Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens believes his side should show no fear as they prepare for the League One play-off semi final second leg tomorrow night.
The O’s concluded a remarkable campaign by wrapping up a top six finish on the final day with an impressive 4-1 victory over Huddersfield Town. They hoped to take that form into their clash with Stockport at Brisbane Road on Saturday in a game which was marred with controversy.
Orient took a first half lead courtesy of top scorer Charlie Kelman, although replays showed he was yards offside. The Hatters hit back after the break through a Oliver Norwood penalty and Fraser Horsfall, but Kelman levelled from the spot late on.
It means the tie is perfectly poised ahead of the all-important showdown at Edgeley Park, where a place at Wembley awaits the winner.
“Season-Defining”
Although Orient are perhaps now the underdogs to progress, Wellens is under no illusions that his team have achieved something special this season. Speaking to BBC Radio London, he said:
“We absolutely deserve it (to be in the play-offs).
“In the last 30 games of the League One season we’ve picked up 63 points. Only Charlton have matched us and only Birmingham are above us, so this has not been a one or two-month thing, this has been over a long period of time – 30 games is 70% of the season.”
Continuing, the 45-year-old refused to downplay the importance of tomorrow’s clash, backing his side to upset the odds:
“We’ve got goals in our team, we’ve got nothing to fear [and] we need to go for it.
“We know that this is a season-defining game. We don’t want the season to end on Wednesday.
“If we’re at it, front-footed and really energetic then I think we can prolong our season (by) one more game.”
Writer’s View
Leyton Orient have been one of the standout teams in League One this season and thoroughly deserve their place in the play-offs. It will be a tough ask to overcome a Stockport side that finished third, but they have shown they are more than capable throughout the last few months. They already have one win at Edgeley Park this season and a second will see them head to the national stadium. From there, confidence will be high that they can return to the second tier for the first time since the early 1980s.
