Previous page. Page three Page four The club added Ross Embleton and Danny Webb to the coaching staff. Embleton, who previously worked with the O’s Centre of Excellence as Youth Development Manager during Director of Football Martin Ling’s time as Orient boss, returns to the Club as the first team Assistant Coach. Having worked at Orient between 2000 and 2009, Embleton spent three years at Tottenham Hotspur as Academy Integration Manager before returning to Spurs in 2014 following spells at AFC Bournemouth and Norwich City. November 2015 then saw Embleton link up with Ling for a second time when appointed first team coach at Swindon Town - a role in which he held until departing the Robins at the end of the 2016-17 season. Meanwhile, Webb also returns to the O’s as Youth Team Coach, having held several roles at the Club between 2011 and 2017, including the first team manager’s position for a period of last season. The 33-year-old first joined the Club as under-14s coach in 2011, but progressed through the Academy with great success, guiding the under-16s to national recognition when they won the National Category Three Cup final in 2014. Having stepped up to the under-18s at the start of the 2015-16 season, Webb led the youth team to the Merit League One Title with the O’s youngsters finishing unbeaten over the 10 games. Last summer saw Webb promoted to first team coach ahead of the 2016-17 campaign, and during that season he was promoted to assistant manager before holding the role of first team manager for 12 matches between January and March. July 3. We signed Charlie Lee a 30 year-old midfielder/left back from Stevenage. He started life at Spurs but, unable to make the first team he joined Peterborough in 2007. From Gillsconnect: At London Road Lee scooped the Player of the Year award in successive seasons to help Posh reach the Championship with back-to-back promotions in both 2007-08 and 2008-09. Charlie went on to make a total of 177 appearances for Peterborough, before leaving in 2011 to join Gills following a successful loan spell. Playing in the Gills midfield, Lee earned the third promotion of his career when Gills finished the 2012-13 season as runners-up in League Two. When popular Charlie finished at Priestfield, the utility player had racked up 100 appearances in his two spells notching eleven goals. Lee was equally at home either at left-back or in the left midfield although he often managed to catch the eye of referee and was issued with sixteen yellows in one season - an unwanted record for a Gills squad player. Charlie made the switch to Stevenage in May 2014 and has racked-up another 130 appearances during his three years at the Club scoring 14 goals. July 4. Jake Caprice, a 24 year-old speedy right back was signed from Woking. He started his career at Crystal Palace and then moved to Blackpool without making his league début. He moved on loan to Dagenham in November 2012 and made eight appearances from the bench and then loaned to St Mirren playing seven times from the bench. In March 2014 he was loaned to Tamworth starting 11(1) times. Later that year he was signed by Lincoln 34(3) and in June 2015 joined Woking 70(11). He has yet to score a goal. Not looking for any goals at the back then? Two backs, over 400 apps, one goal. Parkes joined Carlisle, Massey Wigan. In an interview with Justin Allen Martin Ling suggested we may need another six to seven players which would depend on budget. Five/six managers have already contacted him should he need to loan any. Also there is no transfer window in the National League. We start the season with an away trip to Sutton 5th August with a 12.30 kickoff. Pre season training started Monday with our first friendly away to Harlow on the 15th. Will be on BT Sport. July 10. Steve Davis is announced as first team coach on a two-year deal. Sacked by Crewe in January after nearly six years in charge, Davis (51) led Crewe to promotion to League One via the play-offs in 2012. He secured another Wembley victory a year later, in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy. He was briefly in charge of Northwich Victoria in the 2003-04 season. He then led Nantwich Town, a non-league club in Cheshire, to two promotions in three seasons, while also winning the FA Vase in in 2006. From the club website: Born in Birmingham, Davis started his career with Stoke City. Davis then went on to play more than 140 matches for both Crewe Alexandra and Burnley. He then played over 100 games for Barnsley in Division One, in which they won promotion to the Premier League. The final years of his playing career saw him in Cheshire with Macclesfield Town, Northwich Victoria and Nantwich Town where he was player-manager at both clubs. July 11. The fifth signing of the season on a two-year deal was 32 year-old central midfielder Alex Lawless who had spent last season with Yeovil where he made 35(4) apps scoring one goal. He joined Yeovil from Luton where he made 152(30) apps scoring 20 goals after a loan period from York helping Luton to promotion in the process. He failed to start his career at Craven Cottage after joining Fulham in 2003 from Welsh club Ton Pentre. He moved to Torquay in July 2005 and stayed a season making 13(3) apps without scoring. He stayed three seasons with Forest Green 103(4) apps, 9 goals. In July 2009 he signed for York 54(4) apps 4 goals before being loaned to Luton in Jan 2011 and after 3(2) 1 goal he was given a contract with them. Personally I think we need a big lump in defence, a wing half and a goalie. July 13. We lost 4-0 to Spurs in a game behind closed doors. Sixth signing of the season also on a two-year deal was 20 year-old left back Christian Scales. Starting out as an Academy player with Norwich City before linking up with Crystal Palace in 2014. He made his Football League debut in August 2015 while on loan with Crawley Town 8(1) apps, no goals. However, at the concussion of the 2015/16 season, he parted company with parent club Palace. After a trial with Austrian side, FC Liefering, Scales signed for Whitehawk, making eight appearances for the South Coast club. The appearances for Whitehawk are not confirmed on the Soccerbase site though he did play in the 4-2 defeat at Truro