U's hard work made it difficult for Orient to create anything of note until after the midway point of the half when Smyth produced some brilliant wing play to skip past Boldewijn and Joe Kizzi before firing in a cross that was turned wide on the volley at the near post by Charlie Kelman, and that heralded the home side's best spell of the game. Kizzi did well to block Theo Archibald's shot after Aaron Drinan had crossed from the left, before a surging run by Kelman from inside his own half was ended by Louis John right on the edge of the penalty area, with the referee deciding contact had been just outside the box despite Orient's protests. John was booked, and the arguments were almost rendered irrelevant as Archibald crashed his free kick against the crossbar. John threw himself in the way of a Kelman shot after more good work on the left by Smyth, but Sutton could generally feel satisfied with a job well done at half time, even if there had been little attacking threat, Rob Milsom's deflected volley U's only shot in anger although Neufville did threaten with one fine run from deep that was ended by a slightly heavy touch and a well-timed tackle from Dan Happe.
Sutton: J Rose, J Kizzi, R Milsom, J Neufville(sub S Hart 90+2), C Eastmond, L John, E Boldewijn, A Smith, O Bugiel(sub K Kouassi 90+2), H Beautyman(sub T Fadahunsi 67), W Randall (sub L Gambin 76) Subs n/u L Ward, C Dundas, C Kendall. Booked: John Leyton Orient: L Vigouroux, T James, J Brown, O Beckles, D Happe, D Pratley(sub R Hunt 56), P Smyth(sub R Sotiriou 76), I El-Mizouni (sub C Clay 67), A Drinan, C Kelman, T Archibald. Subs n/u S Sargeant, S Ogie, J Wareham, S Duke-McKenna.
Best had been offered a bonus payment to play away at Bradford City, with the hosts even going as far as printing fliers to advertise his anticipated appearance. But when the group left for the trip up north, Best was not among them. Tommy Heffernan, another of his former squad mates, admitted he had "sort of gone AWOL". In a desperate intervention, Tiler travelled to London in a bid to locate Best. "He went to George's usual pubs and found him, " Redknapp explained to The Times.
The second half started in similar fashion, with U's if anything having more of the game in the opening stages, but then Boldewijn failed to cut out Archibald's pass from the right as it bounced up awkwardly and the ball ran on to Smyth, who stepped back inside Boldewijn and arrowed a shot in to the top corner of the net from twenty yards. U's immediate response was to replace Beautyman with Tope Fadahunsi, but apart from a couple of free kicks, one of which had to be scrambled away from Kizzi at the far post, there was little threat on Lawrence Vigouroux's goal and Orient made the game safe eleven minutes from the end when substitute Craig Clay chipped in a cross following a throw-in, and Smith's attempt to clear went horribly wrong as he sliced the ball over Jack Rose and could only watch as it dropped inside the angle of the far post and crossbar.
He made his name lighting up the Theatre of Dreams with Manchester United, his usual dose of razzmatazz emanating across the grass he so often glided upon, and left in January 1974 before embarking on a nomadic nine-year stretch. But after representing the likes of Dunstable Town, Stockport County, Fulham and San Jose Earthquakes, Best found himself at a crossroads. In a shocking twist, he was lured down to the south coast for his next chapter, albeit for just a matter of weeks. The idea was born in the smoke-shrouded decore of a West End nightclub, and after memorable touches and an escape through a pub toilet, the genius departed Bournemouth, absent of the blaze of glory his illustrious career so deserved. Travel down to the stadium now and you will find Best's portrait still in place on the club's wall of fame.
Some trace of the magic still remained, however, and when he could, Best, aged 36 and approaching his twilight years, did his utmost to enchant. But before he brought his showman act to the seaside, he appeared in a world of trouble. He was declared bankrupt in late 1982 and had not played competitively since August 1981. There were also his well-documented alcohol struggles to contend with. It came as a seismic shock, therefore, when Bournemouth opted to take a punt on this fading maestro. In March 1983, Anton Johnson, the head of a consortium that had agreed to buy the club, proposed to Best at Tramp, a club in London, that he would be compensated handsomely for pulling on their red jersey for their final six home matches of the season.
"I couldn't sit here and say he was anything like the George Best of old, " Harry Redknapp recalled. "He was a strolling player by then. He wouldn't pick the ball up and glide past three or four people like in his heyday. " A portrait of Best is still present on a wall around Vitality Stadium (Photo by AMA/Corbis via Getty Images) Megson, meanwhile, explained: "It was difficult to give him instructions. He went where he wanted when he wanted. I told the other lads, 'Any time he wants the ball, give it to him. ' They went along with that.
