Our prediction for this League 2 match:
Leyton Orient and Oldham Athletic square off against each other at Brisbane Road on day 7 of the new League Two campaign. Leyton have big ambitions for the 2021/22 season, and they are likely to go all guns blazing at Oldham. A man to keep an eye on in the home team will be Harry Smith, who looks unstoppable in front of goal at the moment. Ruel Sotiriou should be fit for Saturday’s clash after representing Cyprus U21 in the EURO qualifiers.
The Latics, on the other hand, sit in the relegation zone ahead of the trip to London, and seeing that Leyton are a real force to be reckoned with at home, we predict that the visitors will return to Oldham empty-handed. The Latics experienced all sorts of problems at the back in a 3-0 loss to Barrow, which is yet another reason why home win should be considered.
Highlighted Player (Craig Clay):
After spending his youth career at Chesterfield, Craig Clay continued wearing the Spireites jersey at senior level. The English midfielder made 27 appearances for Chesterfield in the league before signing a deal with York City in the 2013/2014 season.
It has to be noted that he played for the likes of Barrow and Alfreton Town on loan as well before signing the deal with the Minstermen. Born in Nottingham, England on May 5, 1992, Craig Clay was part of Halifax Town, Worksop Town, Grimsby Town, and Motherwell squad as well in the past. Nowadays, the 180-cm tall midfielder plays for Leyton Orient in the League Two, the English fourth tier.
He made his League Two debut with the O’s on August 3, 2019, in a 1-0 win over Cheltenham Town. Craig Clay has one cap with the England C national team as he represented the Three Lions in a 2-0 win over the Ukraine U20 team on March 22, 2016.
Highlighted Team (Oldham):
Based in Oldham, Greater Manchester, Oldham Athletic are a professional football club that compete in League Two. The Latics play their home matches at Boundary Park, the venue with the capacity of 13,512 spectators. Oldham Athletic are well known for their blue and white home kit, with the owl being the symbol of the club.
The Latics did remarkably well to make it to the League Cup final in 1990, but Nottingham Forest proved to be a big catch for Joe Royle’s troops in the title game. Oldham made it to the FA Cup semis on three occasions (1912/13, 1989/90, 1993/94), and in 1979 they advanced to the Anglo-Scottish Cup final. The Latics registered their biggest league triumph on December 26, 1962, with the team crushing Southport 11-0 in Division 4.
Speaking of the club’s heaviest defeat, Oldham Athletic were hammered by Tranmere Rovers 14-3 at Prenton Park on December 26, 1935. Bolton, Stockport, and Blackburn are the club’s traditional rivals, but nowadays, Huddersfield Town are seen as the Latics’ fiercest rivals.