On Tuesday, 13th May, on a sun-drenched afternoon in Billericay, Leyton Orient over 60s Reds continued their steady progress in the Essex Walking Football League Division 2 with three hard-fought performances, leaving the field unbeaten but lamenting familiar failings from six metres.

Orient arrived for Matchday three with confidence tempered by pragmatism. With no recognised striker leading the line, the team committed to patient, possession-based football – an approach as much about rhythm and control as it was about coaxing walking offences from eager opponents.

The opener against hosts Billericay Red saw Orient assert early authority. Passing with assurance, the O’s denied their opponents time and space, setting the tone with a crisp interplay between Clancy and Weston that allowed Howard to lash a rising effort into the roof of the net from an improbable angle. Yet football seldom follows script. Billericay, emboldened by second-half changes, found a rare gap and, with their only shot on target, restored parity with a fine turn and finish. Pillay had the chance to snatch victory from the spot after a fourth not-walking infringement, but the goalkeeper guessed right. Honours shared. Frustration simmered. Final score: Billericay 1 v 1 Leyton Orient (Howard).

Next came Stones – defiant, dogged, but ultimately undone. Howard, relishing his role as creator and finisher, forced the keeper into early evasive action with a speculative strike from range. The breakthrough came not from open play but from persistent discipline: another not-walking penalty, this time dispatched with conviction by Pillay, seeking redemption. Orient were in no mood to let this lead slip, managing the game with calm maturity. Final score: Stones 0 v 1 Leyton Orient (Pillay)

The final match, against a spirited Chelmsford, tested Orient’s resolve. Chelmsford pressed high, passed with confidence, and forced several walking infringements from the O’s. But once the early nerves settled, Orient found their groove. Weston, imperious in goal, preserved parity with a brilliant penalty save midway through the second half. In a tense finale, Orient earned a third penalty of the day, only for Chelmsford’s keeper to deny Pillay with an excellent save. The margins, once again, proved razor-thin. Final score: Chelmsford 0 v 0 Leyton Orient.

Captain Nad Pillay said: “The heat took a toll and we weren’t quite as composed on the ball as usual. But overall the squad played well given the conditions. Disappointing not to take all nine points – especially with three penalties. Still, one defeat in nine, two goals conceded? That’s a record any side would take. Fashioning more goal scoring opportunities, however, is where the challenge lies. And, we clearly need a new penalty taker,” he added ruefully.

Leyton Orient squad: Tony Weston (Gk), Nad Pillay (Cpt), Tim Conlan, Paul Weston, Mick Mullins, David Clancy, Michael Howard, Maurice Birnbaum.

Goalscorers: Howard, Pillay.

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