First Round Fever

I've come down with a serious case of First Round Fever! I've always loved the Cup, and particularly rounds 1-3, but the presence of my local club in the First Round proper (for the first time since 1989) has made this year a bit special. Then throw into the mix the fact that they have a home tie against the club I used to work for, and you begin to understand why I am looking forward to Sunday as much as any game that I can remember!

Towner celebrates at Ninian - 1989

Having read the match reports about Gloucester City's valiant draw at Ninian Park in 1989 in the local paper, (Towner pulled the Bluebirds defence all over the place!!), I remember not being allowed to go to the replay. My dad probably (rightly) assumed there would be trouble. After a narrow home defeat, I remember thinking that it wouldn't be long until City were back in the First Round.  I guess in the long term I was right.. 23 years isn't that long a time!

The fact the tie is against Orient is great for me. I spent 3 largely happy years working for the Orient Community department, coinciding with a successful promotion campaign, ground expansion and a decent cup run. They day after I went to Craven Cottage to see the O's knock Fulham out of the cup, I was able to have a chat with Martin Ling in the Brisbane Road reception! Whilst at Orient I was able to get a real insight into just how a lower division club works.

Money is everything, and with a core fan base of about 5000, home games at best cover expenses and will quite often make a loss. I remember a Johnstone Paints tie against Yeovil when there were only 800 people inside the stadium, meaning the club will have lost a hatful of cash staging the game. With a businessman like Barry Hearn at the helm though, the stadium could be put to decent revenue earning use on weekdays. As well as the more usual business meetings etc, several televised poker tournaments took place beneath the South Stand.  My favourite day at work took place just before the 2006 World Cup, when I happened to wander into the West Stand Gallery to be met by 20 page 3 models shooting pictures! Added to this, Leyton Orient were probably the first sports club in history to rent out space in the stadium to the NHS.

Craig Easton celebrates his goal v Fulham in 2006. (I was there!)

Things were always slightly unique. The Community Programme is bigger than those at Arsenal, Spurs and West Ham and something that the club should be rightly proud to be associated with. The youth section taught children to play football in the right way, and had a very strict policy regarding overly aggressive parents, something that a lot of other clubs should look at. A lot of what the club did was incredibly professional, but when the chief executive left he was replaced by the media guy, who's only qualification for the job was that he was Mr Hearn's pal!

If this game had happened in 2010 I would still have been slightly torn between who to support, I have still seen Orient play more times this century than I have Gloucester City. Sadly though,  not a single player or member of the 1st team coaching staff remains from my time there. Proof positive of the perils of being a lower division player. Think about that the next time you are hurling abuse at a guy in March / April. He might be coming to the end of his contract and panicking somewhat.

I am grateful to the O's, and I still look out for their results, but I really hope Gloucester City stick it to them on Sunday.