Leyton Orient striker David Mooney insists that his side needs to shrug off their 2-0 defeat at Borehamwood on Saturday when they host FC Halifax tomorrow. The O’s saw their four game unbeaten run ended at Meadow Park with goals from Danny Woodards and Kieran Murtagh sealing their defeat.

• 4th on 16 points
• League Record – P9 W5 D1 L3  F14  A13
• Form in last six – W3  D1  L2  F9  A10

Mooney was one of number of Orient players who were not at the level desired by head coach Steve Davis. Davis who spoke to leytonorient.com post match stated “I thought we weren’t there today, it wasn’t what we have seen this season. There were too many players well below what we expect with only Jobi coming out with some credit”. He added “you are not going to win a football match anywhere playing like that”.

• Kept three clean sheets this season – only one at home
• Kept two in their last six games 
• Only kept one clean sheet in their last 16 home games – 
• Have only kept three clean sheets in their last 27 home league games

The defeat at Borehamwood was only Orient’s third of the season and head coach Davis was keen to not be too critical of his side “they have been superb up to today, we want to be positive, but the positive thing is we have a home game on Tuesday and Saturday so we have a chance to put it right”.

• Orient have bounced back from their two previous defeats with wins

Mooney felt Orient failed to do the basics on Saturday and that was the most disappointing thing. Speaking to leytonorient.com “we will miss chances and lose games but think it was the manner on how we lost. Jobi was our best player, everyone else had off days. You are not going to win many games with ten players having off days”.

• Orient have conceded the most goals out of the top 15 teams in the National League
• Orient have conceded 5/13 goals between minutes 31-45

Despite the loss, Orient still sit fourth, just one point off of the top, something which Mooney stated “12 weeks ago what would we have given to be in the situation we are in now, we are all happy with how things are going”. He added “we didn’t really perform how we have done over the last six weeks, but with disappointment comes a reaction and hopefully it happens Tuesday”. 

• Orient have only failed to score in two of their nine league matches this season
• Orient have scored in their last six home games
• Orient have not scored in seven straight home league games since November 2015 and January 2016

Saturday saw all three strikers in: Matt Harrold, David Mooney and Macauley Bonne on the pitch for the first time together. Davis moved to a midfield diamond late in the second half “I like the two of them (Bonne and Harrold) up there and I like to be able to run off them, it will work better”. However Mooney’s main aim is to get the club back to the Football League “as long as we are winning, I don’t really care who is playing. I want this club to do well and get this out of the league. Whatever 11 are on the pitch, we all want them to win”.

• Orient have scored two or more in four of their last six home games
• Orient last failed to score at home in a 0-2 defeat vs Wycombe, 01/04/17

With back to back home games this week Mooney is clear that his side need to utilise their home form. Speaking to the East London Advertiser “as a club we are in a great position, out home form is good, if we can take four or six points this week, I am sure we will right be in contention”.

• Home form – P4  W3  D1  L0  F10 A3
• Join best home record in league Dagenham and Gateshead
• Won five of their last six at home
• Last home defeat 1-3 vs Colchester, 29/04/17

Defenders George Elokobi and Josh Coulson both came off injured at Borehamwood with Davis keen that it is a squad game. Speaking to the East London Advertiser “all the players in the squad want to be here which is a great situation to be in, all of them want to be involved and some of them will be needed on Tuesday”.

• Orient have scored 10/14 in the second half (7 of their 10 home goals)
• Orient have scored the joint most (Dagenham) goals in the final 15 minutes of games (5) 

FC Halifax arrive in E10 on the back of a five match unbeaten run which continued with a 3-2 home victory over Maidenhead on Saturday. Two goals from Matt Kosylo and an Adam Morgan goal saw the Shaymen go 3 nil ahead before Maidenhead scored two goals in the last 11 minutes, but Halifax hung on for victory.

• Sit 6th on 15 points, just one point off of the playoffs
• League Record – P9  W4  D3  L2  F9  A7

The Shaymen are enjoying life back in the Vanarama National League after their promotion last season. Billy Heath’s men have continued where they left off last season and have won four of their last five games. 

