Leyton Orient defender Josh Coulson knows his side want to avenge their August drubbing by Bromley tomorrow. The O’s suffered their heaviest League defeat in two years at Hayes Lane with Coulson stating to leytonorient.com “I am expecting a reaction, we owe these one. We all know what happened away”.

• Sit 18th on 30 points – nine over relegation zone
• League Record – P26  W8  D6  L12  F35  A41
• Third worse defensive record in league
• Form in last six – W4  L2  F10  A6

The O’s head into tomorrow’s clash on the back of a 2-0 home victory over Dagenham, their fourth victory in a row. Two goals early in the second half from Josh Coulson and top scorer MacAuley Bonne continued their revival under new head coach, Justin Edinburgh.

• Have won four matches in a row for first time since August 2015
• Only lost one of five home matches against top half of table – W3 D1  L1
• Defeat came against Macclesfield 0-1,
• Seven of their eight league wins been by two or more goals

Boxing Day’s result saw Orient keep back to back league clean sheets for the first time since May 2016. Since Edinburgh’s arrival, Orient have only conceded three goals in five matches and Coulson highlighted that it is not only the defence that benefits from the shutouts. “We defend from the front, we have done that the last two games. It helps us out massively at the back, when they are on it pressing at the front it makes it so much easier”. He added “for the whole team, two clean sheets is massive, it give us massive confidence”.

• Kept five league clean sheets – two at home
• Two in last 13 games
• Not conceded a goal in 265 minutes of football
• Only trailed for 53 minutes in last four matches – not trailed in last three games

After Tuesday’s win Edinburgh once again praised the performance of goalkeeper Dean Brill who has played every game under the former Northampton man’s reign. Edinburgh’s decision to bring in Brill was questioned by a few but speaking to leytonorient.com he stated “We can’t underestimate the presence of Dean Brill, his voice and composure. It was a decision which I thought was necessary and it is paying it’s dividends”.

• Failed to score in seven league games (three at home)
• Scored in their last four and seven of the last nine
• Last failed to score 02/12/17, Solihull 1-0
• Scored two or more in their last four games

Orient were on the back foot for much of the first half on Tuesday but grew into the game earning the victory in the second half. Edinburgh was delighted with his players and stated to BBC London “it will be about continuing what we are doing, we don’t change, we just get better at what we do. You can see that, the players are efficient and understanding, we are seeing the players express themselves in the opposition half”.

• Scored 22/35 league goals in second half – including 11 in final 15 minutes of matches
• 15/21 home league goals have been scored in second half – including eight of the last ten
• Nine of the last 12 goals in league have been scored in second half
• Eight of the ten goals under Edinburgh come in second period

With back to back home wins, Edinburgh is keen for his side to make it three in a row tomorrow and want opposition teams to hate coming to East London. Speaking to East London Advertiser “we want to continue to make Brisbane Road a fortress and a horrible place for people to come”. He added “what we need to do is turn it into our advantage and make it a place people fear”.

• Home League Record – P13  W5  D3  L5  F21  A17
• Unbeaten in last four games – W2  D2
• Back to back home wins for first time since December 2016
• Not won three consecutive home games since August 2015
• Scored in last four home games

The O’s have only ended the year with a win in one of their last four seasons  but Edinburgh is aware that is side will need to be resolute tomorrow when Bromley arrive. Speaking to leytonorient.com “it will be another difficult encounter, a team that has been in the top half for most of the season. They have goals in them that is for sure, we witnessed that before my time here”. He added “we have got to be compact and disciplined and make sure we impose ourselves in the final third”

• Win 2014/2015 – Yeovil 0-3 Leyton Orient, 29/12/14

Bromley travel to East London on the back of a 2-1 boxing day defeat away at Ebbsfleet. Jack Powell put Fleet ahead on 15 minutes but the lead only lasted four minutes when Louis Dennis fired Bromley level. However Danny Kedwell’s  on the half hour mark proved to be the difference.

• Sit 10th on 38 points – two points outside play offs
• League Record – P26  W10  D8  L8  F41  A34
• Form in last six – W1  D3  L2  F10  A11
• One win in last seven – W1  D4  L2 (win 2-0, Hartley Wintney, FA Trophy)

Tuesday’s defeat was their fifth game without a win with manager Neil Smith uncertain if his side are learning from their mistakes. Speaking to bromleytv “I don’t know if we are learning our lessons, we are getting punished and it was two sloppy goals again”. Smith revealed he asked “the boys to start being tighter but we let two soft goals in, we came back in with Louis but in the end we huffed and puffed”.

• Kept eight league clean sheets – four away
• No clean sheet in last two, one in last six (FA Trophy vs Hartley Wintney) 
• One in last seven league games (Barrow 3-0, 25/11/17)
• Kept three in their last five away games

It was the second game in a row that Bromley trailed at the break and it is something that Smith knows needs to change if they are to start winning games. Speaking to bromleytv “I said to them, we can’t keep having first halves like you do, away to Eastleigh we let in two, last week we let one in and today two. It can’t keep happening, we can’t keep coming from goals down to try and grab or point or win the game”.

• Trailed at the break in three of their last five matches
• Taken only one point from possible 18 when trailing at half time this season
• No win in last 41 games trailing at half time – D7  L34
• Last win came 04th April 2015, 2-1 vs Boreham Wood

With the Ravens conceding six goals in their last two away games, Smith highlighted the need for work on the training pitch ahead of the clash with Orient. “We have got to get back being solid at the back, we will be working on that in the next few days because going to Leyton Orient will be a difficult game”.

• Away League Record – P13  W5  D4  L4  F21  A21
• Top Scorers away from home
• Only lost one of last five  – W3  D1  L1
• Only won three of last 12 away – all three wins with clean sheets

Bromley are the joint top scorers in the league and Smith is aware that if they tighten up defensively, they will create chances and score goals. Speaking to Bromleytv “We need to make sure we start being solid at the back, it gives us a foundation. We are free-flowing up there, I know we will create and score. It is not just the back four, the midfield and strikers need to help us tighten it up”.

• Failed to score in six league games – Two away
• Scored in last five games
• Last failed to score – 28/11/17 Aldershot 0-2
• Scored in 12 of their last 13 league games
• Scored in last nine away league games – last failed 02/09/17 vs Wrexham

Bromley’s biggest victory of the season came in the reverse fixture in August with Smith acknowledging that Orient will be after revenge. Speaking to bromleyfc “it’s going to be a difficult game, they are going to want to repay what happened when we played them earlier in the season. There is no doubt we will create chances, need to make sure we stop giving them away”.

• Scored two or more goals in 13/26 league games – joint most in league
• Scored two or more goas in 7/13 away league games
• Only lost one of their 13 games against bottom half sides – W8  D4  L1 (Defeat by Halifax 2-1 away)
• 20/41 league goals scored at the end of both halves (11 – 31/45 minutes, 9 – 76/90 minutes)

Team News

Defender Bondz N’Gala is back available after being ineligible to play against his parent club on Boxing day. Myles Judd should be back in the squad after suffering a tight groin while George Elokobi is nearing fitness.

• Edinburgh has named nine of the starting 11 in the last three matches

Prediction – Leyton Orient 2-1 Bromley