A Different Matchday Experience

Another week and another Orient home fixture postponed due to international call-ups. This time the better half and I decided that we would follow the lead of one of our closest Orient-following friends, Chris, and head off to watch Clapton CFC. For those of you not familiar with the history of this extraordinary club based in the 10^th tier of the English football pyramid, then allow me to try to do justice to their incredible story.

Clapton Community Football Club was actually only formed in January 2018 by disillusioned supporters of Clapton FC fed up with what they described as “gross mismanagement and a lack of transparency” by chairman/ chief executive Vince McBean. The missus and I had actually been to a game at their quirky but very welcoming Old Spotted Dog ground (London’s oldest senior football ground) back in the autumn of 2017.

In those days the fans refused to enter the ground, or to spend any money there, because of the way McBean was “running” the club. Instead they opted to congregate outside perching on old fridges, washing machines etc. to peer over the perimeter fence. The match we went to was a home game for co-tenants Hackney Wick, so the Clapton Ultras could justify going in to watch their team on that occasion.

During the season-long protest the disillusioned Clapton Ultras formed Clapton Community Football Club and played their first full season in 2018/19 away from the Old Spotted Dog. Amazingly the 100% fan-owned, self-avowed left-wing and anti-fascist club sold 11,500 away shirts (yes, you read that correctly!) including a staggering 5,500 in Spain as the design was based on the International Brigades of the Spanish Civil War and the Flag of the Second Spanish Republic.

In September 2019 it was confirmed that Clapton CFC had been awarded the lease at the Old Spotted Dog, and then in July 2020 they bought the freehold. The club is most definitely upwardly mobile and taking in a match is quite some experience. There are ultra groups including:  the Clapton Punks, the Gravy Ultras, Brigata Ultra Clapton, the SimpleTons and UmarellOldtras. Entry to the ground is just £5 for adults, they have their own IPA Old Scaffold Daze brewed on their behalf, and the one food outlet is an Indian street food vendor with (trust me!) much more tasty options than I think I have ever discovered at any football ground I have visited.

It helped that Clapton CFC won the match fairly comfortably 2-1 against fellow play-off contenders Staplehurst Monarchs, but it was the friendliness of the crowd (727 including a significant number of kids and dogs!) and the community feel of the whole club that really stood out. After the game the home side made their way slowly all the way around the ground shaking hands and high fiving everyone there, before saluting the scaffold stand where the ultras congregate.

It was a reminder of what football is and really should be about: a club that truly represents their community. If/ when another Orient match is postponed due to international call-ups, and assuming they are at home, I think I know where you will find Chris, Kay and me!

Gutting News for Archie

Onto matters Orient and we had the heartbreaking news this week that Theo Archibald had suffered a setback in his recovery from knee surgery which required a further operation, and that the silky Scotsman was now facing another lengthy spell on the sidelines. I am sure I am not alone in being absolutely gutted for Archie, and we have certainly missed his fully committed attitude, his flair for the brilliant and his immense contribution to the squad as a whole. We can only hope that this recovery goes well, and we see him tearing up and down the wing in an Orient shirt as soon as possible. Get well soon Theo!

The Fans’ Forum

On Thursday night we had what was billed as a: Fans Forum live on YouTube with Nigel Travis, Mark Devlin and Steve Tait. When the stream finally kicked into life after a slight delay, it was quite a surprise to see a whole host of representatives of Orient fan groups, fanzines, podcasts and others on the screen. As it turned out though the whole call was basically Nigel, Mark and Steve responding to a series of questions submitted in advance.

Don’t get me wrong, it is both important and very welcome that the ownership and management of our club is open and transparent, but rather unsurprisingly the questions centred on subjects that have been covered on several previous occasions. It felt like a bit of wasted opportunity as perhaps the focus should have been on us as supporters, the fan experience and how it could be improved etc. It didn’t give the opportunity, except for three questions/ statements at the end, for the fans on the call to really engage and felt slightly corporate.  

What lies ahead for Orient

Thankfully we are now done with international breaks until March, so we can turn our attention fully to League 1 and the two cup competitions we are still in, hopefully continuing where we left off against Blackpool and trying to continue our good form and build some momentum.

A hectic run of 11 matches in 6 weeks kicks off with a trip to Stevenage tomorrow lunchtime (cheers Sky once again!). While we know that this trip is one of Orient fans’ least favourite, without our old friend Steve Evans in the home dugout it doesn’t feel quite the same as recent visits. Plus of course the masterclass in S-housery that we put on in our 1-0 win last March should give us renewed hope. Stevenage for their part have been noticeably inconsistent so far this season and sit 4 points above us in the table having played a game more.

After that we have home games against: Huddersfield, Bristol Rovers, Burton, Crawley, Cambridge and Shrewsbury; while we travel to: Wigan, Barnsley and Bristol Rovers, so on the face of it there would seem to be plenty of opportunity to add to our points total and to start to climb the table. Plus we have the small matter of the visit of Oldham in the FA Cup next Saturday, and a knockout match in whatever the EFL Trophy happens to be called this week. Whatever happens, this feels like a pivotal point in Orient’s season, let’s hope it goes well!

Up The O’s!