Relative rookies clash as Ross Embleton’s Leyton Orient face Ian Evatt’s Bolton

The Breyer Group Stadium will see Leyton Orient and Bolton go head to head in a relatively rookie clash this weekend.

Leyton Orient’s head coach Ross Embleton was the Academy Integration Manager at Tottenham Hotspur, working with the Under 11 age group during 2010/11 when current Bolton boss Ian Evatt started all 38 Premier League games for Blackpool.

Now, though, they meet one another as equals and so far, it’s Embleton who is outperforming the former defender.

Orient are now just four points off the Play-Offs after accruing seven points from their last three games, following Tuesday night’s 1-1 draw with Exeter.

That game certainly showcased what Embleton’s side can do going forward, with Conor Wilkinson tapping home his sixth goal of the season, which saw the former Gillingham man eclipse his seasonal tally for the previous campaign.

It was something of a surprise when Wilkinson dropped down to the National League with Dagenham & Redbridge in 2018-19 because with the height of an archetypal target man combined with mobility, skill and now goalscoring nous, he has the level of individual ability similar to Kieffer Moore, who is currently thriving in the Championship with Cardiff.

What we are seeing this season though is a more determined version of Wilkinson who has, perhaps, a point to prove, and at 25, there is no reason why he cannot ascend the divisions.

In fact, Orient have an appealing front-three generally, with poacher Danny Johnson having acquired the ability to score from numerous positions and angles this term whilst Jordan Maguire-Drew looks among the division’s most creative wide forwards.

The East Londoners, though, have had more difficulty feeding that trio; not from left-back – where James Brophy is among the best in League Two going forward – but from midfield.

Jobi McAnuff has been the sole consistent source of midfield creativity for the O’s this term and the 38-year-old can only play so many minutes.

Elsewhere, Ousseynou Cisse dictates play very well but does so from the base of the three-man midfield and while Craig Clay gets further forward, he has been a standard ball-winner for much of his career and is, perhaps, stronger in the press than in possession.

The midfielders Embleton could bring into his 4-3-3 setup are James Dayton, who has plenty of energy but will tend to make overlapping runs into the right channel and Josh Wright, who does a good job box to box and was top goalscorer last season but is not especially technical, so there is perhaps an overreliance on McAnuff.

Bolton have struggled for creativity this term themselves. Eoin Doyle is the perfect poacher at this level in the right system – the deadly Dubliner hit 25 last season for title-winners Swindon – so just two league goals in eight represents an underwhelming return to date.

Doyle has not changed drastically – he is still the languid operator who hovers around the penalty box in hope of a sniff at goal – but the 32-year-old averages just 1.1 shots inside the 18-yard area per 90 minutes of action, with 48 League Two strikers exceeding that total.

Perhaps, though, the injury that sees Doyle absent for up to a month might not be the worst thing in the world.

It is great for a team that possesses a poacher once they have already established a formula from the other ten players to maximise the strengths of the talisman, but when results and performance are not as hoped, having a poacher can feel like a burden.

Doyle had doubtless been getting frustrated at the lack of quality service into him, while his teammates may have felt as though they are carrying him at times.

For that reason, it might do all concerned some good for Bolton to have a run of games with Nathan Delfouneso partnered by Arthur Gnahoua, with both having some pace whilst being willing to run the channels and drag opposing defenders away to create space for others, even if it hinders their individual goalscoring chances.

With that type of movement, the game could start to open up for Ali Crawford, Andrew Tutte and Antoni Sarcevic, who operate in midfield in Ian Evatt’s 3-4-1-2 setup; we saw evidence of that in Tuesday’s 1-0 victory over Bradford.

The dynamics of this game, therefore, could be a Leyton Orient side lacking midfield creativity yet possessing a ruthless front three, facing a Bolton side likely to enter the final third more often whilst also being less assured in their end product.

If Embleton’s side are as clinical as they can be, it would be a victory not just for Leyton Orient, but also one for managers hoping to be successful without a stellar playing career.

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