27 July 2026
Leyton Orient vs. Royston Town
Match Summary
Fremen College – Buntingford
July 26, 2026
After being on the receiving end of a one-sided defeat against Brentwood Town and having their two subsequent scheduled friendlies cancelled, Orient travelled north to Buntingford’s Fremen College in Hertfordshire to face Royston Town for their only second pre-season match.
And what a difference two weeks can make. Over the fortnight, manager Jody Buckley and his coaching staff have managed to transform the squad from strangers playing together for the first time to a team that has become more cohesive.
From the opening whistle, the young O’s were vocal and communicating with each other, something sorely missing from the Brentwood clash, with captain Stef Paci and 17-year-old goalkeeper Freya Faulkner setting the tone.
This newly established cohesiveness made life difficult for their well-established, fifth-tier opponents, who finished second last season in Eastern Region Women's Football League’s Premier League.
A stiff breeze to the O’s backs assisted in the squad in pressing into Royston’s end. Some solid footwork and runs on the goal caused difficulties for the hosts, but their strong defense corps dealt with the pressure well. Action went back and forth; however, the Crows opened the scoring, just past the first half’s midway point, thanks to a well-struck low shot that just escaped Faulkner’s outstretched arms.
This lead didn’t last too long as an attacking Orient player was brought down just inside the edge of the box. The referee pointed to the penalty spot and up stepped the captain who calmly slotted into the back of net to level the score.
Even back-and-forth action saw out the first half. The O’s defensive pairing of Gracie Hickman and Elissa Stonebrook were working well together to snuff out Royston attacks and Faulkner continued to be assertive between the sticks. A stalemate after 45 minutes was a fair reflection of the half.
Buckley made a couple of changes at halftime, giving trialists some needed game time. With the wind now favouring the attacking Crows, they adopted a long ball approach to try and breach the O’s defense. This strategy paid off after only a few minutes as an aerial pass launched a two-on-one foray that saw Royston retake the lead.
Orient came close to equalising about 15 minutes later but unfortunately a forward and a Royston defender inadvertently collided during the scramble in the goalmouth, sending the young O crashing into the post. Play was halted as she was tended to and thankfully she managed to get up under her own steam and walk off the pitch. However, her match was done.
With about 10 minutes to go, the O’s again came agonizingly close to tying it up, but the ball ricocheted off the crossbar. This proved most costly Royston almost immediately moved the ball down the pitch and made it 3 – 1, thanks to a brilliant shot from distance that found the upper corner of net. Faulkner did her best to parry the ball away, but she needed to be at least a foot taller to stand a chance.
Despite the 3 – 1 final scoreline, there was a great deal to be positive about from an Orient perspective. This all-new squad is gaining confidence and there’s marked improvement in passing, possession and defense. Despite the growing confidence, the final touches of the ball need to be worked on.
Kudos need to be given to Jody Buckley and his coaching crew for their Herculean task of building a brand-new squad from scratch. They’ve worked wonders given a lower budget compared with last season and a nearly impossible tight timeline.
The confirmed players officially signed to the O’s thus far – Paci, Hickman, Stonebrook, Faulkner and midfielder Lily Aungier are quality as were others on the pitch at Buntingford. Hopefully, further news on signings will come soon.
Next up is the team’s final friendly of the pre-season, a trip on Sunday south of the Thames for a match against Welling United, another team that sits above the O’s in the pyramid. Another opportunity for the squad to gel and improve before the season kicks-off in earnest.
✍️ Ben James
Orient Outlook Podcast
OOP is certainly the most-watched (listened to) news outlet at Leyton Orient, Probably out-stripping the club's own media channels. Paul and Steve at OOP have supported the women's team for as long as we've been around and continue to do so. Their most recent episode, No 431, carries an update about what has happened over the summer and a brief review of Sunday's game.
Click the image (above) to go to the start of the women's update. There's plenty of great stuff for O's fans in the podcast so we recommend switching off the TV and relax with entire Orient Outlook Pocast.
Royston slideshow
We had no less than four LOFCwomen crew members at the game on Sunday, Kudos to Larry, Rob, Dal and Ben for gathering as much info as possible. We also want to thank ace cameraman Roy Warner for giving us access to some of his work.
Below are some shots of the game courtesy of Ben James and his trusty smart phone. They are Hi-Res so will look great on a large screen.
