Sammy Moore feels his Leyton Orient teammates learnt a lot after their 4-0 home defeat to Northampton last weekend. The O’s head to Notts County tomorrow looking to bounce back and increase their winning run on their travels.
- Sit 9th on 46 points
- 2 points outside the play off places
Moore started back to back games for the first time since picking up an injury in November and is delighted to be back playing. The former Wimbledon midfielder spoke to leytonorient.com earlier today “when the gaffer came in, we had a good chat and he said make sure I come back fit and sharp. I am pleased to have started the last two but it was disappointing we didn’t get the win but on a personal level I am delighted to be back playing”
- League Record – P31 W12 D10 L9 F46 A45
- Last 8 – W3 D1 L4 F9 A14
- Away Record – P15 W5 D6 L4 F21 A22
- Last Away games (most recent first) – WWDLLD
Orient have been up and down since Kevin Nolan’s appointment in early January, winning away and losing heavily at home, a trend that Moore wants to stop. “We know it has to be better, we need to find that consistency every week. We went to Portsmouth and put in an unbelievable away performance but didn’t do it at home”
- Kept 7 clean sheets – 3 away from home
- Have kept 3 in their last 5 games including their last two away matches
- Have conceded 2 or more goals in 6 of their last 9 matches
After seeing Northampton’s climb up the League Two table, Moore knows that if his side can put a run together “then we will be a real force, we showed that at Portsmouth but we can’t let our standards slip and need to stay on a level”. Moore and his side acknowledged “how drilled Northampton were and how they make teams crumble, we have learnt a lot from them, believe me”.
- Only failed to score in 3 matches – 1 away from home
- Their 4-0 defeat to Northampton was the first time they have not scored in 14 matches
- Have scored in their last 12 away league matches
- Both teams have scored in 21 of their 31 games and 11 of their 15 away games
Moore has praised the impact that his manager has had since his arrival in January, speaking to leytonorient.com “he has been brilliant since he walked in, training has been really good, there are smiles on faces every day but we are working our socks off. The training is a much higher tempo, it has been taken up a notch”. He added “We start work on a Monday gearing up for the Saturday, people are fighting for places, we have a good squad here and we feel we should be doing better”.
- There has been at least 1 goal in every Orient league match
- All 5 of their away wins have been by a 1 or 2 goal margin
- Opened the scoring in the first 15 minutes of 5 away games – the joint most in the league
- 52% of their games have been over 2.5 goals
Nolan highlighted that his side learnt a lot from the defeat to Northampton and they have to create chances while they are top in matches. Speaking to leytonorient.com ahead of the trip to Nottingham tomorrow “We were disappointed with our performance in the second half, we are hoping this week to put that right”
- 26 of their 46 goals scored have been in the second half
- 20 of them have been scored in the last 30 minutes
- Orient would sit 13th if games ended after 60 minutes
- Only 1 of their last 8 goals has been scored in the first half
- 6 of their last 8 games have been draws at half time
Orient’s player manager has set his side a target of 70+ points to reach the play offs but understands that consistency is key to achieving that goal. “It is something we keep pushing on to the lads, we as a squad know that we can’t keep going win, loss, win loss. We need to go on a unbeaten run and even if we don’t get the win we certainly don’t lose it”. Nolan added “We have had mixed results, we are hoping it is starting to bed in. It is important to go on a sequence of results and start putting points on the board every week”.
- Record scoring first – W11 D5 L3 – away W5 D4 L2
- Record conceding first – W1 D5 L6 – away D2 L2
- Have not won their last 10 away games conceding first
- Last win came against Chesterfield (3-2) – 14/02/15
- Have only won 1 of their last 17 conceding first
Nolan has increased the influence of Andy Edwards in his set up to work alongside Andy Hessenhaler and Lee Harrison. “It is important that they see the game the same way way as me, to have someone like Andy who is already here working with the Youth. It gives me a good opportunity to have a good chat about the youngsters working with him and we want that to be successful here”
- 8 of their 12 wins have come against bottom half side
- Record – P15 W8 D3 L4 – 27/46 points
Notts County head into tomorrow’s clash following their third win in five matches since Jamie Fullarton’s appointment at Meadow Lane. County picked up a 3-2 win away at Hartlepool on Tuesday night with manager Fullarton looking to replicate their away form in front of their home fans.
