After a 1-0 away defeat at Northampton Town, Leyton Orient now sit in eighth place and two points away from the play-off places in League Two.
Luckily for Orient, time is on their side as the season is just under the halfway mark in terms of games played. However, they must find their form if they are to guarantee a play-off spot.
Away Day Troubles
Orient have so far lacked that clinical edge in front of goal in closely contested games. So far in their 19 games played, 10 have resulted in draws. Their 10 draws are the most in the league, followed by Exeter with nine. They have also only amassed six wins which is the joint second lowest in the top half of the table, only bested by Bradford who have five.
Their away form is currently a big issue failing to win in six of their last 10 away outings. Kenny Jackett’s side need to find a way to counteract this poor run of form as picking up points on the road is a necessity for playoff contention.
Home Resilience
However, Orient’s form at home is a much different story. The team seems to put on a dominant display at Brisbane Road, having lost just one of their last 10 home fixtures and also picking up 18 points from a possible 30, which includes the massive 4-0 win against Oldham and a 5-0 win against Hartlepool.
Orient need to maintain their form at home as this will be another key area for Jackett’s side to maintain. The team’s good home form is key to picking up much-needed points.
Young Prospects
Orient’s youth prospects have shone massively through their campaign, both in the league and the cup. Hector Kyprianou, Ruel Sotiriou, Shadrach Ogie and Rhys Byrne have all shown glimpses of potential.
Sotiriou has been one of the stand out main stars of the young prospects, netting four times in the league for the O’s, including an important equaliser against the top of the table side Forest Green back in October. Young midfielder Hector Kyprianou is a mainstay at central midfield for the O’s and has featured in 17 of Orient’s 19 league games so far this season.
New Signings
One area where Orient can be highly praised is their transfer business so far this season. During the summer window, an array of players were signed, predominantly on free transfers.
Paul Smyth, Harry Smith, Aaron Drinan, and Omar Beckles are some of the standout players that Orient acquired. Drinan, Smith, and Beckles have combined for a total of 20 of Orient’s 32 goals this season, meaning the trio are responsible for 63% of the O’s total goals scored this league campaign.
Tom James, a right-back signed from Scottish Premier League side Hibernian, has a combined goal and assist record of seven (four goals, three assists) and loan signing Theo Archibald, who plays at left midfield, hailing from League One side Lincoln City, has contributed to eight goals (four goals, four assists) giving Orient a creative option going forward.
Cup Run
Orient aren’t exactly renowned for their cup runs, failing to get past the third round since 2011 when they famously drew 1-1 at Brisbane Road under then manager Russell Slade, against Premier League side Arsenal thanks to former Striker Johnathan Tehoue’s 89th-minute equaliser.
The team will surely want to put their 2019-20 FA Cup run woes behind them as they lost to non-league side Maldon and Tiptree 2-1. This season however they have got off to a good start, beating Ebbsfleet United 1-0 to secure a second-round tie at home against Tranmere Rovers, which is due to be played on the 4th December.
Unfortunately, in the Carabao, they were knocked out in the first round by Queens Park Rangers. It was all square at 1-1 after 90 mins but the West London side went through on penalties. The O’s haven’t progressed from the first round of this competition since the 2014-15 season after they lost 1-0 to Sheffield United.
In the Papa John’s Trophy, Orient topped their group with three wins from three and without conceding a goal to set up a tie with MK Dons. Orient beat the likes of Charlton Athletic of League One, Crawley Town of League Two and Southampton’s U23 squad.
Injury Luck
Orient have been very lucky in terms of injuries so far this season with only centre-half Adam Thompson missing from action with an ankle injury he picked up in March. He has since recovered and made a few appearances off the bench.
The Future
Orient will be looking to achieve at least a play-off spot to attempt to return to League One for the first time since they were relegated in 2015. A club that was hit with relegation from the Football League and with financial hardship has done exceptionally well to recover in the way that they have.
The future looks bright for Leyton Orient and they just have to let their performances do the talking to achieve their ultimate aim of promotion.
Main photo credit: Wikimedia
