“Leyton Orient Football Club is not my life, but it has been the only constant in it. I realise that every major event, every stage, every shifting moment, is connected in some way to this daft, infuriating football team.
“It defined my childhood, inspired my education, gave me my sense of humour, united my family. It has brought some joy, but mostly pain. Yet it has always been a wonderful, happy distraction from life’s trials and tribulations. I did not have to support Orient, I could have chosen any team in London, but where my dad trod, my brother and I held his hand and followed.”
Episode Eighty Four of the Blizzard Podcast features Setting Sun, Luke Edwards’ emotional article on what Leyton Orient means to him, and how it charts alongside the ups and downs of his own life, first published in Issue Twenty Five in June 2017.
As a post-script to the article, since publication the club’s divisive owner Francesco Becchetti has sold up to a consortium led by lifelong Orient fans, so things are thankfully looking up for the club.
Issue Twenty Five, like all issues of the Blizzard, is available for £12 plus postage on www.theblizzard.co.uk. Since we’ve relaunched the website, all our articles, including this one, are available to read for free. Non-subscribers get 3 free articles a month, while subscribers have unlimited advert-free browsing, as well as access to digital downloads of all our issues in eBook formats.
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