Carlisle United Football Club

Leyton Orient v Carlisle United, FA Cup Round One, Saturday 4 November, kick off 3pm

Since their one-goal victory in Cumbria three weeks ago the O's have proved to be hard to beat, with three consecutive draws against Barnsley, Northampton and Burton.

Indeed their only defeat in the last 10 outings in all competitions was a 1-0 away reverse at Fleetwood.

A run of three straight defeats at the start of the season was taken in the stride and brushed aside as they started to settle following last season's promotion under Richie Wellens.

They're a team with a record that's as level as they come with five wins, five draws and five defeats from their 15 league games so far.

They aren't prolific by any means, with just 14 league goals to their name, but they tend not to give too much away at the other end.

This is just our second meeting in this competition. You have to go all the way back to the 1936/37 campaign to find the first one - when the opposition were known as Clapton Orient - and that was a 4-1 home win for the Blues thanks to goals from McArdle (2), James and O'Grady. The victory secured the club a place in round three.

Midfielder Ruel Sotiriou was the one we picked for the meeting at home a few weeks ago, and we're doing the same again this time round.

He's a home grown product who cut his teeth on the non-league loan circuit with Chelmsford, Hampton & Richmond and Dover.

The 23-year-old is now a regular, and a bit of a favourite, with five goals from 16 appearances this season. 

He has 31 goals in 141 appearances in total for the O's and is one to weigh in with assists as well, with a creative attacking streak at the heart of his game.

Click HERE to listen to this game if you've already purchased a monthly pass. FA rules dictate that single passes are not available for this fixture.

With match commentary provided by BBC Radio Cumbria, this is a fantastic way to follow your team through the season.

Match audio passes are available for ALL EFL league games - click HERE to find out more about this season’s iFollow United service.

These teams met at Brunton Park in October 2023 when Ruel Sotiriou latched onto a through ball before poking it into the bottom corner. It was the only goal of a tight game.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

A late Jon Mellish own goal gave Orient the points at Brisbane Road in April 2023 as both sides eventually headed towards promotion to League One via their respective routes. 

Watch the highlights from that game here:

There was plenty to talk about after the O's took a 3-2 win from their trip to Brunton Park in October 2022. Theo Archibald gave the visitors the lead, but Ryan Edmondson pounced to level things up. Archibald scored again moments later, and Edmondson was sent off to make the task ahead even tougher. Aaron Drinan extended the visiting lead to two goals after half time, and a strike on the hour from Jordan Gibson wasn't quite enough to open the door to a levelling of the scores.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Manager Paul Simpson's first game in charge of his second spell with the club was won thanks to an early goal from Omari Patrick in February 2022.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Carlisle hosted Orient in August 2021 and they took the lead courtesy of an early Tristan Abrahams penalty. Harry Smith levelled with just over 15 minutes to go, and it ended at 1-1 with a share of the spoils.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

It was a game packed with incident in May 2021 as Orient went ahead through Conor Wilkinson at the Breyer Group Stadium with three minutes on the clock. Jon Mellish pulled it level just before the break, but the O's were back in front almost straight away as Dan Kemp netted. Magnus Norman saved a penalty, and it became United's day as Lewis Alessandra bagged from the spot. That paved the way for George Tanner to snatch a late, late winner in time added on.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

The March 2021 meeting of these sides was actually at the fourth time of asking with the previous fixture dates having fallen foul of cold weather (twice) and a covid outbreak. It appeared to be heading towards a 0-0 draw until Conor Wilkinson snatched a late, late winner for the visitors.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

October 2019 took the Blues to East London where a clean strike from Jack Iredale just after the break cancelled out an early Josh Wright penalty.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

These teams came together in February 2017, also at the home of the O's. Gavin Massey gave the hosts the lead but strikes from Gary Liddle and Jamie Proctor earned the visitors a creditable 2-1 victory. The afternoon took a bad turn for Proctor, though, when he was sent off just eight minutes after bagging the winner.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

The sides met earlier that season at Brunton Park where they played out a 2-2 draw. The Blues had to come from behind twice as Paul McCallum and Harry Cornick netted for the Orient. Charlie Wyke got United's first, with Danny Grainger claiming the point from the penalty spot late in the game.

Watch the highlights from that game here:

Referee - Sebastian Stockbridge
Assistant Referee 1 - Garry Maskell
Assistant Referee 2 - Ryan Head
Fourth Official - Harry Wager
Observer - Michael Bull

Our referee for this game is Mr Seb Stockbridge. Seb has taken charge of 13 games so far this season showing 66 yellow cards and one red.

Click HERE for the Ref Watch article that accompanies this article.