ORIENT head to MK Dons on Saturday and new loan signing Aaron Doran is desperate to impress, writes TREVOR DAVIES. The 18-year-old Blackburn Rovers man spent a brief spell with the MK Dons earlier this season. While, by a strange quirk of fate and in a mi

ORIENT head to MK Dons on Saturday and new loan signing Aaron Doran is desperate to impress, writes TREVOR DAVIES.

The 18-year-old Blackburn Rovers man spent a brief spell with the MK Dons earlier this season.

While, by a strange quirk of fate and in a mirror-image move, Tottenham winger Andros Townsend, who started the season on loan at Brisbane Road, is now at stadium:mk.

It means that the two players will face a Saturday showdown and both will be keen to make sure they come out on top.

"It would be good to go back there and get a win over them," said the Irishman, who joined MK Dons at the start of October and scored on his debut against Southend in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

Doran made four more league appearances for the Dons, but added: "I was only there a month, because they couldn't agree about my wages. Hopefully, we will beat them next weekend."

Meanwhile, Townsend will also be keen to do well against the O's after spending the first five months of the season at Brisbane Road and making a total of 26 appearances for the club.

And Doran knows that Townsend will be a threat: "I've seen his goal (for Orient) at Yeovil when he ran half the length of the pitch. I wouldn't mind scoring one like that if I can. I'll certainly do my best," he smiled.

The youngster has signed initially for a month and will be with Orient until March 27 - but has already laid down a marker and is keen to stay.

"Hopefully, I will get it extended if I do well here," said the Republic of Ireland under-19 international.

"I'd like to stay. I like first team football, it's more competitive than playing in the reserves at Blackburn."

Doran, who came through Blackburn's Academy, has already appeared in the Premier League.

"I played in some big games at the end of last season at Man City, Chelsea and Liverpool. I made my debut at Anfield and they were good games and hopefully, in years to come, I will play there again," he said.

Doran sees his time at Orient as a valuable learning curve, as he tries to make it in the top flight and explained some of the differences between the Premier League and League One.

"It's all the same really, but you don't get much time on the ball," said Doran.

"You get a lot more time in the Premiership, but here you get closed down and tackled very quickly, but coming here will make me a better player and I'm sure it will work out well."

Doran, who is under contract at Ewood Park for another two-and-a-half years, was disappointed not to have helped Orient to a win last weekend against Swindon.

"It was a tough battle, but I thought we should have won it with all the chances we created in the game," he reflected.

"We had a lot better chances than they did. They had a spell near the end when they could have won it, but overall we should have got the three points."

Doran is delighted with the way he has settled in: "The lads have been brilliant and they have made it easy for me," he said.

"I knew on the Saturday about the loan and came down Sunday night, trained on the Monday and played at Gillingham on Tuesday.

"I didn't have that much time to get to know the lads, but now I know them all and it's easy to play with them.

"I knew Orient played football and that's why I wanted to come down and play.

"I didn't want to come to a side that played long-ball football."

Doran has played in two games for O's and both have finished in draws: "No losses yet and I hope to keep it that way," he said.

And certainly O's will be looking to avoid defeat as they face two important trips in the space of four days.

After Saturday's game at MK Dons, they head to Oldham next Tuesday for a rearranged league game.