Leyton
Orient take on Rotherham in the League One
play-off final at Wembley on Sunday and the purists will be happy as the two
highest-ranked sides meet for the chance to play in the Championship next season.
Both
sides have had fantastic campaigns, achieving well beyond expectation, and they
did it playing in an attacking manner that was fantastic to watch.
There was
little to separate them over the course of the League One campaign as they both
finished on 86 points, with Russell Slade’s men earning third position thanks
to a better goal difference, while the two previous games this season finished
with one win apiece and an aggregate of 2-2.
So,
although an open and entertaining game is on the cards at the home of football,
it is expected to be close as they are two teams that have had uncannily
similar seasons.
Both
sides knew where the net was in the regular campaign, with Rotherham
bagging 86 goals and Orient 85, both averaging a goal every 51 minutes. Only
runaway leaders Wolves scored more with 89.
It goes
without saying that for all those goals to go in there had to be a fair amount
of creativity and there were chances galore, with the Millers averaging 12.9
shots per match and the O’s 11.3. Nothing could separate their top
assist-makers either as Ben Pringle and Dean Cox both created 13 goals in the
regular season.
Their
attacking prowess was not restricted to home soil as both sides racked up an
impressive 42 goals on their travels, the best in the Football League, better
Leicester and Wolves who both registered 100 points in their respective
divisions.
Despite
their impressive tally, the Millers actually failed to find the net on nine
occasions, compared to Orient’s four which was the best record in the division.
However, the Millers managed to accrue four points when they didn’t score,
while Orient could only secure one goalless draw.
It has
been an incredibly consistent season for both sides, with Steve Evans’ men
beaten just eight times and Orient 10. The O’s enjoyed a record-breaking start
to their season, winning their first eight of a 12-match unbeaten. That was
their best run of the season, but it was beaten by the Millers 16-game unbeaten
stretch at the start of 2014. The longest Rotherham
had to go without a victory was five games in the autumn, while Orient’s
longest winless streak was four games in February.
That
consistency helped both teams hold an impressive record against teams who
finished in the top half. Rotherham took 35 points from top-half opposition,
compared to Orient’s 33, though seven of Rotherham ’s
eight defeats came in those games.
But one
thing that has been the driving force of fantastic seasons is an incredible
durability. The Millers’ penchant for late goals has been well documented, but
they rescued an impressive 23 points from losing positions and that was the best
in the division, one more than Orient, who hauled back 22 points.
Perhaps
the most crucial stat in predicting how the game will go falls in the Millers’
favour, though. Evans’ unwavering we’ll-score-one-more approach has seen his side register
a mammoth 16 points when they have conceded two or more goals in their games, a
healthy five more than anyone else.
So the
stats say it will be a clash full of goals, with Rotherham
coming from behind after conceding two goals. The Millers to win 3/2 at 30/1could be a sensible bet!
