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Leyton Orient: Player Spotlight

Posted by FC Halifax Town
Posted on Wed 17 Jan 2018
Posted in First Team

The Vanarama National League returns this weekend, as FC Halifax Town prepare for the visit of Leyton Orient following last weekendโ€™s exit from the FA Trophy.

The Shaymen were defeated 4-1 by Maidenhead United, despite what was a promising start after Matty Kosyloโ€™s opener just 35 seconds in, and that now means Townโ€™s sole focus is on their league results.

The visit of Orient will see them bring a side filled with plenty of quality, especially with the likes of former Premier League players Jobi McAnuff and George Elokobi on their books. However, it is their number nine who could cause Town all sorts of problems on Saturday afternoon.

Macauley Bonne, a former Ipswich Town and Norwich City academy prospect, began his career at Colchester United after coming through their academy set up, and broke into the side during the 2013/14 season.

After scoring 46 goals in just 54 under-18 matches, Bonne made his debut for the Uโ€™s in October 2013, coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw against Shrewsbury Town.

In his second appearance for the first team, Bonne scored the winner on his home debut to Peterborough United 1-0. To make it even more special, it was his eighteenth birthday as he described it as “probably one of the best days of my life”.

Bonne went on to spend four years at Colchester, making over 80 appearances along the way. In 2015, he even managed to become the first Colchester player since 2007 to score a hat-trick in their FA Cup first round tie against Wealdstone.

During his time with the Uโ€™s, Bonne had two short loan spells in the National League, joining Lincoln City in September 2016. In the month that he spent with the Imps, Bonne made eight appearances following his debut against Torquay United, the day after he made the move.

He managed to score one goal, a winner against Tranmere Rovers, before returning to his parent club following a recall. By January of last year, Bonne was back out on loan once again with Woking where he spent one month with the Cardinals.

The Zimbabwean international failed to score in seven outings with Woking, and returned to Colchester for the remainder of the season. By the summer of last year, Bonne joined newly-relegated Orient where he has been a key figure in the side.

Quickly becoming a main-stay in the starting eleven, Bonne is currently the clubโ€™s top scorer for the season so far with thirteen goals, which is nine ahead of midfielder Craig Clay in second.

Having already earned the accolade during his time at Colchester, this season also saw Bonne score Orientโ€™s first hat-trick at the Matchroom Stadium since 2006 in their 4-1 win over Guiseley back in September.

With the Oโ€™s currently sitting six points above the relegation zone in 19th, Bonneโ€™s goal scoring prowess will be massively important as they look to avoid a second successive relegation. If the season so far is anything to go by, Bonne will certainly be a threat if he starts on Saturday.

If you cannot make it to the game, then there will be live match updates along with commentary available on the club website.

 

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