Leyton Orient's chief executive Matt Porter

Club faces a dip in attandances

Orient chief executive Matt Porter is hoping attendances will not be too badly hit at the start of the season due to parking restrictions around the ground.

A drop in attendances would see revenues dip as fans face disruption during the first two home games.

Supporters will be unable to park around the ground for the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games – and fans are being advised to use public transport for the home games against Stevenage on Tuesday, August 21 and Hartlepool four days later.

“Only time will tell whether the restrictions have an effect on the gates,” said Porter.

The club are looking to ease the problem as much as possible for the fans and Porter added: “We will be looking at running an Orient Express coach service in from Essex for those two home games.”

The chief executive has sympathy with the supporters, but believes there was little the club could do.

“It would not have been realistic to try and play our first four games away because we would have shot ourselves in the foot,” he said.

“We want to get off to the best possible start and it would not have helped playing four away games at the start of the season, even if the Football League would have allowed us to do it.

“That would also have given us a problem later in the season, as at some stage we would have had a run of home games that would have been difficult for the fans too.

“We have tried to provide car-parking facilities and have a link up with National Car Parks to help alleviate the car parking problems.

“It’s not ideal, but unfortunately our hands are tied.”

More details on the Orient Express coach service are available on the club’s website www.leytonorient.com