ORIENT will have history on their side, if not the form guide, when they take on Stoke City on Wednesday night.

The Potters of the Premier League are all that stand between the O’s and a place in round three of the Carling Cup.

The two sides have not played each other in 16 years.

But they have clashed before in the League Cup.

That happened in October 1988, almost 21 years ago.

Back then it was called the Littlewoods Challenge Cup and matches were decided over two legs.

Orient triumphed that time with a 3-1 win in a nail-biting penalty shoot-out.

The Londoners had won the match 2-1 in normal time at Stoke’s old Victoria Ground home.

The result cancelled out Stoke’s previous 2-1 win at Brisbane Road in the first leg.

But today Stoke City play in the Premier League, so should enter the tie as the bookies’ firm favourites However, Orient shredded any notions of a gulf in glass just last month, when they thrashed Newcastle United 6-1 in a friendly at Brisbane Road.