1999: Tranmere lost 2-1 at home to Wolves in Division One

Tranmere have played ten previous fixtures on January 8^th, picking up three wins, two draws and five defeats in the process. They have scored twelve goals and conceded fifteen in their ten fixtures on this day.

The Form Book:

Leyton Orient last 6 home games: DDWLDD
Tranmere last 6 away games: LLDLWD

Leyton Orient's form at Brisbane Road this season has been inconsistent, if not disappointing, to say the least, with the O's having drawn four of their last six games on home territory.

In the first match of their six game sequence, Martin Ling's side drew 1-1 in the F.A. Cup against Bristol Rovers before drawing 2-2 against Huddersfield Town at home three days later.

Orient followed this up with a 1-0 defeat to London rivals Millwall before returning to form with a 2-0 win against Cheltenham, with Boyd and Melligan getting the Orient goals in front of a crowd of just 4,156.

Two goalless stalemates have followed however, with Orient first drawing 0-0 against Yeovil before following this up with a result by the same score line against Gillingham in League One on Saturday, a game which was re-arranged from a Tuesday night fixture after both sides had been knocked out of the F.A. Cup.

Other notable results at home for Orient include wins over Port Vale (3-1) and Oldham Athletic (1-0), whilst two results notable for the wrong reasons include emphatic defeats at the hands of Hartlepool United (4-2) and Swansea City (5-0).

From twelve home matches, Orient have picked up five wins, for draws and three defeats, meaning they have a total of 19 points from an available 36.

On the road, Orient's form has been much like Tranmere's this season, as after a good start away from home, their form has tailed away. Notable results include wins over Southend (2-1), Crewe (2-0) and Yeovil Town (1-0) in the league, as well as a 2-1 win against Queens Park Rangers in the League Cup.

Tranmere's away form has undoubtedly been very poor since the start of October, as the only two wins in Tranmere's last nine away fixtures have come in the F.A. Cup first and second rounds.

In the first match of Tranmere's six match sequence, Rovers did well to earn a 0-0 draw against Doncaster Rovers at the Keepmoat Stadium, with Ronnie Moore's side played almost half the game with ten men following the dismissal of Carl Tremarco for a straight red card.

Rovers then won emphatically at Bradford, picking up a 3-0 win in the F.A. Cup second round but they are without a win on the road since.

Three days after the Bradford win, Rovers disappointingly lost 3-1 against Hartlepool United before drawing 0-0 away to struggling Port Vale.

Two weeks later, Tranmere travelled to London and were terribly unlucky to lose 1-0 against Luton Town, with Edwards scoring the only goal of the game on 69-minutes after Tranmere 'keeper Danny Coyne had dropped the ball at the feet of the Luton player.

On New Years day, in their most recent away fixture, Tranmere were again unlucky to lose as Crewe beat Ronnie Moore's side 4-3 at Gresty Road.

Tranmere had taken the lead on eight minutes with a wonder striker from Taylor, before leading the game again at 2-1, but Rovers then went on to trail the game 3-2, and after the dismissal of Ian Goodison, Rovers equalised before losing the game in the final minutes to a Danny O'Donnell goal.

Other notable away results for Tranmere include league wins against Gillingham (2-0), Carlisle United (1-0) and Southend United (2-1).

From twelve away games, Tranmere have picked up 13 points from an available 36 thanks to three wins, four draws and three defeats.

Important home wins for Tranmere this season include wins over Luton Town (2-1), Huddersfield Town (3-0) and Carlisle United (2-0).

Double Hit:

Irish creative midfielder Sean Thornton is one of a handful of players who has played for both Leyton Orient and Tranmere Rovers through the years.

Thornton came through the youth ranks as a highly talented youngster at Prenton Park and made his debut during the 2001/02 season when Rovers were managed by Dave Watson.

Thornton went on to make eleven appearances for Tranmere and scored one goal in a 2-1 win against Wigan, but with his contract expiring on the Wirral, the midfielder did the dirty on Tranmere, illegally signing a contract with Sunderland.

Thornton went on to sign for Sunderland in July 2002 and made 64 appearances for the club, netting nine times as well as securing promotion to the Premiership in his time with the Black Cats.

