Last October’s 2-2 draw against Leyton Orient was the first time we’d met in eleven years, and to find our last home win against them you have to go back to January 1995. That match was a memorable affair though. The crowd was swelled to 6,616 as vouchers were being distributed for the upcoming FA Cup tie at Manchester United, and the swollen crowd were treated to Gary Bennett hat trick. Karl Connolly grabbed a goal too as we romped to a 4-1 win, our biggest ever home success over The Os.
That was the only hat trick a Wrexham player has scored in this fixture, and Bennett is also our top scorer against them, with six goals, four ahead of Jim Steel, Alan Hill (below), Steve Buxton, Steve Massey, David Gregory and Mick Vinter.
Overall, our record against Orient is pretty even. We’ve won 11, drawn 11 and lost 12. However, more recent clashes have tended to go Orient’s way: we’ve only won one of our last seven clashes, and 3 of our last 14.
Paul Rutherford plays in his 100th Wrexham league match today, and Akil Wright makes his 50th Wrexham league appearance.
Here’s my column from last week’s Leader. It forms part of the paper’s comprehensive pre-match coverage every Friday, featuring interviews, an in-depth look at the opposition and lots of statistical analysis. All content in the column (c) www.leaderlive.co.uk.
DragonHeart 