ORIENT owner Barry Hearn has said that he wants an improved League One finish for the team to satisfy him this season.

Want-away chairman Hearn told the Guardian this week: “I like to think we can improve each year.

"We've finished 14th for the last two consecutive years, so 13th would be nice, and anything above that would be a bonus.”

Hearn did add that, in football, he prefers to avoid expectations.

But it seems he thinks the man he appointed to do the manager's job at Brisbane Road is just the man to advance Orient's cause.

He said: “I'm impressed with Geraint Williams. I like him. I think he loves his football. I think he's a very good coach. It's a new start, a new season, so the jury's out.

"In football, results are everything.”

While Orient progress on the pitch under Williams, Hearn revealed that he fears he could be stuck in the chairman's chair for a while yet.

He said: “I'm here until the first idiot comes along with more money and says 'I want to do something for this club that is better than what Barry Hearn has done'.

“If it happens today I will be very happy, and if it doesn't happen for 20 years, I'll swallow it.”

Last week, Orient were forced to pay off non league Luton Town to seal the now famous clash with Newcastle Utd.

The O's had been due to be play the Hatters instead.

But Newcastle were made to pull out of a match in Holland by the FA, over fears of clashes between Geordies and Makems who were in Amsterdam to watch Sunderland.

It was too good a chance to miss, said Hearn.

And what a happy decision it turned out to be.

The only disappointment was the low attendance.

There were 3,615 fans in seats, and over a third of them had made the 560-mile round trip to be there.

Hearn said: “Newcastle are a great historic club. One of their player's wages is probably the same as our entire squad.

“It was a bit short notice, but these things happen. We were meant to play Luton, but we made our apologies to them, paid them some compensation, and moved on.”