Following victory over Stockport County, Leyton Orient find themselves five points clear at the top of League Two with a points per game ratio that would eclipse the EFL 106 point record set by Reading in 2006.
Back in March, the O’s were setting records for all the wrong reasons as a 1-1 draw with Forest Green stretched their winless run to 16 matches.
To say it’s been an incredible transformation by head coach Richie Wellens, who has just signed a new two-and-a-half-year deal at the club, is an understatement with the turnaround down to a style of play that is both entertaining but ultimately built on solid foundations.
For instance, no team in England has racked up more clean sheets than Orient with 11 from their 19 league fixtures while none of their 14 league wins so far have been by more than a two goal margin.
In some ways, the win over Stockport typified their season to date and answered some of the few criticisms about this side in the process.
Orient were under the cosh for the opening fifteen minutes and were perhaps slightly fortunate to be just the one behind as Dave Challinor’s side flew out the traps spurred on by the biggest Edgeley Park crowd since their return to the EFL.
The O’s had barely got out of their own half before they won a throw deep into opposition territory in the 19th minute; Tom James launched one into the box and skipper Darren Pratley rose highest to level the scores against the run of play.
The goal demonstrates how Wellens has perhaps sacrificed some of his ideals in search of success this season.
Shortly after arriving at the club, he stated how he “hated” long throws and would rather work patterns of play from them. But due to the club’s perilous predicament, he would persist with them for the time being as a matter of necessity.
Nine months later they’ve provided the source of what could turn out to be a crucial goal.
A lack of a Plan B has been a topic of conversation on the few occasions results haven’t gone Orient’s way this season. As has a potential over-reliance on star winger Paul Smyth, something that Wellens himself has dismissed by saying: “I don’t see a team that is one dimensional, the way we attack isn’t reliant on him.”
In the second-half, with the O’s still second best against Stockport, Wellens, sitting in the stands while recovering from illness, made the brave call to switch to a Plan B that didn’t involve his talismanic Northern Irishman.
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The O’s gaffer relaid his plan to assistant Paul Terry who orchestrated a move to a 3–5-2 for the first time this season as Smyth and George Moncur made way for Shad Ogie and Aaron Drinan.
The alteration paid off almost immediately with a spell of O’s pressure culminating in Omar Beckles volleying home to put the side ahead.
In testing circumstances, Orient then did what they’ve done so well all season and saw out a lead.
Including the win at Stockport, the O’s have been ahead for just over 13 hours of league football this season. In that time they’ve conceded just six goals and given up just two points from a winning position.
The victory against County was in stark contrast to the loss at AFC Wimbledon a fortnight earlier. Wellens credited his side’s lacklustre performance that night to “not handling the occasion” but it’s something his team will have to get used to as the season wears on.
As evident from both Stockport and Wimbledon games, opposition are now seeing the O’s as a scalp and players and supporters alike are raising their games accordingly.
Similarly, at Brisbane Road opposition have also adapted their playing style, often dropping deeper and limiting the space for Orient’s more technical players to work in.
The mind games have also begun from opposition managers – Stevenage coach Steve Evans recently labelling Orient as “this season’s Forest Green”, a suggestion Wellens rubbished in the aftermath of the Wimbledon loss.
Wellens is right. His side aren’t the same – they actually have two points more than last season’s League Two champions did at this stage of the previous campaign.
Over the last five completed League Two seasons an average of 81 points has been enough to secure automatic promotion, meaning Orient are already over half way there.
A 1.5 points per game average from here on out would virtually guarantee their spot in League One next season.
They might not appreciate the extra opposition attention that comes with it, but like it or not, promotion is now firmly in their hands.