On the first of December, Leyton Orient sat in 21st place in the League One table. On the 23rd of January, they are now in eighth place, just three points off of the playoff places. In that span, they have played nine league games, they have won seven of those, and drawn the other two. Orient have also only conceded twice in those nine league games, both of which came away at Bristol Rovers on New Year’s Day.
This means no one has scored a goal at the Gaughan Group Stadium since their last loss in the league against Huddersfield at the end of November. An astonishing run of form, navigated through a treacherous winter period with a limited squad, has Orient fans dreaming of the playoffs when, a couple of months ago, there were existential fears of relegation back down to the fourth tier.
The man behind this incredible run is Richie Wellens, who has been Leyton Orient’s manager since March 2022. When he joined the club, Orient was just four points away from safety in League Two, with just eleven games remaining. He implemented his philosophy immediately, and the club went on an unbeaten run to stay up. The next season they won the league, gaining promotion to League One. This is their second season back in League One, after an eight-year absence in which the club endured a torrid spell both on and off the pitch, including a spell in non-league.
Now, however, fans are quietly dreaming of the championship prospect. Manchester native Wellens has been linked several times to moves away from the club throughout his tenure but has stayed loyal to the squad he built in E10, one that he believes in.
There was a definitive negative aura surrounding the club throughout the first third of this season, with the club struggling in the league. The nature of football clubs and fans in this contemporary age is to quickly put the manager under scrutiny. But the majority of fans don’t understand what goes on behind the scenes when players are not on the pitch. The need for patience and trust within a football club is paramount to success.
Wellens had taken a struggling Orient side up a division, back to where fans felt the club certainly belonged. But all clubs have unsatisfactory spells of form; that is football. To get through those barren runs, the fans need to stay behind the team and trust the manager to get his players back on track.
This is something that Richie can be commended for. His experience in the dugout meant he was aware of how arduous an EFL season is. He has learnt not to panic; there are a lot of games. And if you were going to lose a few games, it is better to do it at the start of the season than at the end.
We have seen it copious amounts of times in the EFL over the years. Clubs struggling in the relegation zone in November. But due to the sheer amount of games over the festive period, a decent run of form around the new year can catapult a side up the league and in with a shout of the playoffs. That is what we have seen with Orient this season.
Embed from Getty ImagesNot only have Orient enjoyed a great run of form in the league, but they are also through to the fourth round of the FA Cup. It has been a magical cup run so far for the O’s, who surrendered a two-goal advantage at Boreham Wood but scraped through on penalties. Then came the 99th-minute equaliser from none other than keeper Josh Keeley against Oldham in which they went on to win in the last minute of extra time. Then just last week, Orient outlasted championship outfit Derby on penalties after it ended one goal apiece after 120 minutes.
The win sets up a fourth-round tie against the reigning Premier League champions in Manchester City at home. It will be a monumental day for the football club with the visit of Pep Guardiola’s side, no matter what team they put out. But it spotlights the magic of the FA Cup living on and has O’s fans dreaming of the biggest of all upsets in a fortnight.
Now, it is just a question of whether the Orient can continue to compete. It just so happens that the League One division this season is one of the strongest we have ever seen. The likes of Birmingham, Wrexham, Huddersfield, Rotherham, Bolton, Reading, Wigan. All huge historical British clubs who have been in and around the top flight for the most part. It was always going to be a hard task for Orient to compete this year, with their limited budget in comparison to the other big clubs.
So for the O’s to now be sitting in eight, albeit a very tight league table, is a testament to Richie Wellens and his orchestration of getting his players adopted to his playstyle and philosophy.
Loans have been an instrumental component of Orient’s success this campaign, most notably the likes of Jack Currie at left back (Oxford United), Josh Keeley (Spurs), Sonny Perkins (Leeds) and Charlie Kelman (QPR) on his second spell in East London. The players have ignited renewed excitement in E10, and Richie is at the heart of it.
Embed from Getty ImagesWellens’ evocative and animated behaviour on the touchline is well documented. So much so that he was booked several times early on in the season for his demeanour when refereeing decisions against his side. We have seen more and more managers booked and sent off during games in a conscious effort by the EFL to bring back order on the touchline. But Wellens got so used to watching games from the stands that he has now made it a full-time venture.
He denotes his decision to a better view of the pitch, being able to deconstruct the positioning of his players away from the heated nature of the pitch level. It has meant that his assistant Paul Terry is now the vocal voice in the dugout, with Wellens on the radio from above. It has clearly worked as a treat for Orient and Wellens, and that is why he has kept doing it.
Embed from Getty ImagesSome critics have pointed to Leyton Orient’s easy schedule over the Christmas period as to why their form has picked up. They did play the bottom four teams in a six-game spell. But that also included a 4-0 romping of playoff, hopefully Barnsley away from home, and you can only beat the teams in front of you.
But the boys in red will surely be tested in the coming weeks as they host Reading and Stockport in their next two home games, the two teams directly above them in the table, with a midweek trip to Exeter sandwiched in between. The next ten days or so will show just how resilient this Orient team is, particularly with the ongoing injury issues.
Wellens lost key wingers Dan Agyei and Ollie O’Neill in back-to-back matches to start 2025. Two other wingers, Theo Archibald and Jordan Graham, have already endured long-term absences. The club made two January signings in an attempt to bolster a depleted roster, and Wellens hopes they can fit right into the squad as soon as possible.
No matter the outcome of this season, despite a real chance to snatch a playoff place, everyone involved at Leyton Orient must be thankful that Richie Wellens is in charge. Early relegation fears are long gone; the team are a joy to watch once again, and it is not all down to Wellens of course, but what a magnificent job he has done.
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