Coca-Cola League One

by Gwyn Griffiths

MARTIN Ling will be able to exchange hard luck stories with Steve Holland after Orient's recent 10-game winless stretch.

The Londoners appear to have put behind them their wretched run by recording consecutive 1-0 successes against Hartlepool and last weekend in the FA Cup at Colchester, but they are far from out of the woods yet.

Like Crewe, they still find themselves in the bottom four of League One.

And, like their hosts, their predicament has forced them into the loan market to sign Sam Parkin and Dean Morgan, who finished last season helping the Alex fight a similar relegation battle.

But like Holland, whose side registered a similar FA Cup success against non-league Ebbsfleet last week, Ling believes in the healing power of a clean sheet.

"Confidence is a massive thing in football and that can only come from results, so getting back-to-back 1-0 wins will certainly help it come back within the unit," said the Orient boss.

"The clean sheets have been hugely important and, apart from the first half against the MK Dons, we have done all right over the last four games.

"Being solid at the back gives us something to build on because when you are stopping goals at your end you can then express yourselves at the other end."

Injuries have hampered Ling's plans and there has been little chance of emulating last season's explosive start.

Defender Alton Thelwall (knee) is a long-term injury casualty, as is striker Wayne Gray, who broke down shortly into the campaign and has now undergone cruciate ligament repair.

Ling responded by drafting in West Ham youngster Jack Jeffery, who also picked up an injury, before turning to the greater experience of Morgan and Parkin, high earners Luton were desperate to get off their wage bill.

Parkin, troubled by an ankle injury on his arrival, has been a long-standing target of the Os manager and will remain at Brisbane Road until January.

The 27-year-old frontman has yet to get off the mark in four games, but Morgan, a frustrating presence during his spell at Crewe, has registered once in a 2-1 loss at Leeds.

Versatile down the middle and out wide, Morgan scored in Crewe's ultimately decisive 3-0 win at fellow strugglers Gillingham last March, but then faded from view afterwards.

He made way for the return of Adam Boyd in last weekend's Cup win. Yet he could still start on his return to the Alexandra Stadium were Ling to push him wide right in place of JJ Melligan – one of the scorers in Orient's 2-0 win in the corresponding fixture last season.

Boyd remains Orient's leading scorer with a haul of seven in league, Carling and Johnstone's Paint Trophy, while livewire midfielder Sean Thornton has been their stand-out player in recent weeks after returning from a loan spell in League Two with in-form Shrewsbury.

Ling is desperate for his side to score more goals – they are the second lowest scorers in the division with just 11 – and he feels Jason Demetriou, who hit the match-winner against the Us, has the potential to chip in.

"Jason needs to get more goals," added Ling.

"He's a player who could get you eight or more in a season and we need players scoring from that position.

"He now has two this year and he'll take confidence from that. It was a good finish at Colchester and we'd like him to build on that now."