Leyton Orient FC

Please read below for my article on Leyton Orient who came close to knocking Arsenal out of the FA Cup this season. It was published in the latest Football Focus magazine which can be viewed here for absolutely free! Included in the current issue are Dunfermline Athletic, Crawley Town and many more football clubs.

Leyton Orient

Jonathan Tehoue equalises against Arsenal

Leyton Orient have a habit of pulling a rabbit out of the hat at the last minute. Many will remember Jonathan Tehoue's stunning 89^th minute equaliser against Arsenal in the FA Cup fifth round earlier this season and the club hope they can pull out another rabbit as they search for promotion to the Championship. At the time of writing, Orient are sitting three points off a playoff place in the Npower League One table, with just two games remaining and they will need to win both if they are to knock MK Dons and Bournemouth out of their respective fifth and sixth positions.

If the club are unable to achieve a playoff slot, then their remarkable feat against Arsenal will undoubtedly be their highlight of the season.

With the Gunners having just come off the back of a fantastic victory over Barcelona in the Champions League, many feared Orient would be on the end of a resounding defeat.

However, this was the clichéd old fashioned cup tie, hosted at Orient's traditional lower league ground, which possessed a slightly bobbly pitch and was watched by over 9,000 roaring fans on a dark, misty, east London evening.

Arsenal, as expected, dominated possession, but created relatively few chances until Tomáš Rosický headed them into the lead on the 52^nd minute. Soon after, Andrei Arshavin looked to have sealed the win for the visitors, but his effort clipped off the post.

Orient kept up their search for a goal and their moment of joy arrived just one minute from time when Tehoue surged forward, squeezing through two Arsenal defenders and lashing the ball past the helpless Manuel Almunia, sending the home fans into raptures.

It was a dream comeback for Orient and it set them up for a money-spinning replay at Arsenal's spectacular Emirates Stadium. Orient chairman Barry Hearn had promised before the match that he would take the players on holiday to Las Vegas at the end of the season, if the team could draw a replay against the Gunners and this action may been the influencing factor for Orient grabbing the equaliser.

Although Orient fell to a 5-0 defeat to Arsenal in the reverse tie, the players did not take their eye off the ball in the league campaign and now find themselves just inches away from the final coveted playoff position.

Whether or not The O's manage to clinch the final spot, they shall still possess a fantastic memory of holding Arsenal to a draw and will have undoubtedly laid the foundations for another crack at promotion next season.

written by Will Lyon

Highworth Town with Fraser Haines

Please read below for my interview with Highworth Town secretary Fraser Haines. It was published in the latest Football Focus magazine which can be viewed here for absolutely free! Included in the current issue are Leyton Orient, Dunfermline Athletic, Crawley Town and many more football clubs.

Highworth Town

Highworth Town line up

Last month Football Focus chatted with Highworth Town secretary Fraser Haines and not before long, it became apparent that they are an incredibly close-knit club, and proud of it. Fraser's brother is the current chairman and he took over the reigns when their father passed away. Fraser believes that it is the comradeship within the staff that has helped the club move forward so successfully. “We are all a very close club and have grown rapidly recently after merging with our junior section in 2008.”

Indeed, it is in the youth that Highworth have invested towards in large sums and Fraser is delighted with the rewards reaped. “We’ve kids of all age groups and we have over four hundred children registered with us in thirty-two teams. Our manager Dave Webb trusts youth players and gives them a go if they are good enough. The average age of our first team is around twenty-two which bodes well for the future and shows our youth system is working.”

Although Fraser is rightly optimistic about the future of the club, he is also pleased with the current success of the first team in the Uhlsport Hellenic League Premier Division, despite their lack of experience. “Our league performance has been very good considering how young our squad is and we don’t pay players unlike a number of teams at our level. Within five years I would like to see the club in the Southern League. We almost got there in 2005, but at the time our ground didn’t reach the required standard.”

After being held back from promotion six years ago, the club were adamant to make the necessary improvements and Fraser cannot speak highly enough of the people who helped make it possible. “We have so many volunteers and everyone involved works so hard here. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank them. We’ve spent money on the facility including floodlights, stands and dugouts and have enclosed the pitch with a fence all around the perimeter. We were recently awarded our community status with the FA which gives us a chance to develop our facility further.”

