Ling revels in Orient’s away-day triumphs

ATHLETIC need to be on their guard against Leyton Orient, tomorrow’s visitors to Boundary Park.

The O’s are one of a select group of teams in Coca-Cola League One with a better away record than at home.

They are joined by MK Dons, Stockport, Huddersfield and Colchester in having amassed the majority of their points on their travels.

And their away-day achievements come as no surprise to O’s manager Martin Ling, who believes his men are ideally suited to playing away from the Matchroom Stadium.

He explained: “It is not by design, but simply the way we are. “We are a good, counter-attacking team and we have the pace which allows us to open up teams away from home.

“By contrast, if teams come to our ground to defend, we find it difficult to break them down.”

The O’s are unbeaten in their last six away games, having triumphed at Crewe and Huddersfield in the league and drawn away to Yeovil and Northampton.

During the same period, they have also won at Colchester and Bradford in the FA Cup.

Ling, who next month celebrates five years as O’s manager, believes his team’s proud record will receive its sternest test tomorrow, with Athletic flying high in League One.

He said: “It will be a difficult game as I thought before the start of the season Oldham would do well because of the four good strikers they have.

“Obviously there have been changes to the front line since then, but that is an area in which they are still particularly strong, especially with Lee Hughes one of their front men.

“While we know it will be hard, we will not be going to Boundary Park in fear.”

Ling admits his side’s topsy-turvy season has been frustrating.

Orient followed a 10-game sequence without a win with a run of seven unbeaten matches, which came to an end last Saturday with a 2-1 home reverse at the hands of Cheltenham Town.

Ling said: “We weren’t at our best, but I thought we still did enough to win the game.

“Cheltenham only had two shots on target and scored twice while we hit the crossbar twice, so it was cruel.

“We have to take it on the chin because there have been times when we have not played well and won.”

Ling says his side’s main failing throughout the campaign has been a lack of goals.

Orient have managed to score only 16 times in 20 league matches, the second worst strike rate in the division.

Adam Boyd has scored seven goals in League One and a further three in cup competitions, but next on the scoring list are John Melligan and Jason Demetriou with only three apiece.

“The lack of goals is a cause for concern because we would have expected to have scored a lot more,” admitted Ling.

The Orient boss brought in former Athletic striker Sam Parkin on a three-month loan from Luton Town, but he has yet to score in nine appearances.

Added Ling: “Sam has been a big help to the team, even though he tells me he is experiencing the worst scoring run of his career.

“He provides a physical presence up front and has taken a lot of hits for us. I have been pleased with his overall contribution.”

Ling feels his side’s defensive record is satisfactory and last month there was a spell when they kept five consecutive clean sheets.

Former Manchester City left-back Danny Granville was captured on a free transfer from Colchester in the summer.

The 33-year-old, who has also played for Chelsea, Leeds and Crystal Palace, has brought a wealth of experience to the back line.




LEAGUE ONE FIXTURES



TONIGHT: Hartlepool v Southend.

TOMORROW: Cheltenham v Walsall, Colchester v Scunthorpe, Huddersfield v Hereford, Leicester v Peterborough, Millwall v Crewe, MK Dons v Leeds, Northampton v Carlisle, Athletic v Leyton Orient, Stockport v Bristol Rovers, Swindon v Yeovil, Tranmere v Brighton.