Football Season Guide

Leyton Orient were given a lesson in the consequences of poor recruitment last season, only securing their League One status on the final day of the season. They had been beaten in the League One play-off final by Charlton Athletic last summer and they fell far and fast. That success had been built on the goals of striker Charlie Kelman, but he returned to parent club Queens Park Rangers following the end of his season-long loan. His replacement was Dominic Ballard would take a while to find his feet but would eventually play the pivotal role in making the O’s safe with 24 goals in 40 league matches. He was one of few successes, another being left-back James Morris, who didn’t arrive from Watford until January. A big problem was the form of the goalkeepers. Tommy Simkin was sent back to parent club Stoke City in January following a series of poor performances. Killian Cahill fared no better when given his chance. Injuries didn’t help either, especially with big players in midfielder Idris El Mizouni, wingers Ollie O’Neill and Theo Archibald and striker Aaron Connolly. A succession of midfielders were tried and invariably failed, exacerbated the loss of Ethan Galbraith, who was sold to Swansea City. Head coach Richie Wellens launched a scathing attack on his players, accusing them of “serving up rubbish and wasting a year of his managerial career.” The lessons appear to have learned, with the club acting swiftly with the appointment of Scott Mitchell as Director of Football. He has overseen a recruitment strategy this summer which has brought any increasing sense of excitement to O’s fans. The goalkeeping problems appear to have been solved with the permanent signing of Nathan Baxter. Issac Hayden is a real leader and has already been made captain. He’ll bring lots of experience to the middle of the park. There’s an abundance of talent in attack with the addition of midfielder Armando Dobra, signed from Chesterfield. The real wildcard however is the loan signing of winger Yusuf Akhamrich from Tottenham Hotspur. He made a spectacular impact during his loan at Bristol Rovers last season and is one to watch. Sadly for the O’s they have failed to hold to their best player again, Ballard having joined Bristol City for a £5m fee. Finding a replacement will be key to their chances of challenging for the play-offs.