Leyton Orient captain Stephen Purches

Orient captain Stephen Purches says his team must “hold their nerve” in their away match against Brentford in the London derby on Saturday.

Both teams are hovering perilously close to the League One relegation zone, with Brentford in 16^th place on 43 points and Orient one place below on 41 points.

“At this point in the season all the games are crunch matches,” Purches said. “From now until the end of the season it’s about who can hold their nerve and reach the target.

“Relegation’s going to be in the back of your mind but you don’t want to be involved in that. It’s there and we’re not far away from it but at the moment we’re in a situation where we’re not in it. The quicker you get the points, the better you feel and that’s our aim – we want to get up as high as we can in the table.”

The pressure will be intensified on Saturday by the two teams’ local rivalry, something Purches tried to play down, saying “three points are three points”.

However, he was quick to add that London derbies are always special.

“There will definitely be a good atmosphere,” he said. “I’m looking forward to taking part in that.

“Three points makes people’s weekends. It’s a big thing for the club and the fans.”

The O’s skipper is only 50 per cent sure that he will be fit enough to play at the weekend as he is still recovering from the calf injury he sustained against Walsall last week.

“I’ve done some running and jogging, hopefully I’ll be able to take part in training later in the week. I’ll keep my fingers crossed; it’s a game I want to play in,” he said.

The London side sorely missed Purches last weekend in their 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield, with manager Geraint Williams lambasting the defence as “a shambles”. Purches said the side needed to improve.

“We need to impose ourselves a little bit more on the game. Huddersfield imposed their game on us; we found it difficult to get out of our half. We need to get the ball out wide like we have been doing and get balls and crosses in the box.”

Purches also hailed the news that French striker Jonathan Tehoue had committed his long-term future to the club.

“He’s come on and made an impact. He’s proved his loyalty to the club. He’s a big presence; hopefully he will be able to get a couple more goals before the end of the season.”

Stephen Purches (Photo: Leyton Orient FC)

Orient captain Stephen Purches says his team must “hold their nerve” in their away match against Brentford in the London derby on Saturday.

Both teams are hovering perilously close to the League One relegation zone, with Brentford in 16th place on 43 points and Orient one place below on 41 points.

“At this point in the season all the games are crunch matches,” Purches said. “From now until the end of the season it’s about who can hold their nerve and reach the target.

“Relegation’s going to be in the back of your mind but you don’t want to be involved in that. It’s there and we’re not far away from it but at the moment we’re in a situation where we’re not in it. The quicker you get the points, the better you feel and that’s our aim – we want to get up as high as we can in the table.”

The pressure will be intensified on Saturday by the two teams’ local rivalry, something Purches tried to play down, saying “three points are three points”.
However, he was quick to add that London derbies are always special.

“There will definitely be a good atmosphere,” he said. “I’m looking forward to taking part in that.”

“Three points makes people’s weekends. It’s a big thing for the club and the fans.”

The O’s skipper is only 50 per cent sure that he will be fit enough to play at the weekend as he is still recovering from the calf injury he sustained against Walsall last week.

“I’ve done some running and jogging, hopefully I’ll be able to take part in training later in the week. I’ll keep my fingers crossed; it’s a game I want to play in,” he said.

The London side sorely missed Purches last weekend in their 2-0 defeat to Huddersfield, with manager Geraint Williams lambasting the defence as “a shambles”. Purches said the side needed to improve.

“We need to impose ourselves a little bit more on the game. Huddersfield imposed their game on us; we found it difficult to get out of our half. We need to get the ball out wide like we have been doing and get balls and crosses in the box.”

Purches also hailed the news that French striker Jonathan Tehoue had committed his long-term future to the club.

“He’s come on and made an impact. He’s proved his loyalty to the club. He’s a big presence; hopefully he will be able to get a couple more goals before the end of the season.”

Click here to hear the interview

The Hackney Post’s Lauren Cockbill speaks to Leyton Orient captain Stephen Purches about the upcoming derby game against Brentford.

Click here to read the interview

Image: Leyton Orient FC

Leyton Orient succumbed to their first home defeat of 2010 on Saturday as Huddersfield Town punished a thoroughly dispirited O’s performance with a clinical 2-0 win.

The result left Orient just four points clear of the relegation zone ahead of the local derby at Brentford next weekend.

