The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

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The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Thor »

For me it’s Tommy Johnston. I would have loved to have seen him play as you don’t score the amount he scored unless you had something about you. He remains not only our individual seasons top scorer with 35 goals but is also the top goal scorer in the clubs history with 123. Not many people get a stand named after him, but he did and it’s said that he was possibly the best player never to have represented his country of birth Scotland.

Following on from Tommy, mainly due to the work that Steve Jenkins has put in publishing details of the Orient players involved in the battle of the Somme I’d have liked to have seen that team play. They certainly had something about them, before events took a terrible turn for the worse.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Greenwich Orient »

Cunningham
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Bergen »

Spider Parker.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Sid Bishop »

Thor wrote: Wed Nov 27, 2019 8:34 pm For me it’s Tommy Johnston. I would have loved to have seen him play as you don’t score the amount he scored unless you had something about you. He remains not only our individual seasons top scorer with 35 goals but is also the top goal scorer in the clubs history with 123. Not many people get a stand named after him, but he did and it’s said that he was possibly the best player never to have represented his country of birth Scotland.

Following on from Tommy, mainly due to the work that Steve Jenkins has put in publishing details of the Orient players involved in the battle of the Somme I’d have liked to have seen that team play. They certainly had something about them, before events took a terrible turn for the worse.
Agree Tommy Johnston was a few years early, but all who saw him rate him very highly, as you say, what a goal scorer !
My father saw Richard McFadden and said he was a wonderful forward, one of the best he had ever seen at the Os ( they were Clapton Orient in those days ) he also saw the legendary goal keeper Arthur Wood, who played for Clapton Orient from 1921 to 1931.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by banqo »

Yep got to say Tommy Johnston.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Adz »

Cunningham and Chiedozie.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by The Mindsweep »

I saw Laurie play, so I feel privileged enough.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by EliotNes »

Tommy J

Late father-in-law used to rave about him
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Thor »

When you think we had Cunningham and then chidders we were really blessed then.

When you look back we've always had decent wingers. To add to the 2 above.

Cox
Comfort
Braybrook although I never saw him play
White wasn't he a deadly winger?

Theres more for sure
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by ContrifibulatoryFred »

Doug Allder
Saw him about 30 times but he never really played
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Redcard »

I was fortunate to have grown up in The Johnston era , don’t forget his 35 goals were scored before Christmas when he left.
I guess having read about Richard McFadden I would have to name him.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Redcard »

Thor, there is more. Johnny heartburn for a start, believe he got 22 goals from the wing one season, and that was the time when wingers stayed glued to the touch line,
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Throoou The Netting! »

The entire Clapton Orient team of 1913-14, who were set to achieve great things before war decimated the side. If I had to nominate one player, it would have been Richard McFadden. Snippets of him training with the Footballers' Battalion at the White City, alongside Fred Parker and William Jonas, can be found on YouTube
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Thor »

Throoou The Netting! wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 12:25 pm The entire Clapton Orient team of 1913-14, who were set to achieve great things before war decimated the side. If I had to nominate one player, it would have been Richard McFadden. Snippets of him training with the Footballers' Battalion at the White City, alongside Fred Parker and William Jonas, can be found on YouTube
Any chance of a link please? I'd love to see that. Thanks
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Article_50 »

Tommy Johnston
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Throoou The Netting! »

Thor wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 1:21 pm
Throoou The Netting! wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 12:25 pm The entire Clapton Orient team of 1913-14, who were set to achieve great things before war decimated the side. If I had to nominate one player, it would have been Richard McFadden. Snippets of him training with the Footballers' Battalion at the White City, alongside Fred Parker and William Jonas, can be found on YouTube
Any chance of a link please? I'd love to see that. Thanks
here we are, try this - https://Youtu.be/2QsRls.8bxM
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by Throoou The Netting! »

Thor wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 1:21 pm
Throoou The Netting! wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 12:25 pm The entire Clapton Orient team of 1913-14, who were set to achieve great things before war decimated the side. If I had to nominate one player, it would have been Richard McFadden. Snippets of him training with the Footballers' Battalion at the White City, alongside Fred Parker and William Jonas, can be found on YouTube
Any chance of a link please? I'd love to see that. Thanks
Thor wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 1:21 pm
Throoou The Netting! wrote: Thu Nov 28, 2019 12:25 pm The entire Clapton Orient team of 1913-14, who were set to achieve great things before war decimated the side. If I had to nominate one player, it would have been Richard McFadden. Snippets of him training with the Footballers' Battalion at the White City, alongside Fred Parker and William Jonas, can be found on YouTube
Any chance of a link please? I'd love to see that. Thanks
sorry, I mistyped link - try this one: https://Youtu.Be/2QsRls-8bxM
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by gshaw »

Laurie Cunningham, only seen him in clips on YouTube but wow what a talent.
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Re: The Orient Player you wished you’d seen play

Post by BIGRON »

Tommy Johnson for me also , alas I started attending in 63 after he had gone, i have had the joy of watching who was I reckon the best O's played I've seen by a long way , the late great Laurie Cunningham , he was a joy to watch ⚽️⚽️
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