They loved him to pieces. " Nevertheless, it was far from plain sailing away from the camaraderie. Best was not able to return from Manchester in time for the match against Leyton Orient, having attended a funeral, forcing the club to take drastic action. To avoid disappointing supporters champing at the bit to watch the forward in effervescent action, a sign declaring that "George Best won't be playing today" was mounted outside the ground by Brian Tiler, then the managing director. Later, Best went on to limp off in the next home game against Chesterfield, seemingly struggling with blisters. In hindsight, however, he hinted that he was keen to watch the Grand National on television, perhaps indicating that his withdrawal was simply a crafty ploy. This devilish nature continued, much to the chagrin of his employers.
Richie Wellens exclusive interview: Leyton Orient manager on Salford regrets and taking his team top of League Two So we worked in those first two or three weeks just on being good off the
ball, knowing that we had people in the team who would score
Leyton Orient vs Sutton United on 17 Dec 22 - Match Centre Leyton Orient 2 (Smyth 62, Smith 79 og) Sutton United 0 over Jack Rose
and could only watch as it dropped inside the angle of the far post and
"One morning Don came in and said, 'We've made a new signing and he's warming up outside, so I want you all to make him welcome, " Best's former team-mate Nigel Spackman told The Times. "We went out on to the council pitches or wherever we were training that day and there he was - this guy with a beard and skinny legs, doing these little side-foot volleys. 'Oh my God, it's George Best. '" Best's highly-anticipated debut came against Newport County and in front of a recorded crowd of over 9, 000, more than double the usual amount. Bournemouth may have lost 1-0, but the occasion, and the headlines, belonged to their newfound talisman.
Remembering George Best's spell at Bournemouth - from magic to mischiefIt is a tale likely told around warmly-lit pub tables even today. George Best, one of the finest footballers of all time, once graced the Dean Court pitch in the colours of AFC Bournemouth, after all, and his story is truly one for the ages. It may have only been a brief five-match sojourn, but it was especially memorable for a host of wild, vivid reasons. The Hollywood lifestyle adorned with a pair of boots, Best was undoubtedly the sport's first real superstar.
With Donovan Wilson ruled out with an ankle injury picked up against Colchester, U's opted for an extra midfielder, with Smith and Harry Beautyman in the middle and Craig Eastmond just in front of the back four, while Josh Neufville and Will Randall occupied the wide positions. The game was less than two minutes old when O's midfielder Idris El Mizouni was booked for a foul that prevented Omar Bugiel from launching a counter attack, and some referees might have ended El Mizouni's involvement just four minutes later when he caught Eastmond with a heavy tackle, but referee Carl Brook decided on a lecture with captain Darren Pratley in attendance.
Best, raising eyebrows, admitted his interest, with the move providing him with one final swansong in the Football League. Days later, the deal was done. Manager Don Megson told his newest arrival that provided he reported for training sessions every Friday, he would be in contention. The primary aim of the move was to boost attendances, in the expectation that supporters would be wowed enough to flock to Kings Park in their droves. As it turns out, though, they weren't the only ones left stunned.
Barrow 0-2 Leyton Orient Match report supplied by PA Media. Line-ups; Match Stats; Live
Leyton Orient vs Sutton United on 17 Dec 22 - Match CentreLeyton Orient 2 (Smyth 62, Smith 79 og) Sutton United 0 Having frustrated League Two leaders Leyton Orient for over an hour, Sutton eventually went the way of most other teams at Brisbane Road this season as the East London side extended their lead at the top of the table to seven points. Once Paul Smyth, the instigator of the majority of Orient's few threatening moments in the first hour, had pounced on a slip by Enzio Boldewijn to break the deadlock with a fine shot from the edge of the penalty area, the home side were relatively comfortable and their victory was confirmed in unfortunate circumstances as Ali Smith sliced an attempted clearance in to his own net eleven minutes from time.
Leyton Orient 3-0 Bradford: Charlie Kelman, Tom James and Charlie Kelman, Tom James and Ruel Sotiriou scored as Leyton Orient
restored their five-point lead at the top of League Two following a
Crewe Alexandra vs Leyton Orient on 05 Nov 22 - Match Centre On 82 minutes sub Paul Smyth was played in behind the Crewe defence and
looked certain to score until a recovering Mellor superbly blocked
Match Preview : Newport County (H) Tomorrow's match is able to stream live for international supporters on
Fans travelling to the Leyton Orient v Newport County game
The photo, taken in 1983 after he placed pen to paper, revealed a delightfully shaggy man, one who still possessed a childish gleam in his eye in defiance of a thick, bushy beard and luxury curls balanced on his shoulders. Time, as with everyone, had taken its toll - and Best was a changed player, too. His ability to drift beyond several opponents in just a few seconds eluded him then, and there was a pervading sense that his brain, still razor-sharp and bursting with imagination, was seconds ahead of his feet.
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