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Following skipper Grace Gillard's excellent debut interview on the Orient Outlook Podcast on Sunday evening in which she brought admirable openness to a number of questions that had been wafting around. Today, we're dead chuffed to bring you a short audio recording of Orient's US International player: Stephanie McCaffrey.
Rather than try to set up an interview situation, we just said to Stephanie.."tell us what's on your mind this week, what's uppermost in your thoughts and in those of the players and staff." We recorded her views and posted it on YouTube so everyone can listen to her words, it's just a minute long. You can hear them too by clicking HERE .
On the subject of why a team filled with successful women chose to play their football at Orient, Hayley West and 'Super' Sammy Rowland explain their views in a short video clip on the club's official 'X' channel. You can watch that by clicking This link . If you are not an 'X' user and if the video clip doesn't work for you, please let us know, perhaps we can sort something out in the future.
If you follow the Wednesday Orient Hour broadcasts on Phoenix FM radio, we're told that Stephanie will also be guesting on that programme - so that's another opportunity to get the details about all the exciting changes going on within the club's women's group. We won't be missing that!

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Luton Town women's team play at Tier 4 in the National Division One South East, along with Fulham, Norwich City, Cambridge United and Queens Park Rangers. However, the team who will arrive on Saturday to play us at Brisbane Road are Luton's "Development" side. This will be a league match in the Greater London Women's Football League (GLWFL) in the premier division. It's difficult to say who will be in the "Dev" side as normally this means the up-and-coming youth footballers rather than fringe or reserve players. Certainly they were a very youthful side we faced last year.
2024/25 saw the honours divided as the O's went to Luton and took a 1:0 away victory but suffered a 2:1 defeat in Buckhurst Hill late in the season which effectively lost our 3rd spot in the league to South London WFC - not that 3rd spot would've got us anything. But now it is 2025/26 and everything has changed. Not a single Orient player who was in the squad at the start of last season is at the club this season. The changes here have been well documented and, suffice to say, we have the best women's team we've ever had - by a country mile. Last year's results against Luton can therefore be ignored as irrelevant.
Luton come to us on a Saturday, which is a first in our experience so they must have been asked to change from the normal Sunday fixtures day in order that the teams can play on the hallowed turf (hybrid though it is) at the BetWright stadium in Brisbane Road. They come as a club firmly rooted to the bottom spot in the league having a record so far of: P3 * W0 * D0 * L3 * GD -6. It's tricky not to sound a little arrogant but given Orient's record over our last four matches of: P4 * W4 * D0 * L0 * GD +31 (includes a pre-season game at Spurs u19) and having conceded just the one freakish 30 yarder goal, The Luton youngsters must have at least some trepidation about what awaits them.
Luton 'Dev' clearly have goals in them having scored eight over their three premier league games so far but they've shipped fourteen over the same period. Orient's Sammy Rowland and her strike partners will be looking forward to scoring opportunities.
The O's injury list remains a worry in that Wiki Fronc, Liv McGregor, Lois Heuchan, Georgia Griffin, Eva Carvalho and Jade Keogh are all senior players yet none were available for last Sunday's impressive 5:1 away FA Cup win in Norfolk. A fact which left the squad with only two substitutes and with the need to reign back on the intensity of play in order to avoid adding to the names already on the treatment table. Players do get excellent medical attention from within the club plus membership of a top training and fitness facility as part of their contracts so we're hopeful that one or two will be returning to action on Saturday.
Finally, unless you live in a fox hole, you will already know that the ladies' game will start soon after the men's EFL1 match at home to Stevenage finishes. You can stay on to watch the women's game or you can attend after the men's game - admission is free. You will also know that crowd numbers are very important for the club to judge the level of support that exists for the women's endeavours. You will have seen the effort expended on social media and other places (like us here) to encourage you to support our women, we ask you to do just that. You won't be disappointed.

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In view of Luton Town's Ladies Development team will be playing at the BetWright stadium at Brisbane Road on Saturday, we've decided to not produce our usual LIVE-TEXT streaming service to cover the game. It's also true that, from time to time, real life gets in the way of what we try to do and this Saturday has fallen victim due to the change of date from the usual Sunday to Saturday.
The Leyton Orient official 'X' channel normally post the major incidents as they happen, if you can't get to watch the girls play, then you can keep up to date with the scores at the Leyton Orient official 'X' channel. However, we urge you to make every effort to watch the women's team from the comfort of our stadium and provide them with a memorable and warm experiece of playing in front of the O's faithful. Why not invite female friends and family, admission is free and just maybe, they will enjoy the day. Please folks.... BE THERE!

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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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