With Highworth Town Reserves having recently won their respective league, Fraser is hoping the first team can kick on from their current spot in the higher echelons of the Premier Division and occupy a place in the Southern League before long.

written by Will Lyon

Binfield FC with Bob Bacon

Please read below for my interview with Binfield chairman Bob Bacon. It was published in the latest Football Focus magazine which can be viewed here for absolutely free! Included in the current issue are Leyton Orient, Dunfermline Athletic, Crawley Town and many more football clubs.

Binfield FC

Above: Hill Farm Lane, the home of Binfield Football Club

Bob Bacon, chairman of Binfield Football Club, is an ambitious man and it appears that his principals lie in the right areas. Bob is seeks a successful youth policy, improved coaching, modern facilities and a club who play football the right way – producing exciting football that the local community can be proud of.

All the above components are important to Binfield, but Bob believes success with youngsters is particularly vital, although he stresses that they must enjoy themselves too. “Binfield FC has 400 registered players below Under 18 level, of which 40% are from the local village. We run a Soccer School, which takes boys and girls from 3-and-a-half to 6 and typically has an attendance of 40-plus each Sunday. We invest in 10 coaches, all at least FA Level 1 qualified and first-aid trained but this is very much a fun culture.”

Indeed, it is the youth system which nurtures youngsters from the local community into becoming quality players for the future and as Bob explains, the Hellenic Football League, Premier Division side produces one or two players every year which attract scouts from bigger clubs. “We have Chelsea, Brentford and Queens Park Rangers regularly scout at the football club and some boys go and enjoy a couple of years of slick training on fantastic pitches, which really helps their game. I don't want to tempt fate, but we have two centre forwards this year who have scored more than 60 goals between them - it is fair to say they are getting increased attention from clubs. Clearly, we hope they stay with Binfield!”

Binfield possess some quality facilities and a fantastic playing surface at their ground, Hill Farm Lane, so it is little wonder that the club has a knack for producing exciting players. However, Bob explains that it is the hospitality that Binfield supply that wins them just as many plaudits. “Margate FC came to Hill Farm Lane in the summer for an FA Cup game; they were very complimentary on how we looked after them and our playing style. A jewel in the crown for us is the playing surface, which gets accolades. Most of our opposition love playing on it as it is flat and has grass on it! We invest heavily in it during the close season, and will continue to do so. In total, we have two full size pitches, one of which is fenced off for the senior teams and a further pitch for the 7 a-sides.”

If the Hill Farm Lane facilities are in use, then Binfield are sure to have their remaining coaches helping elsewhere in the local area and Bob is proud to label Binfield a community club. “We achieved FA Charter status 4 years ago, and then we were awarded FA Community status 2 years later. We work actively with the local Binfield primary school and 2 of our coaches run after-school soccer clubs for a nearby primary school. We are also looking at striking a relationship with a local senior club, where we will work with boys and girls and in turn, look to train our seniors on their 3G pitch and use their gym facilities during the winter months. We also, as a club, sponsor of the Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) charity, and recently funded screening for 30 teenagers to check on their cardiac health.”

Looking towards the future, Bob seeks further improvement in the youth side of the club. “I want to see the junior club standard increase, which doesn't mean thrashing everyone in sight, but playing a standard and a quality of football that people admire. I would like to see the coaches improve and share their skill with other age groups and for the Community Club ethos reach out to other schools and organisations. Ideally, I would like to see our under 18's Allied Counties team have 60% of their squad come up through the ranks of the club.”

Bob's ambitions do not stop there. He also wants the senior team to keep progressing. At the time of writing, the Binfield senior side are pushing towards the top of the Hellenic Premier Division and could find themselves in a higher league next season. Bob is delighted with their achievements so far this season and hopes they can push on. “At the senior end I want to see the first team get to the next step in the pyramid, playing the brand of football that they have played this year - quick, on the floor, passionate, lots of shooting. It would also be nice to see us get further in the FA Vase and the FA Cup than we got last year and to make Hill Farm Lane a fortress.”

written by Will Lyon