LEYTON Orient chief Barry Hearn has voiced his support for Cherries as they aim to strike a blow for League One’s unlikely lads.

Cherries ended Orient’s hopes of squeezing into the play-offs when they sealed a top-six place with last weekend’s draw at Hartlepool.

But despite seeing his club miss out at the expense of Cherries, Hearn has no hard feelings towards the Dean Court outfit.

And the snooker, darts and boxing promoter, whose 888.com Premier League darts bandwagon stopped off at the BIC yesterday, has wished Cherries luck in their bid for promotion to the Championship.

The Orient chairman is pleased to see Lee Bradbury’s side battling it out with some of the third tier’s heavyweights. Hearn told the Echo: “I am very pleased for Bourne-mouth. I know they have had a rough ride over the past few years, financially.

“They seem to have got out of that now and are running a good business. They are there on merit and have got a good shout.

“It is a long, hard season and League One is a very tough division. There are some good teams with massive budgets.

“For clubs like Leyton Orient and Bournemouth to be in and around the play-off area is a huge compliment to the management, staff and players of those small teams – because we are small teams.

“We are up against the Southamptons, Huddersfields and Peterboroughs, with budgets that are probably two, three or four times as much as ours, and yet Bournemouth are there on merit.

“I pat everyone on the back. Everyone at Leyton Orient wishes Bournemouth the very best of luck.”