Can Orient stop ‘Cup Run Kings’ Newport?

Two teams from League Two will go toe to toe to progress to the Second Round, as Leyton Orient welcome Top of League Two Newport County, in what is sure to be a tightly contested affair.

The early 2010’s were good to Orient in the FA Cup, where they progressed to the Third Round twice, and got to the Fifth Round too, however they have struggled in the years since.

They have only progressed to Round Two once, and when they were in the National League, they failed to make the First Round on one occasion. However, it was last season that was a low point for the club, as they were embarrassingly knocked out by Maldon and Tiptree.

Newport are quite the contrast to Orient. Since their promotion to the Football League in 2012/13, Newport have had a successful time in the FA Cup.

They have progressed past the First Round all but once, and have gone to the Third Round and beyond four times. For a club of their size, these cup runs have been a fantastic source of income, and Newport have grown to become a team know by many as a team that will always look threatening in a cup.

Leyton Orient

Leyton Orient have picked up some impressive results of late, after a mixed start to the season. They picked up good wins against Stevenage and Tranmere, as well as a draw against Exeter, which is no mean feat.

They also beat Bolton in a convincing fashion as they dispatched the Wanderers 4-0. They come into this FA Cup game against Newport on the back of a narrow defeat to Forest Green, in a game that could have gone either way.
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They will be hoping that in-form strikers Conor Wilkinson and Danny Johnson can continue to harass defenders and that James Brophy can continue to attack well down the left-wing. The defence has become tighter since Joe Widdowson has returned to left-back.

Orient have also got talisman Jobi McAnuff firing on all cylinders. McAnuff turns 39 on Sunday, and Orient will see cup games as a chance to rest him. However, he only featured as a late sub on Tuesday, so Orient fans will hope to see him play in the cup.

Newport County

Newport have had a flying start to the season, and see themselves top of League Two, winning eight of their 11 games in the league.

However, they were overturned by Carlisle midweek, in a result that many would not have predicted. Before that result, Newport had won five in a row, including wins against Colchester, Harrogate and Bradford.

Tristan Abrahams has been in fine form, scoring seven in all competitions this season, with Scott Twine and Padraig Amond behind him on four each. Newport have goals throughout the team, with 12 different players finding the net so far. They also look solid at the back. In League Two, they have only conceded ten goals all season, and three of those came in that shock defeat to Carlisle.
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Newport have already had a cup run this season, making it to the Fourth Round of the Carabao Cup, and were defeated by Premier League Newcastle on penalties. In that run, they knocked out Championship teams Swansea and Watford.

Key Player

For all Newport’s quality this season, there will be one player from Orient who will be the key player in the game. Jobi McAnuff has years of both domestic and international experience. He spent all but a few minutes of last season out injured, and the Orient faithful were concerned that he would be forced into retirement.
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However, he has been Orient’s key man this season and has won their Player of the Month twice in a row. He scored a fantastic free-kick against Bolton and has come up with the goods when they have needed. He can really pull the strings in the middle of the park, and it will be up to Newport to stop him from doing so.

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