This season has been one full of euphoric peaks and frustrating troughs, for Leyton Orient Women.
For the second successive year they have seen their league season suspended due to the effects of government Covid restrictions, which has caused a great deal of frustration for the east London outfit.
Despite the uncertainty and unprecedented nature of their previous two league campaigns, the O’s have held on to their positivity and drive for their goals.
At the helm of their pursuits is manger, Chris Brayford, who is very optimistic of a bright future for Orient’s women and has his sights set on a stronger relationship with those associated with the club, once normality returns to football.
The Fans
Casting our minds back to football supporting pre-Covid, the most significant element we can all note is the usual inclusion of fans.
Despite them being the audience for the sporting spectacles we know and love, they are very much an important part of the make-up of football.
For a club steeped in a history consisting of a strong engagement with their fans, Orient women have really felt the effects of fan non-attendance to most of their matches last season.
“It’s a different game without the fans there, it’s a different dynamic”, said Brayford.
“The support of the fans is huge; it helps sides to win games. From an Orient perspective, I think we’ve got a great relationship with the fans, they’re a great bunch and their support’s superb.”
Important Reflection
Brayford recently embarked on period of reflection and opted to learn something from what has been an unusual time for him and his team.
During lockdown, he spent time reflecting on what was important and in doing so was able to encourage his team to focus on wellbeing, to create a much stronger and cohesive camp.
“Lockdown for everyone, within and without football, it reminds you of the important things in life, the people that you care about and their wellbeing.
“[The team have] good cohesion despite or potentially maybe because of the work that we’ve done in lockdown. We’ve made a good effort in terms of trying to keep the players working and feeling connected and they’ve put in a huge effort”, he said.
Looking Ahead
As their 2020/21 campaign is now in the past, Orient’s attention now turns to next season’s plans and have already begun to put the necessary measures in place.
“We’re trying to do a lot so that when we come back hopefully that will be to the games and we’re in the best position we can be.
“The players do two conditioning sessions a week, they do an additional session which is phycological. We’ve done a couple on nutrition and hydration, we do a couple tactical ones [as well as] some fun ones and socials”, said Brayford.
As Orient were only able to play three league games last season, it was their FA Cup journey which produced the most memorable moments.
Before eventually being eliminated by Chichester and Selsey Ladies in the third round, Orient women went on a remarkable cup run which allowed them to grow even closer to their fans.
For Brayford, the added togetherness formed from their run in the FA Cup, is something he wants to build on for next season.
“From a fans perspective, hopefully they’ll be able come and watch us and hopefully they’ll be able to see that as team, we continue to progress. We’re all about working hard to get better and hopefully they’ll be able to see that”, he said.
Collective Ambition
Leyton Orient women have serious aims for promotion next season. Brayford and his side will hope their experiences last season, will be the driving force for success in the upcoming campaign.
“For us the immediate ambition is to win our division and move up to the WNL Southern Premiership, that’s our number one overarching goal”, said Brayford.
“The players will give everything, also for us as a team, it was a summer of a little bit of transition and I think we’re building something that’s really good, there’s a lot of enthusiasm in the camp on and off the pitch.”
