The sun could set on Leyton Orient unless they settle their unpaid tax bill

The second oldest league club in London could go out of business on Monday.

The future of Leyton Orient will be decided at a hearing at the Royal Court of Justice in London.

HM Revenue & Customs applied for a winding-up order because of an unpaid tax bill which is believed to be £250,000.

The EFL said last Wednesday that Leyton Orient had assured them that funds were in place to clear the debt.

If Orient do not settle the bill, they could be placed in administration and then go into liquidation. EFL rules would mean a 12-point deduction if the club went into administration.

Highlights of the Sky Bet League Two clash between Leyton Orient and Doncaster Rovers Highlights of the Sky Bet League Two clash between Leyton Orient and Doncaster Rovers

Orient are bottom of League Two and have lost 24 of their 38 league games this season.

They have been a league club for 112 years and less than three years ago they were two penalty kicks away from promotion to the Championship.

In July 2014, lifelong fan and promoter Barry Hearn sold the club for £4m to Italian businessman Francesco Becchetti two months after they lost the League One play off final to Rotherham United on penalties.

Francesco Becchetti bought Orient three years ago

Waste disposal businessman Becchetti had big plans for the club. He was described by one UK newspaper as "one of the richest men in Italy" but his time in charge has been characterised by controversies, fan protests, managerial changes and defeats on the pitch.

The club have had 10 managers under Becchetti and in January 2016 he was banned for six games and fined £40,000 by the FA for kicking assistant manager Andy Hessenthaler.

Three years ago, Leyton Orient were playing for place in the Championship in front of more than 43,000 fans at Wembley. On Monday, their future will be decided in front of a handful of lawyers and interested parties in Court One of the Rolls Building in the High Court in London.