Leyton Orient boss Richie Wellens admits there is little romance surrounding his side’s FA Cup clash with Carlisle United.
The first round tie at Brisbane Road is an all League One clash between two sides with plenty of recent history.
Wellens says it is a “tough draw” for both sides who hold little secrets to each other – and the occasion lacks some of the magic that the first round can throw up.
“I think both parties would admit it’s not a great draw, because when the draw was taking place, there are that many non-league teams and you want to try and draw a team who you don’t play or see that often and it’s a bit of a different event for the supporters,” said Wellens.
“It’s a tough draw for us, a tough draw for them and we’ve got to make sure we do our job, win the game and try and get through to the second round so we can play someone different.
“The FA Cup is a great competition but with the ties where teams get drawn against teams in the same league…it doesn’t really tickle people’s fancy.
“It’s a tough draw, a tough game but one we’re looking forward to.”
Orient’s manager, whose side won 1-0 at Brunton Park three weeks ago, said he is likely to be forced into some tactical changes this weekend.
The Os have a number of players out with injury.
“We’ve played [Carlisle] very recently – the only problem is I would imagine they’ve got a lot of different players, and we’ve got quite a few injuries at the moment,” said Wellens on the club’s channels.
“With Jordan Graham and Rob Hunt out, and with playing the wing-back system recently, we’re probably going to have to change that.
“Shaq Forde is suspended on Tuesday so we need to get him up and running, so Shaq will start, and there are a couple of different options we’re looking at.
“I think none of our players are going to surprise [Carlisle] and none of their players are going to surprise us.”
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