• Form in last six games – W4  D1  L1  F9  A5

Manager Billy Heath spoke to fchalifax.com post match “the two goals at the end were disappointing because we really should have seen the game out, we’ve been particularly good at doing this season”. However despite making a couple of bad decisions, Heath was glad “that there is another win in the column”.

• All seven goals conceded have been in the second half
• Only side in National League not to concede a first half goal
• Halifax have not conceded a first half goal in their last 15 league games – since 2-1 win at Kidderminster, 01/04/2017

Heath was pleased with his sides attacking play on Saturday “going forward today we were really good, we had a couple of opportunities before we scored and the move for the first goal was great”. Matt Kosylo grabbed his second and third goals of the season with Heath pleased with his contribution “I have said all season, we cannot be just relying on the forwards we have got to weigh in with the wide players”

• Only Macclesfield (8) and Wrexham (8) have scored less goals in the top half
• Lowest away scorers alongside Guiseley (1)
• Only Torquay (8) have conceded more goals in the final 15 minutes of matches

Kosylo was pleased with his involvement and stated to fchalifax.com “we’ve got momentum, we just need to keep working hard because that’s the key to it”. He added “I think there was a little bit of doubt at the beginning of the season, I’m not sure why however we look like we have settled, the back four have been solid, even though we had to have people to fill positions they don’t play”

• Halifax have only trailed for 36 minutes this season, 47 minutes less than the next best team
• Have not trailed away from home in the league since 1st April
• Only trailed for 26 minutes away from home in 2017 in league games – 15 games

Despite the victory Kosylo was disappointed that his side failed to keep a clean sheet “you never know when goal difference could come into play at the end of the season, whether it be relegation or the play offs, so you want to keep as many clean sheets as possible”. Kosylo highlighted that “a win is a win, I think we made hard work of it in the end, we’re disappointed as we have prided ourselves in clean sheets this season”.

• Have kept five clean sheets this season – join most in League
• Kept 3 clean sheets in their last five games – without one in their last two
• Have kept a clean sheet in every away match this season 
• Kept seven consecutive away clean sheets 
• Last conceded an away goal – 709 minutes ago (01/04/17)

It is a difficult week for Halifax as they travel to Dagenham on Saturday but Heath maintains his aim “all we’ve got to do is keep concentrating on trying to win as many games as we can. We’ve got two difficult games coming up, two long trips away against two good sides, we approach them again, go there and be positive”.

• Away Record – P4  W1  D3  L0  F1  A0
• Only Ebblsfleet and Halifax have not beaten away from home
• Halifax have only lost two away league games in 2017
• Unbeaten in their last 10 away league games – W6 D4
• Last defeat 1-0 vs Alfreton, 07/03/2017

Team News

Orient will be without Charlie Lee and Josh Coulson tomorrow night with doubts on defender George Elokobi and winger James Dayton. Jamie Sendles-White replaced Coulson on Saturday and looks set to continue with Michael Clark likely to partner him if Elokobi misses out. Matt Harrold will be pushing for a start alongside Macauley Bonne.

Martin Riley will not be fit for tomorrow’s trip while Tom Denton is hoping to recover from a dead leg. Cliff Moyo is hoping to be in contention after being an used substitute on Saturday. Matt Kosylo and Adam Morgan will be hoping to add their tally of three goals apiece.

Head to Head  – Orient have not played FC Halifax since their reformation back in 2008

However their record against Halifax AFC

Leyton Orient 10, Draw 4, Halifax 4

• Last meeting – Orient 3-1 Halifax, 02/03/02
• Orient are unbeaten in the last 10 meetings – winning seven
• Only Failed to score in one of the last 10 games – 0-0 draw 22/09/01
• Orient have won their last six home games and eight of their nine home games
• Halifax last win 1-0, 14/04/1988
• Orient have scored two or more in four of the last five meetings

Prediction – Leyton Orient 1-1 FC Halifax