Former Darlington man Tom Newey

Quakers head to London this weekend as they take on Leyton Orient however if they are win at Brisbane Road then they will have to bury a near forty year winless run in the capital. The last time Darlington managed a win against Orient in their own back yard was in the Old 3rd division in 1966. Apart from an occasional goalless draw the last few years have seen Darlington struggle.

Perhaps we should not be talking about records now because Darlington were rather unlucky not to win in their last visit to London. Quakers missed several late chances in their visit early last January, however it was hardly a surprise at the time as Darlington were going through that spell of 1-0 defeats.

Times however have changed. Whilst Quakers were battling to beat the drop this time last year Darlington are now looking to make the play-offs. A midweek win over Swansea City amidst driving snow kept that hope alive however it will be Orient who need the points this time around to keep their play-off hopes in tact.

The hosts sit in 13th spot in the table and are five points behind Darlington whose late win in midweek keeps then in the last play-off spot. Orient have only won once through the course of February, ironically against Darlington's last opponents. It is a far cry from earlier in the season when Orient sat top of the table following a 4-1 win over Shrewsbury Town.

Match betting with Quakers Bet   Darlington win - 7/4 Darlington to draw - 9/4 Darlington to win 1-0 - 7/1 Darlington to win 2-0 - 11/1 Darlington to win 2-1 - 9/1 Darlington to win 3-0 - 28/1 Wijnhard to score first - 15/2 Gregorio to score first - 9/1

Former Darlington player Tom Newey will not be coming back to haunt Darlington on Saturday. The winger, who impressed whilst on loan at Darlington during the 2002/03 season, has been farmed out to the bottom side in the table, Cambridge United. Indeed just this week the winger has had his stay at the Abbey extended until late March. Speaking on the club's official website Martin Ling said he was happy for the loan deal to be extended however explained Newey will not feature when Cambridge meet Orient.

"Cambridge have been pleased with Tom and wanted him to stay on there and help their fight against relegation," said Ling. "We were fine for that to happen as he wasn't featuring in our starting eleven and is better off getting games. But it would be a bit silly of us to allow him to play for them, down here, and so we've had a clause put in saying he can't play in that game."

Quakers were hoping to have a new face in their side for the trip however Dave Hodgson has been thwarted in his attempts to bring in a forward. The Darlington manager had Lewis Guy lined up before the Wycombe game however was unable to push the deal through on two separate occasions. Meanwhile a deal to bring Matty Appleby back to club also ran aground during the week.

Both sides have injury worries ahead of the game. Leyton Orient are without John Mackie, who scored the leveller against Lincoln in midweek, and Gary Alexander. The pair are banned. Meanwhile Jabo Ibehre, Wayne Carlisle and Mark Peters are also still on the injured list for Martin Ling's men. Quakers are missing Craig Hignett, Stephen Thomas, Chris Hughes and Adrian Webster along with their longer term injuries, Ian Clark, Clark Keltie and Joey Hutchinson. Quakers however were without these players for the game against Swansea so fans will not surprised.

Quakers are expected to take a decent following with them down to Orient on Saturday however those who have made the trip on previous occasions may be a bit surprised at the current state of Brisbane Road. Both the North and West stands of the ground are currently under construction and as such away fans are limited to 500 tickets.

To all those making the long trip to the capital have a safe journey. For everyone else Quakers World has the full match live for you with Ray Simpson brining you the action as it happens. If your not signed up yet why not give it a go? Whatever your doing this weekend enjoy yourself and remember to check back to the official website for a full report and pictures of the game.

Last ten meetings

2004/05
League 2	Darlington	3-0	Leyton Orient	11-09-04
2003/04
Division 3	Leyton Orient	1-0	Darlington	03-01-04
Division 3	Darlington	2-1	Leyton Orient	25-08-03
2002/03
Division 3	Darlington	2-2	Leyton Orient	03-05-03
Division 3	Leyton Orient	2-1	Darlington	28-09-02
2001/02
Division 3	Leyton Orient	0-0	Darlington	26-02-02
Division 3	Darlington	3-0	Leyton Orient	18-09-01
2000/01
Division 3	Darlington	1-1	Leyton Orient	31-03-01
Division 3	Leyton Orient	1-0	Darlington	16-12-00
1999/00
Division 3	Leyton Orient	2-1	Darlington	11-03-00

Orient's last five games