NOTTS COUNTY v LEYTON ORIENT
Football – England – League One
Saturday 22nd December 2012 – Kickoff: 1500hrs
8th placed Notts County take on mid-table Leyton Orient at Meadow Lane on Saturday afternoon as both teams look for a win that will edge them closer to the play-off pack.
Notts County’s form has dipped though in the last few matches and they’ve won just twice in their last nine matches which has resulted in The Magpies dropping out of play-off contention for the time being with defeats against Doncaster Rovers and Brentford which are understandable as these clubs have really improved recently.
Actually, an increase in draws has really cost Notts County as they could only muster a single point against Crawley Town, Scnthorpe United, Preston North End and Yeovil Town. At home though, defeats have cost them dearly as they’ve gone down to Stevenage, Tranmere Rovers, as well as the aforementioned Doncaster & Brentford. As a result, their home record stands at an inconsistent 4-2-5 15/14.
Visitors Leyton Orient suffered their first defeat in five matches when they lost at home to Scnthorpe United 1-3 last weekend, which followed a run of five straight wins (2-1 v Shrewsbury Town, 4-1 at Carlisle United, 3-2 at Portsmouth, and 2-0 wins over Preston North End and Bury).
The O’s away record stands at 5-1-5 14/14 and they’ve won their last three away matches on the trot which gives them a fighting chance of getting something at Notts County this Saturday. Notts County should also be wary of today’s visitors as Leyton Orient secured an unlikely 1-0 win at Swindon Town back in September and they’ll be setting themselves up for a point here I reckon too.
Notts County’s form has been indifferent lately and this could give Leyton Orient more than a 50/50 chance of getting at least a point here today, something I’m confident they can achieve given their recent run of form. This could be a 1-1 draw in which case the selection would win here.
Pick: Leyton Orient AH+0.5 @ 1.88 Pinnacle looks like value