March 25, 2017. Frankie Sutherland also played for Whitehawk. July 14. Seventh signing for an undisclosed fee was 21 year-old striker Macauley Bonne. From the Colchester Website “Bonne made his U's debut as a seventeen year old at Shrewbury in October 2013, a few days before celebrating his eigtheenth birthday with a goal at home to Peterborough United. Since then, he has made a further eighty two appearances for the U's, scoring sixteen goals in total. Only twenty five of these appearances have been from the start though, and the forward has spent time on loan at Woking and Lincoln looking for more regular competitive football.” Last season he made 36 apps scoring three goals, one against us and one from the bench. Signing eight was former Colchester United centre-half, George Elokobi. Cameroon-born six foot 13st defender Elokobi was offered a new contract by the U’s, when his contract expired at the end of last season, but the 31-year-old could not agree terms and so became a free agent this summer. 31 year-old George started his career at Colchester after joining from Dulwich Hamlet in August 2004 making 41(5) apps scoring three goals. During this time he was loaned to Chester on loan making 4(1) aps without scoring. Wolves signed him at the end of January 2008 and the made 80 (23) apps scoring four goals and was loaned to Nottingham Forest in 2012 8 (4) apps no goals. He stayed a month at Bristol City making a single app before signing Oldham in August staying the season and making 23 (4) apps scoring three goals before returning to Colchester in July 2015 46(2) apps 3goals. Last season he was loaned to Braintree starting seven games with two goals. Looking at these stats it seems he only makes twenty odd appearances a season. Both have signed a two-year deal. July 15. Friendly at Harlow. 1-6 (Mooney, Abrahams, Bonne 2, Trialist b 2). We went a goal down on 21’, Elokobi did not play. ORIENT FIRST HALF XI: Grainger, Caprice (C), Pollock, Happe, Scales, Ochieng, Lawless, Trialist A, Alzate, Abrahams, Mooney ORIENT SECOND HALF XI: Sargeant, Judd, Clark, Perkins, Widdowson, Lee (C), McLean, Koroma, Trialist B, Bonne, Trialist C SUBSTITUTES: Alderson, Barker GOALS: Mooney (25), Abrahams (41), Trialist B (52 & 86), Bonne (68 & 80). July 17. Signing nine was Craig Clay from Motherwell. Signing a two-year contract the 25 year-old midfielder started his career at Chesterfield in 2010 and stayed three years making 12(23) with two goals. Whilst there he was loaned to Barrow starting one game and Alfreton making 2(2) with one goal. In May 2013 he signed for York staying there until the following January 8(2) without scoring. He stayed 13 months at Halifax 3(1) no goals then to Worksop but failed to make any appearances in the few months he was there. In July 2014 he moved to Grimsby and helped them win promotion making 65 (18) scoring five goals in the two season there. Last season he joined Motherwell but was released after making 35 (4) apps scoring a single goal. July 18. Friendly at Burham Ramblers ended in a 0-10 win. Five goals from Abrahams and two from Trialist B before half time. Further goals from Alzate and two from Sotiriou in the second half. In a Non-League Football Paper interview it was stated “Davis is seeking another six or seven (signinings).” That was before Clay. Away to Greenwich Borough on Saturday. July 20. We resigned Jobi McAnuff from Stevenage on a one-year contract. Jobi started 23(10) games last year scoring four goals. He has amassed over 450 starts since beginning his career with Wimbledon in 2001. I am worried regarding the lack of goals the newcomers have scored between them last season: Clay 1, Caprice 0, Elokobi 3, Scales 0, Widdowson 0, Lawless 1, Lee 2, Bonne 3, Mooney 2 =16 goals in over 300 games though these include starts from the bench. Appearances/goals for Scales last season are not known. July 21. Davis must have heard me as he signed attacking midfielder Romuald Boco. The 32-year-old Benin international has agreed a two- year. Benin, formerly Dahomey, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Togo to the west, Nigeria to the east, and Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. Don’t ask again. Made a total of 38 appearances for Stanley last season, scoring seven goals. He has had three spells with Accrington Stanley as well as playing for Sligo Rovers, Burton, Plymouth, Chesterfield, Portsmouth and spells abroad with FC Chamois Niort B and FC Niort in France, Shanghai with SH East Asia and India with Bharat FC. 300 games and 50 goals. Crystal Palace are interested in Abrahams with a rumoured £250,000 price tag and Brighton in Alzate. July 22. Friendly at Greenwich Borough. 1-2 (Mooney, Bonne). I saw this one and to be honest I was not impressed. Seemed to me the same old system that has not worked for the past ten managers. Slow build up from the back that enables the opposition defence to pub 11 players behind the ball. Widdowson and Caprice were impressive but to be honest I could not put a name to the shirt for the rest of them. 25 July. We signed Moncur on a years contract after releasing him two months back. Robbie Weir was on trial at Chesterfield. Josh Taylor the Trialist B that scored two goals against Harlow has been given a two year contract by Sutton. Sure thing for him to get on the scoresheet against us. 28 July. We signed 28 year-old defender Josh Coulson on a six month loan from Cambridge United. He has played over 300 games scoring 14 times in the ten years he has been with the club. Like most of the players we have signed he was part of a promotion team. 29 July. Away at Billericay we won 1-2 thanks to goals from Bonne and Caprice. 31 July. Alzate joined Brighton and Abrahams Norwich but although he trains with them he will be able to play for us in the coming season. Fees were not disclosed. We were rumoured to be interested in former Cheltenham winger James Dayton. The 28 year-old has promotion winning experience and with them and was with Crystal Palace since the age of ten though never played for them. They sent him on loan to Yeovil and Crawley before joining Kilmarnock and Oldham. After a loan period with St Mirren he joined Cheltenham. 182 apps 16 goals. Email Keith Next page