- Sit 14th on 39 points
- League Record – P29 W11 D6 L12 F44 A50
- Last 8 – W3 D1 L4 F11 A15
- Home record – P14 W7 D2 L5 F26 A24
- Last home games (most recent first) – LLDWWL
Fullarton has been in charge for five matches, picking up nine points from a possible 15 with all of the points coming away from Meadow Lane. Speaking to nottscounty.co.uk earlier today “it has been a steady start, with progression there is a period required for adaptation and the attitude of the players has been first class. It has been reflective in both the performances and the results”
- Kept 6 clean sheets – 2 at home
- Kept 2 in their last five matches
- Have conceded in their last 7 home matches
- 4 of their 7 home wins have been by a 1 goal margin
County rushed in to a two goal lead at Hartlepool on Tuesday night but were pegged back in the second half but the character of his side impressed Fullarton, “2-0 up, the elements were a key factor, it was pleasing to see your players when it goes to 2-2 away from home respond positively to show resilience” .
- Failed to score in 5 games – 3 of them at home
- Only failed to score in 2 of their last 15 league matches
- Both teams have scored in 19 of their 29 matches and 9 of their 14 home matches
Fullarton has identified a key to his sides form as a blend of experience of youth with experience, “at any level it is important to have experience and youth to succeed We have the right characters to help and develop the younger players not only on a Saturday but during the week in training” With Alan Smith, Roy Caroll and Jon Stead in his squad Fullarton understands the role that they can play at Notts County.
- Only 5 teams have a worse defensive record than County
- 4 of their 5 home defeats have been by at least 2 goals
Stead netted three in his last three games including a brace in Tuesday’s victory at Hartlepool and feels that he is now getting in to better positions to score goals. Speaking to nottscounty.co.uk today “It is pleasing to chip in with goals, it has helped me playing centrally, I am back to what I have been doing for most of my career and being utilised in my best position”
- Have conceded 30 of their goals in the second half
- 21 of them have been in the last 15 minutes – no team has conceded more in that period
- 12 of those have been in home matches
- County would sit 8th if games ended after 75 minutes
Fullarton named the same starting starting 11 in his last two matches and Stead thinks that it has helped his side pick up results, “consistently we are better but still a away of where we want to be but it helps with a settled side”. The 32 year old has praised his managers back to basics approach, “we work on patterns and playing from a structure, it has been key since he came in. We have nailed down our jobs and as a group we attack from a strong framework”
- 15 of their 26 home goals have been scored between 31-60 minutes
- Only scored first in 5 of their 14 home matches
- 59% of their games have seen over 2.5 goals
Stead understands that with the system that his side play that playing away from home can be easier with the counter attack and understands “that at home there is an expectation to express. We have to be creative and a force at home, we are looking to be resolute and solid, catching teams when the time is right”.
- Record scoring first – W8 D3 L3 home W4 D1
- Record conceding first – W3 D2 L9 home W3 D1 L5
- Have lost 4 of their last 5 conceding first
Fullarton acknowledges the part that the Notts County supporters can play for the rest of the season “people talk about them being the 11th man but we must give them something to cheer about. It is important that as a group we give fans encouragement and engage them to give us an atmosphere at home”
- Have taken 19 of their 23 home points against sides in the bottom half
- Have only won 1 of 14 matches played against teams in the top half
- Record – W1 D3 L10
- Bottom Half record – P15 W10 D3 L2
Team News
Mawouna Amevor and Scot Bennett are doubts for the home side after missing the trip to Hartlepool in midweek. Stanley Aborah and Rob Milsom could be included after recently returning from illness and injury but Fullarton could name an unchanged side for a third consecutive match.
Fullarton expects a tough game from Orient tomorrow, “they have recently got a new manager and he is slowly implementing what he wants and they are getting better. We take every game as it comes, they have impetus and have had a very good away record recently, it will be a test”.
Kevin Nolan has no new injury worries ahead of the trip tomorrow with long term absentees Lloyd James, Dean Cox and Paul McCallum still unavailable. Nolan could make changes in defence after conceding four goal against Northampton while Ollie Palmer or Armand Gnanduillet could be included to partner Jay Simpson in attack.
Nolan on Notts County “It will be a tough one, they had a fantastic win in midweek. They are flying high and have some good players who I know really well. We are looking forward to going there and hopefully putting what was so wrong last week right this week”
Head to Head – Notts County 30 Draw 19 Leyton Orient 27
Last Meeting – 03/10/15 – Leyton Orient 3-1 Notts County
- Orient have only won 1 of the last 4 meetings
- The last 3 games at Meadow Lane have been draws
- Orient have not lost in their last 4 games at Meadow Lane (W1, D3)
- Orient have only lost 1 of the last 7 meetings (1-0 loss, 10/02/15)
- All of their last 3 wins have come at home
Prediction – Notts County 1-2 Leyton Orient