A new book called Orient in the 70s has been released and will be available to Leyton Orient fans in the Supporters Club ahead of the match against Bromley this weekend.

The book by Tony McDonald is the rollercoaster story of a humble, little London club in the 1970s will be on sale for the first-time at Brisbane Road.

O’s goal scoring legend Peter Kitchen will be signing copies in the Supporters’ Club from midday, before moving up to the 1881 Suite, and then back to the LOSC bar post-match.

The book is about a memorable decade spent entirely in the second tier.

It began so gloriously with promotion as Third Division champions under Jimmy Bloomfield and, four years later, carried the East Enders to the threshold of the top flight. By then under the management of George Petchey, the Os agonisingly finished one point short of promotion to the old First Division – so near, so far. And we have never gone anywhere like as close to gate crashing the elite ever since.

Orient in the 70s re-lives the sensational drama of those two great FA Cup runs, including thrilling victories over Chelsea and the heartbreaking semi-final defeat by Arsenal in 1978.

This fascinating, comprehensive story is told through season-by-season reviews; rare and previously unpublished photographs; and, especially, exclusive, new and candid interviews with the men who represented Orient: former manager Petchey, Kitch and an impressive cast of fellow ex-players including Mickey Bullock, Joe Mayo, Barrie Fairbrother, Phil Hoadley, Bobby Fisher, captains Terry Mancini and Peter Allen, Orient’s greatest-ever goalkeeper John Jackson, veteran wingers Mark Lazarus and Peter Brabrook, Dennis Rofe, John Chiedozie, Nigel Gray, Paul Harris and Mick Jones.

The book – Tony Mac’s third on Orient – also tackles the emotive subjects of racism, anti-semitism and hooligans rampaging across uncovered terraces, when Doc Martens were as prevalent as plain black football boots. And for the stattos, there are plenty of comprehensive statistics and tables.

Plus a special tribute to arguably Orient’s finest discovery, the late Laurie Cunningham.

This really is the perfect Xmas gift for any Orient fan who knows their history, or those keen to know what it was like supporting the Os back in that iconic decade.

To order the book for £18 (£2 off the RRP and post-free in UK), visit www.footballworld.co.uk or phone their order line on 01708 734 502.