Whilst with Sunderland, Thornton also had a one month loan spell at Blackpool, for whom he played four games.

However, like many other talented youngsters, Thornton couldn't keep off the alcohol and he was left the club in June 2005, joining Doncaster Rovers for a fee of £175,000.

Still the problems continued for Thornton, and his performances on the pitch were affected by his heavy drinking as his form was inconsistent and it is believed by some Doncaster fans that he put on weight.

He made 77 appearances in two years for Doncaster, scoring four goals in the process of which one, a 25-yard strike against Aston Villa in a 3-0 League Cup win against the Premiership side, was undoubtedly the greatest moment of his time with Donny.

At the end of the 2006/07 season, Thornton however was released by Doncaster manager Sean O'Driscoll and he joined Leyton Orient on a free-transfer.

Since joining the O's Thornton has played 17 games and scored two goals, including one 30-yard strike on his debut against Southend United. He has however already been sent off twice this season, against Cardiff and Leeds.

Whenever Thornton comes up against Tranmere, the Rovers fans always make it known what they think of how he treated the club when he left in 2002, and the same is expected on Tuesday night, should he play.

One To Watch: Adam Boyd

25-year old striker Adam Boyd signed for Leyton Orient on a free transfer after an ineffective spell at Luton Town in July 2007.

Boyd came through the youth ranks with hometown club Hartlepool United, making his debut in the 1999/2000 season in League Two.

Boyd was to stay at Hartlepool for seven years, eventually making 169 league and cup appearances for the club, whilst netting 60 goals in the process.

Whilst with the Monkey Hangers, Boyd spent two spells on loan at Boston in the 2003/04 season, scoring four times in fourteen appearances for the Pilgrims before signing for Luton Town for a fee of £500,000 in July 2006.

However, Boyd never settled with the Hatters and managed to net on only two occasions in 23 appearances for the club in their relegation season before joining Leyton Orient on a free transfer in the summer.

Since, the 5.09 feet tall striker has scored eleven goals in 29 games in an Orient side which has so far been one of the strongest teams in the division.

A natural goal scorer, the Orient number 18 lacks height but makes up for that with his finishing in front of goal and more than useful pace. With Rovers missing Ian Goodison, the striker, who has not scored for five games, is sure to test the Tranmere defence.

Around League One:

There are only two fixtures this week in Coca-Cola League One, although both are undoubtedly more exciting and important than this weeks Carling Cup Semi-Final fixtures.

Tranmere's game against Orient is important for both sides, as each team looks to push back towards the promotion places following some poor form, which has come on the road for Tranmere and at home for Orient.

A win for Tranmere could see them move back into the play-offs, should they achieve the unlikely result of a win by three clear goals with Walsall also losing their fixture at Yeovil, whilst Orient, now seventh in the table, could move up to fifth place with a win.

Tranmere are now on 34 points from 24 games, just three points off the play-offs and three points behind Leyton Orient, although they do have a better goal difference than the London side.

However, having played the fixture, each team will have played one more game, at least, than most teams in the division, although there is nothing better than having the points on the board.

The soul remaining fixture in League One this mid-week is at Huish Park, where Yeovil Town take on Walsall.

Yeovil, now a point and a place above Tranmere, can also move into the play-offs with a win, whilst Walsall are indeed the sixth placed team that Tranmere, Yeovil and Leyton Orient are all looking to over take this week.

Team News:

Tranmere will be without both wingers, Chris Shuker and Steve Davies, who both have cruciate knee ligament damage and niether will play again this season. Ian Goodison sits out the second match of a four game ban whilst Chris Greenacre, who missed Saturdays draw with Hereford, is yet again a doubt. Jennison Myrie-Williams could also miss the game.

Jones' Prediction: Leyton Orient 2-0 Tranmere Rovers

Tranmere have for a long time now saved their worst performances for Tuesday nights, such as the likes of the dire 3-1 defeat to Hartlepool and boring 0-0 draw against the same opposition in the recent years.

Without both wingers, Shuker and Davies, Tranmere will most likely struggle against a team who have so far this season proved that they are well capable of earning promotion to the Coca-Cola Championship.

McLaren and Jennings will be key in central midfield for Tranmere, but that might not be enough should Greenacre and Myrie-Williams also miss the game through injury.