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After something of a "where are we now?" review and in the light of discussions with interested parties, we have embarked on a slight change of course. We've made an upgrade to our on-line appearance and an adjustment to where we focus our resources. There have been a few issues which have required us to adapt, here are the key considerations...

• We were being mistaken on a regular basis as being the club's official media outlet for the women's team. People would ask us to arrange trials, others would complain about matters internal to Leyton Orient over which we have no influence or interest, we would receive criticism for some of our comments on the basis that such words were inappropriate for a professional football club. We even received remarks that "we" (meaning the club) should listen to the supporters more. Clearly, people do not regard us as regular fans - but that's exactly who we are.


• There were on-going difficulties with the official media team at Leyton Orient who were receiving comments from third parties who had read our stuff but had thought it was from the club's offical media team. That is clearly a problem for the official media channels so we had the obligation to make it clearer that we are an independent group and not employees of Leyrton Orient FC.


• There are also a number of "what's in it for them?" digs being received. We can answer that right here: There's nothing! We're just a handful of 'older' blokes who want to contribute to the club we've supported for a lifetime. We have no sponsors, we set no adverts, we set no cookies, we don't ask for subscriptions, likes, comments etc, nothing is monetised. That's all there is.

In order to establish these changes, you'll see we have a new logo (Courtesy of Sally Peterson) which makes things abundantly clear that we are "FANS of Leyton Orient Women FC". That theme is now presented on every page-top on our website. Our 'X' channel, Instagram page, Blue-Sky presence, facebook profile and message board accounts have all been modified in an attempt to get the message out there.

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This Sunday sees our first GLWFL league match of the season, it's away at Islington Borough Ladies. Larry Peterson will be there, with friends no doubt, and will be messaging into our live studio (aka: a basement office) where his words and photos will be broadcast every couple of minutes (ish) to our LIVE-TEXT service. There's no need to refresh or swipe the live text page, it automatically updates itself every 60 seconds, you won't miss a thing. The page is already posted, you can find it at: lofcwomen.com/live - we invite you to join us and follow along as the match progresses.

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The ladies' captain, Grace Gillard, has given an interview with Herman (aka Leyton Lauraete) in which she explains a number of issues which people have been asking her, mainly these are about why would so many tier three players decide to up-sticks and play for a tier seven team. Grace explains the realities of life as a top female footballer in the UK and the difficult choices that need to be made from time to time in terms of career, income and full-time football. We're happy to link you to Grace's interview at the Ear, however you may need to download the Substack app to read it. Link to Substack download.
We hope to reproduce it here in the near future but we need permission to do that.

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Poppy Binding, scorer of Larry's "goal of the game" against Hitchin Belles last Sunday, got to have her say in the match programme against Bolton Wanderers. We have reproduced it here....
Our first competitive game of the season couldn't have started much better. We travelled to Hitchin Town's "Top Field" stadium for the opening round of the Adobe Women's FA Cup and came away with a 13-0 win against Hitchin Belles. It was the perfect way to kick things off, not just because of the scoreline but also because of how well we played together as a unit from the very first whistle.
We hadn't had a game in three weeks so there was a real sense of eagerness to get back out onto the pitch. Pre-season had been all about getting fitness levels up, welcoming new players into the group and learning how to combine our individual strengths into a team style of play. This was our first proper chance to put that work into action and we looked sharp from the start. We moved the ball quickly, pressed high as a group and created plenty of chances in the opening stages and that set the tone for the afternoon.
The breakthrough came about 25 minutes in when Sammy Rowland opened the scoring. Once that first goal went in, we relaxed and started to really express ourselves in the final third. By half-time, we'd built a comfortable lead with a series of well-taken finishes from across the team. Adding another goal right on the stroke of half-time gave us even more confidence heading into the second half.
At half-time, the mood was positive but still very focused. We reminded each other to keep standards high, not to let the tempo drop and to keep playing our football in the right way. It can be easy to lose concentration in games like that but we were determined to stay disciplined and make sure the performance matched the scoreline.
The second half carried on in exactly the same way. Grace Gillard netted a hat-trick, Sammy kept adding to her tally to finish with five and there were goals from Ruby Abela, Stephanie McCaffrey and Gemma Baker as well. An own goal added to the total and, by the final whistle, we had 13 in the bag. Every player, whether on the pitch or supporting from the bench, played a part in keeping the energy and quality high right up until the last minute.
What stood out most wasn't just the scoreline, but the professionalism of the performance across the whole squad. Even with the game well in hand, we stayed organised, moved the ball with purpose, and kept pushing forward. It showed that the work we've put in over the summer is paying off, and that we already have a strong platform to build on for the rest of the season. We were also pleased with how many different players got on the scoresheet which shows we can create threats from all areas of the pitch. At the same time keeping a clean sheet was just as important. Staying switched on at the back, even when the game was one-sided, says a lot about the concentration and discipline of the group.
We know tougher challenges lie ahead, both in the FA Cup and especially once the league begins but a result like this gives us confidence and momentum. More importantly, it shows what we're capable of when we work hard for each other and maintain our standards. Now our attention turns to the league. We're excited to carry this form into our first league match on Sunday, away to Islington Borough, we're looking forward to building on the strong platform we set at Hitchin.

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Get in touch

If you have an interest in and views about the women's team then please let us hear your thoughts and suggestions. You can contact us (anonymously if you prefer) via our contact form on our home page or just simply email us at lofcwomen@yahoo.com
We look forward to hearing from you.

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