Leyton Orient boss ready for Charlton Athletic challenge

Leyton Orient head coach Richie Wellens does not expect their pre-season friendly with Charlton to have much bearing on their opening League One fixture three weeks later.

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O’s meet their London rivals in Marbella on Friday (10am BST), having started preparations with a goalless draw at Billericay Town.

And the clubs meet again on August 5, when three points will be on offer over the course of the 90 minutes at The Valley.

“It won’t have any bearings on the first game of the season, the atmosphere, the intensity, everything about it will be totally different,” Wellens told the club website.

“We’ve arranged with Charlton to play four 30 minutes so everybody can play 60. Obviously that’s not the case in the first game of the season, we want the majority of the 11 to play 90.

“If we could’ve changed it we probably would’ve changed it but we’re already committed to it so we’ll just crack on.”

O’s will send squads to Chelmsford and Ebbsfleet for friendlies next Wednesday (July 19) and Wellens was also left somewhat disappointed by the Carabao Cup draw giving them a midweek trip to Plymouth.

Their first home game of the campaign is then against Portsmouth, but Wellens was looking at the positives, adding: “It’s a pain that it’s away. We always get away trips. I remember Forest Green last year.

“Charlton, new manager going in, seeing the season off, a lot of transition, Portsmouth will be strong you’d imagine. Them kind of clubs shouldn’t be in League One. Huge crowds, huge stadiums, huge clubs. I think it’s a great start.

“You’ve got to play them all twice anyway, I’d rather play them now than Bolton, Barnsley that have got a majority of players and cohesion, and we should have a lot of cohesion – our back four, our midfield has more or less stayed the same.

“Of the players we’ve lost we’ve only really lost [Charlie] Kelman, Paul Smyth from our outfield players and obviously Lawrence [Vigouroux] so we should have cohesion and we found out last year what a good side can do.”

However, when asked what his target was for the 2023-24 campaign, Wellens gave an honest assessment.

“I’ve no idea,” he said. “If we were going into that league last year, Plymouth’s achievement getting over 100 points, Ispwich close to 100 points, Sheffield Wednesday were 97, Barnsley and Bolton were 85-86. Usually them kind of points can get you automatic [promotion].

“There’s an opportunity. I don’t think the three coming down will be as strong as the three going up, and I think there’s an opportunity.

“I see Burton making a lot of signings, doing a lot of good business, Bristol Rovers have got a bit of money, Fleetwood have made some good signings.

“Clubs like that, that you expect to be in the middle, the bottom, will challenge for the play-offs this year and I think a couple of them will get in.

“Interesting league, I’ve not got a clue. Last year I said if we finish above Northampton and Mansfield I’ll be very happy and if we finish above Bolton and Derby next year I’ll be even happier!”

Leyton Orient boss ready for Charlton Athletic challenge

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