Brisbane Road captain discusses Capital One Cup draw and buying into Ian Hendon’s ideas
Leyton Orient captain Nathan Clarke is looking forward to hopefully getting payback when the O’s travel to face Milton Keynes Dons in the first round of the Capital One Cup.
The draw for the competition was made on Tuesday and Ian Hendon’s side will visit stadiumMK for a tie that will be played the week commencing August 10.
It will be a tough test for the Brisbane Road club against a side that earned promotion to the Championship last season.
Orient’s 6-1 loss on April 18 also remains firmly in the memory and Clarke is keen to try and avenge that result.
“It is obviously going to be a tough match, but after last time we will all be hoping to put a lot of things right because that was a disappointing day for the club and all the fans,” he said.
“We need to hopefully show against MK Dons what the new manager is wanting us to do and show the progress we have made under him.”
Although Orient and their supporters will be keen to wipe the memory of last season from their minds, a rare highlight was their Capital One Cup run.
In the first round they edged out League Two side Plymouth Argyle 6-5 on penalties after a six-goal thriller at Home Park.
Orient, then under Russell Slade, were drawn away to Premier League outfit Aston Villa in the next round, but French midfielder Romain Vincelot ensured an upset by heading an 88th-minute winner.
It was a wonderful moment for the club and although they exited in the third round at home to Sheffield United, O’s captain Clarke is excited about the competition again.
“One of the things you always want to do is get as far as you can in the cups because you don’t know who you can face,” Clarke added.
“Last season we did well by getting through and beating Villa. That was a fantastic day for the club and the fans, so we are really looking forward to playing MK Dons.”
Off the back of the Capital One Cup draw, the fixtures for the new League Two season were released and it was confirmed that O’s would entertain Barnet at Brisbane Road on the opening day of the season.
Clarke stressed that everyone at the club is desperate to have a successful season and they are excited to be working with new head coach Hendon.
He added: “Once dates get set and this draw has happened now, everyone can start looking ahead to the new campaign. It seems even closer and it is obviously a season where we are all keen to do well.
“We have got to come back in and look forward to hearing what Ian’s plans are and buying into that and look forward to having a good season.”
O’s fans will want that too.
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