A depleted Leyton Orient over 50s arrived at a sunny Luton hoping to end the sad sequence of being eliminated from the WFA cup in the first round for the fourth consecutive year.

Orient lined up with Cheston in goal, Evans at the back, Perry, Dunn and Cox in the middle and Wright up front. Immediately Orient were on the back foot. Luton retained possession well and moved the ball around at pace. The Os were also culpable during this period, lacking organization defensively and needlessly giving the ball away on numerous occasions. The heroics of Cheston in goal somehow kept the game goalless. A goal for Luton seemed inevitable and the breakthrough came when the Luton forward twisted and turned on the edge of the box and drilled the ball home. Wright nearly snatched an equaliser when a shrewd ball from Perry put him through but the Luton keeper produced a tremendous save. A couple of minutes before the interval the same Luton player performed the same maneuvers and slotted in the second goal. Then, with virtually the last kick of the half, he completed his hat trick. Half time and Luteon were three goals to the good.

Stevo Ten Hag, being the genius he is informed his downbeat squad that the next goal was vital. Dooley replaced Evans at half time. The beginning of the second half was Orient’s best period of the match. Cox forced the Luton keeper into making another fine save. Shortly afterwards Dunn slipped a short free kick to Cox who drove the ball into the bottom corner. Back in the game? Sadly not to be. Within a couple of minutes more skillful play on the edge of the Orient box and Luton restored their three goal advantage. The Os were by now visibly tiring and Luton quickly scored a further four goals. The Luton Ultras were now chanting ‘Can we play you every week?” and “You’re getting sacked in the morning”. ( I haven’t a clue who they were singing about). Wright hit the post in the final seconds but the referees whistle finally ended the O’s misery. Final score: Luton 8 v 1 Leyton Orient (Cox).

Manager Phil Stevenson summed up the day, “Luton are a quality side with an abundance of technical, skillful players backed up by an excellent goalkeeper. However, if we are to compete in national competitions we need a full complement and our best players available. Luton had a nine man squad and were able to rotate freely throughout the fifty minutes thus ensuring all their players remained fresh throughout. The exact opposite was the case for Orient who visibly wilted as the game progressed. This is in no way a criticism of the Orient players on the day. They gave everything. Special mentions for Andrew Evans who made his competitive debut and performed admirably. Also for Vince Dooley for making himself available at such short notice and did not let himself or the team down. Last but not least, our one and only Len Cheston, without whom the score would have been too embarrassing to write a report about. The game was excellently refereed and played in a very sporting manner. Best wishes to Luton who look to have a squad capable of going far in the competition.”

Leyton Orient Over 50s Squad: Len Cheston (Gk), Andrew Evans, Stuart Wright, Stevie Dunn (Cpt), Vince Dooley, Shayne Perry, Alan Cox.

Goalscorers: Cox.

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Image used © 2024 Trevor Ridley

Location

St Thomas' Rd, Luton LU2 7UX, UK