Orient set to cash in on Arsenal replay

ORIENT’S FA Cup cash bonanza is set to continue, as next Wednesday’s fifth round replay at Arsenal will be shown live on ESPN.

That will add a further �123,750 to the kitty and if Orient can spring a major surprise, they would pick up another �180,000 in prize money.

This season’s FA Cup run will see the club make a footballing profit for the first time since Barry Hearn took control more than 15 years ago.

Orient have made over �700,000 from the run to date – enough to cover the loss they would normally make during a trading year.

But now, with a bumper pay day expected at the Emirates next Wednesday, the O’s can expect to more than double that figure.

It means this season’s run will have generated more than �1.5million for the club, with another huge cash windfall awaiting the winners of Wednesday’s tie, as a quarter-final trip to Manchester United is the prize for success.

The O’s chairman has already promised to treat the players to an end-of-season break in Las Vegas – and the extra cash will also help fund a possible judicial review, as Orient look to prove that the football authorities failed to follow due process by ignoring the impact West Ham’s move to the Olympic Stadium will have on the League One side.

The extra cash may also help manager Russell Slade as O’s bid to gatecrash the League One play-off places and would help him move into the loan market if he needs to boost his squad.

The O’s are just six points off the top six and have games in hand over most of their rivals.

Meanwhile, Orient’s chief executive Matt Porter was pleased with the way the club had coped with their first 9,000-plus crowd for more than 10 years against Arsenal.

“Operationally, we were pleased with the way things went, there were no major problems on the day,” he said.

“Things seemed to go well and we have had a really positive reaction.”

Orient are entitled to a ticket allocation of nearly 9,000 for the replay and Porter expects the club to take the full amount.