Leyton Orient host Bolton Wanderers in their 10th game of the season. The match will see the two sides face off in their first league meeting since March 1993 in a game which saw Bolton take a 1-0 win.
This is a chance for the O’s to finally get their first home win of what is to be a long campaign. Asked about the team’s poor home form, Manager Ross Embleton told the club YouTube channel “I thought our home form certainly improved before lockdown, we felt we were in a good place at home and circumstances are different now, going away from home isn’t intimidating, the home crowd don’t swing decisions or moments in your favor because there’s no one there…
“We want to be winning at home, we want it to be a place that whether there is people there or not people find it tough to play a Leyton Orient team at our stadium”
‘Frustrating‘
A ‘frustrating’ 1-1 draw at home to Exeter City saw Orient drop to 13th in the league table, the game saw Conor Wilkinson grab his fifth goal of the season, equaling last season’s total, and Orient boss Ross Embleton says he has been ‘delighted with the way he’s performing.’
At the press conference Embleton had this to say on his side misfortunes “Take those frustrations as a positive. In a short space of time I feel our performances have improved, obviously we’ve picked up some points in comparison to dropping the ones we had done…we have to take that as a positive as long as we learn and develop and progress”.
Bolton however come into the game climbing up to 16th after a Nathan Delfouneso goal saw them pick up a 1-0 win over Bradford City and the side are now without a loss in their last three games, last going four without defeat on the road in April 2017 when they won five in a row in League One. Embleton said they’re “starting to find themselves a little now so we know it’s going to be a tough game”. Leyton have kept one clean sheet in their last 21 home league matches, a 0-0 draw with Bradford City in December 2019.
‘Improving’
Injury wise Saturday’s game seems ‘Far too soon’ for Orient forward Lee Angol. Angol hasn’t been seen since he went off with a hamstring injury in the Os 2-0 win over AFC Wimbledon in an EFL trophy game earlier this month, however, Embelton said the forward has been “improving, he’s done a lot more work this week so hopefully, he won’t be too far away”.
There is hope however that Orient may see Ruel Sotiriou return, the striker was forced off at a half time with a head injury in last week’s 2-0 win over Stevenage.
Bolton’s have had a season plagued with injuries thus far and Saturday will also be too soon for Bolton quartet Gethin Jones, Lloyd Isgrove, Eoin Doyle, and Shaun Miller despite all returning to training this week. However, Bolton boss Ian Evatt revealed Wanderers midfielder Tom White will be available for selection.
The game takes place this Saturday at 3 pm at The Breyer Group Stadium.
