FA Cup · 1/128-finals 
Our pick Home win Correct result
Harborough Town’s winning run faces a tougher FA Cup test at Leyton Orient
Harborough Town bring a three-match winning streak in the FA Cup to Matchroom Stadium, where Leyton Orient’s League One status makes them favourites on paper. The visitors’ cup form gives them reason to believe they can make the tie close.
📍 Matchroom Stadium
Preview written:
Match report
Final result: Leyton Orient 5-1 Harborough Town.
Match statistics (home team first). Shots: 20–7; Shots on target: 10–5; Corners: 4–8.
Goals
- 6' Armando Dobra · Finley Stevens · Leyton Orient
- 25' Aaron Connolly · Alexander George Henry Gilbert · Leyton Orient
- 49' Idris El Mizouni · Somto Boniface · Leyton Orient
- 69' Paul Malone · Eliot Putman · Harborough Town
- 79' Tony Springett · Leyton Orient
- 90+7' Idris El Mizouni · Alexander George Henry Gilbert · Leyton Orient
Cards
- 24' Rory mcauley · Harborough Town
- 56' Silvio Bello · Harborough Town
- 60' joshua walsh · Harborough Town
- 76' Armando Dobra · Leyton Orient
- 79' Alfie Gilchrist · Leyton Orient
- 87' Paul Malone · Harborough Town
Match stats
Ratings and statistics: API-Football.
Confirmed lineups
Leyton Orient · 4-2-3-1
- 1N. BaxterG
- 2F. StevensD
- 4R. Edmonds-GreenD
- 12A. GilchristD
- 19S. BonifaceD
- 20A. GilbertM
- 8I. El MizouniM
- 10A. ConnollyM
- 25Charlie Gerard Richard WellensM
- 17A. DobraM
- 9J. KabiaF
Coach: R. Wellens
Harborough Town · 4-2-3-1
- 1Elliott TaylorG
- 2G. CarlineD
- 5R. McAuleyD
- 6A. MorrisD
- 3E. PutmanD
- 8C. KennedyM
- 4J. WalshM
- 7Devon Jerome Kelly-EvansM
- 9Riley Cole O'SullivanM
- 29M. JacobsM
- 27B. AssombalongaF
Match facts
Recent form
Last 5 league games, latest on the right
Goals per game
| · | Scored | Conceded |
|---|---|---|
| Leyton Orient | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Harborough Town | 2.3 | 1.0 |
PreviaXI model
Model confidence: Open game
- Expected goals (model)
- 1.30 – 1.04
- Double chance
- 1X · 71%12 71% · X2 58%
- Over 2.5 goals
- 41%Over 1.5: 68% · Over 3.5: 21%
- Both teams score
- 48%
- Clean sheet
- 35% – 27%Leyton Orient–Harborough Town
- Half-time result
- X · 45%1 31% · 2 24%
- Half-time / full-time
- 1/1 · 24%X/X 19% · 2/2 16%
Statistical model based on expected goals (xG), results and match statistics from the last two seasons. For information only. How our model works →
A cup tie across two divisions
Leyton Orient sit 14th in League One with 17 points from 13 matches, while Harborough Town are 17th in the National League North on the same points tally after 14 games. The FA Cup first-round tie at Matchroom Stadium therefore pits clubs from different divisions against each other, with Harborough arriving on a winning run and looking to carry it into a harder test.
Harborough’s cup momentum
Harborough have won three matches in a row, including all three of their FA Cup games. In those three cup ties, they scored seven goals, conceded three and kept one clean sheet. That is a promising platform, though it is a short competition sample rather than a measure of their league form.
Their latest FA Cup match was a win, extending the streak. Leyton Orient’s last five league games have brought two wins, a draw and two defeats, with their most recent outing ending in victory. Harborough’s last five league matches, by contrast, produced one win, two draws and two defeats, and their latest was a draw.
Different leagues, equal points
The teams’ domestic positions underline the difference in level, but their points totals are identical: both have 17. Orient have played one fewer league match, while Harborough’s cup results show they have already built momentum in this competition. The central question is whether that run can survive a step up against League One opposition.
The home side’s edge
There is no named-player information to frame the contest around individuals, so the focus falls on the contrasting records. Harborough’s seven goals across three FA Cup matches show they can threaten, but Orient’s division and home setting make them a substantial challenge.
Our prediction
Harborough’s winning streak gives them a route into the contest, but Leyton Orient’s higher league standing and home advantage point towards a narrow home victory. PreviaXI’s model also favours Orient, with a close, low-scoring game the likeliest outcome.
Leyton Orient 1-0 Harborough Town
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