THE Revd Alan Comfort played football for Middlesbrough – presently between heaven and hell, though rather closer to the latter – and for Leyton Orient, who have descended into the abyss.

If that weren’t enough, he also has a soft spot for Hartlepool. The Comfort zone’s somewhere between a rock and a hard place right now.

Particularly he’s concerned about Leyton Orient, the club where he was chaplain for 21 years, which will finish bottom of League Two and which must address further financial issues before a mid-June deadline.

Readers should therefore be aware that today’s column contains strong language – not (or course) of the profane or offensive sort but not necessarily of the more-tea-vicar variety, either.

“It’s a tragedy, a disgrace,” says Alan, now 52. “Leyton Orient is an example of something that has been wonderful in the lives of an East London community. It’s just been one mistake after another, the same thing over and over. It’s a disaster that needn’t have happened, that’s the saddest thing.

“I absolutely loved that club, Now I feels like it’s almost been wiped from history.”

ALAN Comfort was born in Hampshire, played for Cambridge United and for Orient – 46 goals in 150 games – was signed by Boro manager Bruce Rioch for £175,000 in 1989.

He’d made just 17 appearances when suffering a cruciate ligament injury in a Tyne-Tees derby at St James’ Park. Despite seven operations, he never played professionally again.

He’d become a Christian – born again, as they say – at Cambridge, attended St Nicholas’s church in Durham, had just six O-levels when sponsored by the Diocese of Durham to study for the priesthood back at Cambridge.

Just months before he was to be ordained however, and to his great dismay, Durham gave him an ecclesiastical free transfer before he’d kicked a parochial ball.

He became a vicar in London, a few Tube stops from Brisbane Road, ministered in several Essex parishes but left one after just a few months following outspoken views – “unexpected theological differences,” said the diocese – on homosexuality.

His Christianity’s what they call evangelical, hanging more on the literal word of the Bible than sometimes is fashionable (or, clearly, acceptable) today.

Now he’s vicar of Standon and neighbouring parishes in Hertfordshire, admits he’s had a few ups and downs but feels a real heart for Herts.

“We’re in our own little world and it’s absolutely super. What goes on way above my head I hope won’t damage what we’re trying to do here. I love it.”

HIS last appearance as Leyton Orient’s chaplain was in the royal box at Wembley, the League One play-off final against Rotherham United in 2014. Leading 2-0 at half-time, Orient lost on penalties and were bought shortly afterwards by Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti.

Since then they’ve had 11 managers, five this season, become notorious for not paying players on time and have propped up League Two for much of this season.

One of the few games they’ve won was at home to Hartlepool. “Hartlepool must have been absolutely terrible,” muses Alan.

Last Saturday, five minutes from the end of their last home game, disgruntled fans occupied the pitch until told over the public address that the game had been abandoned. Once homeward, they may not have been best pleased to learn that it had then been played to a conclusion.

These days the former chaplain rarely attends, preferring to watch Cambridge United where his son Henry is operations manager.

“We had a super team back in 2013-14, something really to be reckoned with, that’s what makes even more painful what’s happened since the new owner came in.

“He just seemed to make the same mistakes over and over, changed the manager seemingly every month. He wanted it to go well, but he didn’t have the key. It’s not as if he didn’t have the money to do it; normally in this sort of situation, you’re looking at someone who’s broke.”

Things weren’t helped when West Ham moved to their neck of the manor and were positively hindered when Becchetti, said to own a £20m mansion, publicly kicked the assistant manager on a rare Brisbane Road appearance.

“I was there, I saw it, it took my breath away,” says Alan. “He wore the shirt, waved to the crowd. Maybe he wanted to be adored but I don’t think people were ever convinced. Certainly they aren’t now. He has destroyed the club.”

MIDDLESBROUGH are different, he believes, not least in having an admirable chairman. “It’s very hard to survive in the Premier League and if they do, they’ll have had an excellent season.

“I think they were vulnerable when they went up, perhaps even more vulnerable when they got rid of the manager, but I’m sure they’ll come back stronger, like Burnley.

“There’s a lot that’s right about Middlesbrough, I still have a big soft spot for them.”

In the meantime, he’s hoping to pull his boots on again for a charity match on May 20 between former Leyton Orient players and the 2005 promotion winning side.

“They’re going to have to be a bit careful with me, but it should be great. You have to have something to look forward to on the football front, don’t you?”