A MINUTE'S silence in memory of former Leyton Orient owner and chairman Tony Wood was held before a match at Brisbane Road on Saturday.

Mr Wood, 76, died on Wednesday last week in Rwanda, where he had his permanent home.

Even from such a distance, he continued to take a close interest in the O's, serving as a director and attending the matches whenever he was back in the UK.

Born in Leyton, Mr Wood embarked on an adventurous career as a coffee merchant in the African state.

But his interest in his home town and team never waned and he joined the O's board of directors in 1985.

It was a time when the club was in a period of difficulties which brought it close to financial ruin the following year. With a history spanning more than a century, Leyton Orient FC was scheduled to be wound up on July 15, 1986.

Mr Wood came to the rescue, taking over 76 per cent of the club and becoming its chairman.

His support for the O's was unswerving over the next nine years.

Meanwhile, he continued to run his coffee business in Rwanda, where he was also Honorary British Consul, a role which gained him an OBE.

But tragedy struck. Rwanda was embroiled in a bloody civil war which also inflicted huge damage on Mr Wood's firm.

In an interview with the Guardian at the time, he told of his heartbreak over the death of many of his closest friends.

Struggling to rebuild his coffee business, he decided in 1995 to sell the club to Barry Hearn, though he continued on the board and visited Brisbane Road whenever possible.

In February this year, Mr Wood described in a match programme the pleasure he had taken in attending games during a three-month holiday.

He also wrote: "I remember watching the first ever match here at Brisbane Road a 1-1 draw against Cardiff City in August 1937 and when I was a young schoolboy we used to play reserve games in the afternoon and we would creep out and watch from behind the fence."

Flowers and tributes have been pouring into the club and the minute's silence preceded a friendly match against Brighton. Another will be held before the first home league match of the season, against Macclesfield Town.

Tributes have been placed on the Orient website, www.leytonorient.com.

Barry Hearn is quoted as saying: "Tony was a true Orient man, a lover of the club and a great servant of it for many years. We always enjoyed meeting up on his returns to the club and he will be sorely missed by all."

Manager Paul Brush said: "I was with Tony at the Millennium Stadium when the under-19s won the Football League Youth Alliance Cup and he was delighted at their success. He was an enthusiastic man and he loved the club."

Jamie Stripe, editor of the Leyton Orientear Fanzine, described Mr Wood as "one of the most popular chairmen the club has ever had".

August 1, 2002 11:30