Orient manager Geraint Williams deemed his side’s first half performance a “shambles”, but after three straight defeats it was play-off chasers Huddersfield that looked the more nervous at the offset. The visitors’ young centre-back Neal Trotman conceded a needless corner in just the opening seconds and then hoofed the ball onto the roof of Brisbane Road’s highest stand from the resulting set-piece. Continue Reading

Téhoué: thankful for new contract (photo: Leyton Orient FC)

Orient striker Jonathan Téhoué has thanked the club for giving him a lifeline back into football after he signed a new contract extension last week.

The 25-year-old striker, who joined on a short-term deal, did enough to convince boss Geraint Williams that he was worthy of a longer stay.

Téhoué, who spent months on the sidelines after a contractual dispute with Turkish club Konyaspor, is grateful for the chance the O’s have offered him to play over the next two-and-a-half years.

“Leyton Orient is the club that gave me the chance to play football again,” he said, “So at the moment I have to stay focused on Leyton Orient”.

“The gaffer, the assistant coaches, everybody tried to help me a lot, and I’m really thankful to Geraint Williams for giving me the chance to play football again. I like him as a person and as a manager”. Continue Reading

The Hackney Post’s Tom Jackson interviews Leyton Orient’s French striker Jonathan Tehoue about settling in at Orient, his favourite team and his life in London.

Click here to read the interview.

Image: Leyton Orient FC

Leyton Orient bagged their first win in seven games, as a pair of strikes by Sean Thornton in the second-half saw off a sorry Walsall.

A low drive from Aaron Doran, on loan from Blackburn Rovers, was blocked by Walsall’s impressive goalkeeper Rene Gilmartin, but the ball bounced kindly to Thornton, tapping it in to give Orient the lead at 63 minutes.

Within minutes the home side looked set to double their lead, as Jonathan Téhoué controlled a corner from Charlie Daniels and flashed his strike through the mêlée of bodies in the box. But despite his efforts, no Orient player could direct the ball into the net.

Then, ten minutes after his first goal, Thornton dodged past a defender to score a second and put the game beyond Walsall’s reach.

Orient started the game well, with Téhoué shooting close to the mark several times in the first half. Gilmartin rushed out to smother the Frenchman’s early shot after a cross from Scott McGleish, and produced another smart save after Téhoué’s low strike from the edge of the box.
Continue Reading

London's Olympic Stadium - Photo: Getty Images

West Ham United want to move into London’s Olympic Stadium, even if an athletic running track has to remain.

The club is believed to be involved in talks over how best to allow the track to remain in the future super-stadium.

Sources close to West Ham say the club believes a solution is possible to accommodate both football and athletics after the 2012 games, and that West Ham’s involvement could provide the best option. Continue Reading

Image: Leyton Orient FC

Orient’s winless run stretched to six matches after Mark Carrington’s first-half header condemned them to defeat at stadiummk.

The Dons midfielder beat ‘keeper Jamie Jones to Aaron Wilbraham’s 31st-minute cross to head home the decisive goal.

Manager Geraint Williams dubbed the match “the poorest game of football I’ve seen all season,” and few of the  O’s travelling fans will disagree.

The Dons were in control throughout, with Luke Chadwick and Dean Lewington both going close before Carrington put them in front. Chadwick was then denied by Jones following a quickly-taken free-kick.

Orient offered very little in the attacking third and that will be a worry for Williams as the season near its crucial phase.

Continue Reading

Image: Leyton Orient FC

Relegation remains a worry for Orient after their 2-0 defeat at Boundary Park on Tuesday night extended their winless run to seven games.

Goals from Deane Smalley and Dale Stephens meant Oldham had the game wrapped up shortly after half-time.

Smalley slotted home after exchanging passes with Pawel Abbott after 20 minutes, before Stephens made the game safe by scoring from 12 yards four minutes after the restart.

Oldham looked dangerous on the break, with Daniel Nardiello and Abbott both coming close to making things even more embarrassing for the O’s.

Chris Taylor was a constant threat throughout, shooting just wide after cutting inside from the left and laying on the crucial pass from which Stephens wrapped the game up for the Latics.

Orient lacked any cutting edge in attack, with Jonathan Tehoue wasting their best chance when he headed a 19th-minute corner wide. Oldham were able to comfortably see out the match and Orient can have few complaints over the final scoreline.

Continue Reading