On Tuesday 18th March Leyton Orient’s two Over 65 squads (Reds and Whites) made their way to a bright, but chilly afternoon’s football in Billericay.

Orient Whites first match was against Chelmsford City Blue. Orient lined up with Weston in goal, Rains in central defence, a midfield trio of Baker, Dooley and Brennan and Slater up front. Within two minutes an unfortunate step back into the keepers area resulted in a penalty to the opposition who duly dispatched the spot kick. Whilst recovering from this early setback Orient’s defence lost concentration providing the Chelmsford striker with a clear shot on goal which he duly dispatched. Not the greatest start! Orient rallied with long range shots from Baker and Slater. At half time Inkpen and Kassam replaced Dooley and Slater. Orient continued to improve, keeping the ball much better but unable to get shots on the opposition goal. Chelmsford are a decent side and Orient did well not to concede any more goals. Final score: Leyton Orient 0 v 2 Chelmsford City Blue.

Meanwhile Leyton Orient Reds first game was against Concord Yellows. Orient quickly took the lead as Ridley latched onto a ball, seemingly destined for the Concord keeper, to poke the ball into the corner. This early goal settled nerves. Orient took control of the game, keeping possession and limiting opposition chances to long range, which Sullivan in goal dealt with comfortably. Final score: Concord Yellows 0 v 1 Leyton Orient (Ridley).

Next up for Leyton Orient Whites was Billericay Town White. Both teams were evenly matched and Orient continued to improve their possession football without carving out any clear cut chances. Towards the end of the half Orient won a free kick. Baker made a decoy run (walk) opening up space for Slater. Dooley spotted the opportunity and fed the ball to Slater, who slammed the ball into the top right hand corner of the goal. Early in the second half yet another step into the area presented Billericay the opportunity to level from the penalty spot. Weston dived to his left and managed to palm the ball onto the post and away. A lucky escape! The rest of the game was very tense with Billericay pushing for an equaliser. Orient held firm and saw out the game to the final whistle. Final score: Billericay Town White 0 v 1 Leyton Orient (Slater).

Orient Reds second game of the day was against Billericay Town Reds. This game followed a similar pattern to the first with Orient having the majority of the ball and making chances. Billericay opportunities were restricted by a solid O’s defence. However, Orient couldn’t find the breakthrough and the game finished goalless. Final score: Leyton Orient 0 v 0 Billericay Town Red.

Orient Reds then took on Paringdon Pirates in their final game of the day. Once again Orient dominated the ball and limited Parringdon opportunities. Patient Orient possession frustrated the opposition. This tempted them into four running infringements while trying to win the ball leading to an Orient penalty. Cox calmly slotted the spot kick away. Orient then had a Cox goal harshly disallowed for running. The rest of the game saw the Reds successfully manage the game out. Final score: Parringdon Pirates 0 v 1 Leyton Orient Reds (Cox).

Captain Mick Mullins commented afterwards: “This was a very encouraging start to our campaign and the whole squad played with confidence, keeping and passing the ball well. At no time were we chasing the game and with a bit of luck could have won all three. However two wins and no goals conceded was a good return on our first outing. Well done to Tom Armour on his Essex League debut”.

The Leyton Orient Whites final game of the day was delayed due to the lack of enough referees. Orient had to wait nearly an hour in the cold before they were finally able to play Concord Rangers Yellow. Having lost a bit of momentum after their victory it took a while to get back into a rhythm. Both teams were evenly matched with Weston making some excellent saves at one end and Baker, Inkpen and Kassam working the Concord keeper at the other end. A fine through ball from Brennan set Kassam one on one with the keeper but he narrowly shot wide of the left hand post. Captain Baker was kept busy with substitutions as a flurry of green cards were shown in an increasingly tense match. In the final minute a loss of concentration provided the Concord striker with a shot on goal, which to be fair, was a fine finish. Frustratingly, the final whistle blew soon after. Final score: Leyton Orient 0 v 1 Concord Rangers Yellow.

Orient White’s captain, Simon Baker reflected after play that “At the end of the afternoon the team were somewhat deflated at not getting at least four points from these opening fixtures. On the plus side the team were well disciplined, particularly with running offences and became increasingly more confident in knocking the ball around to feet. We got a win though, which is always welcome! All 8 players contributed well to the team effort with consistent performances.”

Leyton Orient Red squad: Tony Sullivan (Gk), Mick Mullins (Cpt), Tim Conlan, Andy Barrick, Alan Cox, Phil Stevenson, Tom Armour, Trevor Ridley.

Leyton Orient White squad: Tony Weston (Gk), Simon Baker (Cpt), Vince Dooley, Mick Brennan, Steve Inkpen, Derek Slater, Hassan Kassam, Peter Rains.

Goalscorers: Ridley, Cox, Slater.

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Image used © 2025 Trevor Ridley