Opposition Lowdown: Richie Wellens’ In-Form Leyton Orient

The Royals make a trip to the capital this weekend when they take on Leyton Orient in East London. Join us as we take a closer look at the opposition.

Form

Leyton Orient finished last season in 11th place in League One, in their first season back in the third tier in eight years. They secured promotion back to League One in the 2022/23 season after finishing as champions of League Two, six points clear of runners-up Stevenage.

They are performing well in the league this season, currently sitting in eighth, one place and three points behind Reading, after 11 wins, five draws and nine losses so far. They are one of the form sides in the league, having picked up four wins and one draw in their last five league matches.

Their last loss in the league came almost two months ago when they were beaten 0-2 at home to Huddersfield Town at the end of November. They come into this weekend’s game off the back of a 0-1 loss to Stevenage in the EFL Trophy on Tuesday, while their last league game saw them draw 0-0 away to Peterborough United.

The two sides faced each other at the Select Car Leasing Stadium back in September with Orient claiming a 0-1 win against Reading after a first-half goal from Charlie Kelman.

The boss

Richie Wellens: Wellens was appointed Orient manager in March 2022, taking over from Kenny Jackett, who was sacked after nine months in charge.

Wellens was a midfielder during his playing career, having come through the Manchester United academy. He played for the likes of Blackpool, Leicester City and Doncaster Rovers over the course of an 18-year professional career.

He began his coaching career in 2017, starting out at Oldham Athletic where he was then appointed manager. His next managerial role came at Swindon Town, where he secured promotion to League One after the season was cut short due to Covid.

A four-month spell at Salford followed in 2020, after which he joined former club Doncaster in 2021, where he lasted six months. Wellens secured promotion in his first full season at Leyton Orient, winning the League Two title and the manager of the season award.

The 44-year-old likes his teams to play attacking football and sees Sir Alex Ferguson as one of his greatest inspirations. His son Charlie Wellens is part of the Reading academy, having joined the club in 2023.

Squad

Orient have signed two players so far in the January transfer window, with winger Dilan Markanday joining on loan from Blackburn Rovers and midfielder Azeem Abdulai signing on a permanent deal from Swansea City.

Defender Jack Simpson is expected to miss out on this weekend’s game through injury.

Expected lineup

Keeley, James, Beckles, Cooper, Currie, Pratley, Galbraith, Markanday, Donley, Obiero, Kelman

Key player

Tom James: Defender James joined Leyton Orient in July 2021, signing from Scottish side Hibernian. He started his career in the youth setup at Cardiff City and made his debut for the Bluebirds in 2014.

He went on to join Yeovil Town on a permanent deal in 2017, where he spent two and a half years, making 96 appearances. A move to Hibernian followed in 2019, however he only made 12 appearances in Scotland, while also spending time on loan at Wigan and Salford City.

Since signing for Orient, James has made 144 appearances, scoring 11 goals for the club. The Welshman has represented his country at under-19 level and has three youth caps to his name.

The 28-year-old is a right-back by trade but is versatile and can play anywhere across the back four.

One to watch

Dilan Markanday: Winger Markanday has recently joined Orient on a loan deal from Blackburn Rovers until the end of the season. He started his career in the youth setup at Tottenham Hotspur and made his debut for the club in 2021.

He went on to sign a permanent deal at Blackburn Rovers in 2022 and has gone on to make 35 appearances for the club, scoring five goals.

Markanday has had a number of loan spells away from Rovers, spending time at Aberdeen and Chesterfield prior to his latest move to Orient. He spent the first half of the season at League Two Chesterfield where he scored seven goals.

The 23-year-old is a winger who typically plays on the right, with strong pace and finishing ability.