Football Season Guide

Ross Embleton has been a safe pair of hands for Leyton Orient and begins his second season in charge of the team. This time he has been appointed on a permanent basis, having returned after Carl Fletcher’s ill-fated 29-day spell in the hot seat. Embleton was initially handed the role following the tragic and untimely passing of Justin Edinburgh. It was a steady if unspectacular season with the O’s coming to terms with the loss of Edinburgh. There were encouraging signs as 2020 began but any momentum was soon lost as the season drew to a premature end in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic. A 17th-place finish in the PPG-decided table was a fair reflection and Embleton has so far only made a couple of additions to his squad, with midfielder Ousseynou Cisse’s loan move from Gillingham made permanent and full-back Jordan Thomas joining on a season-long loan from Norwich City. One area that does need some improvement is up front with Conor Wilkinson and Lee Angol having underwhelming campaigns. They were even outshone by teenager Ruel Sotiriou, whose late flourish showed his potential. It was midfielder Josh Wright who finished as leading goalscorer and he will play another crucial role this time around. The O’s are further boosted by a return to fitness of the experienced Jobi McAnuff, who played a key role off-the-pitch in supporting Embleton.