Form
Leyton Orient finished 20th in League One last season, only one place and three points clear of the relegation places. This season marks their fourth straight season in the third tier, following their promotion from League Two in 2023, when they finished as champions.
They have had a relatively strong start to the current season, sitting 12th in the league, four places and one point behind Reading in eighth.
Their recent from has been mixed, having seen two wins, one draw and two losses in their last five league matches. They come into this Wednesday’s game off the back of a 2-0 home win against Blackpool after goals from Will Forrester and Dane Scarlett.
The two sides shared the spoils last season, with Reading winning 2-1 at home last September before Orient claimed a 3-1 home win back in January, via a hat-trick from former Reading loanee Dom Ballard.
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 appeared for the likes of Blackpool, Leicester City and Doncaster Rovers over the course of an 18-year professional career.
He began his coaching stint 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-19.
A four-month spell at Salford City 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. He has since guided the Os to 11th-, sixth- and 20th-placed finishes in League One.
The 46-year-old likes his teams to play attacking football and, having strong links to Manchester United, sees Sir Alex Ferguson as one of his greatest inspirations.
Squad
It was a busy summer in East London, with Orient signing 16 players – 11 coming in permanently and five joining on loan.
The Os paid fees for goalkeeper Nathan Baxter (Watford), defender Fin Stevens (St Pauli), midfielder Armando Dobra (Chesterfield) and strikers Jaze Kabia (Grimsby Town) and Dane Scarlett (Tottenham Hotspur).
They also utilised the free market, picking up defender Joseph Olowu, midfielders Isaac Hayden, Alex Gilbert and Cristian Pascaluta, winger Tony Springett and forward Tariq Al Sadi.
Their loans were goalkeeper Oliver Dovin (Coventry City), defenders Somto Boniface (Ipswich Town) and Alfie Gilchrist (West Bromwich Albion), winger Yusuf Akhamrich (Tottenham) and Nick Oyekunle (Southampton).
Expected setup
Formation: 3-4-3
Style: Attacking with width
Lineup: Baxter, Olowu, Forrester, Gilchrist, Stevens, Gilbert, Hayden, Morris, Akhamrich, Connolly, Scarlett
Key player
6. Will Forrester: Defender Forrester joined Orient this January, signing from Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.
He started his career in the youth setup at Stoke City and made his professional debut while at the Potters in 2021. Forrester made a further three appearances for Stoke before moving to Port Vale on a permanent deal in 2022, where he stayed for one season.
A move to Bolton Wanderers followed a year later, where Forrester made 53 appearances over the course of two-and-a-half seasons. Since joining Orient, the 25-year-old has made 28 appearances for the club, scoring two goals, with one of those coming over the weekend.
Forrester is a ball-playing centre-back with strong leadership skills, who was named club captain for the second half of last season.
One to watch
9. Jaze Kabia: Forward Kabia signed for Leyton Orient over the summer, joining from Grimsby for a club-record fee.
He started his career in his homeland of Ireland, making his professional debut at Cobh Ramblers in 2018, before also spending time at Shelbourne. A move to Scotland followed in 2021 when Kabia moved to Livingston, before returning to Ireland with Cork City in 2023.
A short spell back in Scotland with Clyde followed, before he gained his first taste of English football with non-league Truro City in 2024. The following summer, Kabia joined Grimsby Town in League Two, where he finished as the club’s top scorer on 23 goals.
The 26-year-old has five Orient goals to his name since joining this summer. Kabia is a striker who is a good finisher, while also being able to play out wide.