Tuesday 12 May 2026

Orient v Chelmsford City Clarets 0-1

The 65 reds opened the day against league leaders Chelmsford Clarets. A bright start with the Os testing the keeper with a shot from Ridley. Weston made a couple of good saves towards the end of the half in a very even game. This continued to be the case until Chelmsford took the lead deep in the second half. Orient were then unable to get the ball of Chelmsford, and the game petered out into a victory for Chelmsford.

Weston, Burns, Mullins, Barrick A, Howard, Ridley

Orient v Wakering 0-3

The second game saw Orient face second place Wakering who gave the Os a lesson in walking football in a first half that saw them go into the break with a three goal lead. Somewhat mercifully, Wakering eased off in the second half, and the score remained at 0-3 on the final whistle.

Weston, Burns, Mullins, Barrick A, Howard, Ridley

Orient v Harlow Town Pirates 1-2 Ridley (pen)

Having played the top two teams, Orient now faced Harlow Pirates. There was an encouraging start with a Ridley shot leading to a corner, but then the Harlow striker caused serious damage, initially by eluding the defensive block to slam home the opener, followed by injuring captain Mullins in the ribs with the follow through on a shot and as Orient reorganised, another goal smashed in with incredible power. A shell shocked Orient were two down at the break. The Os rallied in the second half and the game was more even before a penalty was awarded in the last minute for running offences that Ridley scored.

Weston, Burns, Mullins (Barrick A 8), Stevenson Howard, Ridley

This was always going to be a tough set of fixtures. Orient played well in the opening game and were somewhat unfortunate to not get a draw. However the following games showed how tough this league is and how lethal some of the strikers are. The Os slipped back into the relegation zone, but with the next set of fixtures pitting the Os against the teams just above and below, there will be the opportunity to make amends.

Match Report - David Clancy