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This Sunday we return to FA Cup action with a trip to Norwich and Dussindale and Hellesdon Rovers (the Dussy) for a second qualifying round match. They are a new club, formed in 2020 by merging, you guessed it, Dussindale Rovers and Hellesdon FC. Their home ground is the Nest, an open sided and windy venue which, a couple of years ago, didn’t have a bar. They share the ground with Norwich City Ladies with whom they have a good relationship.
The women play at Tier 5 in the Eastern Region Premier Division having been promoted at the end of the 2023-24 season. They were lower mid table last season, and are currently sitting handily in fifth, with a game in hand. They had a nice win at the weekend, beating Harpenden Town 4-1.
Last season they struggled to score goals and looked leaky at the back, but they seem to have improved at both ends.
Rovers are led by player-coach Rachel Cossey who, in her day job, is the Head of Football Delivery for the Norfolk FA. Their regular goalkeeper is the very young and promising Amber Locker, dual registered with Norwich. Goals have been provided on a regular basis over the past couple of years by Victoria Leyer, who has four already this season. She is joint top with winger Millie Baggott while Hollie Walker has chipped in with three. Regular Chloe Shipman is out with a fractured wrist (best wishes for her recovery).
Orient have started their competitive season like a runaway train with twenty-seven goals over two games. In last Sunday’s game against Islington Borough, Lois Heuchan (ex Lewes and London City Lionesses) made a sparkling debut, scoring a hat-trick and earning Player of the Match. Probably run close by Poppy Binding who scored four.
This FA Cup game is a different matter as the Dussy are two tiers above Islington Borough and one above Hitchin Belles. So, a good opportunity to begin to see just how good this team might be against a team with players who have played regularly at levels higher than Tier 7. In terms of team selection, I expect it to be much as last Sunday, especially as it isn’t a big squad at present. It will be interesting to see if we manage more than three on the bench. I have confidence in the team but, like all knock out matches, it will be important to be on it from the beginning and to impose ourselves.

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Our thanks to people at the club for sending us the latest news in terms of our players and their availability.
Injuries continue to be a headache, it seems to be an unwelcome but persistent theme at Leyton Orient. Such is the quality available but at limited numbers, the coaching team of Jason Stephens, Wayne Rothon and Craig Davidson may be restricted in terms of making substitutions. It appears that standout forwards Wiki Fronc and Georgia Griffin are struggling with niggles. We also believe that Kallie Balfour and Jade Keogh (unused subs last Sunday despite us already being short on numbers) are not at 100%.
We are also advised that, as the injury list is a bit long, we're likely to have only thirteen players available for Sunday's key cup tie against Tier Five opposition. Nonetheless, Steph McCaffrey tells us she is confident that "we will still take care of business". It's unlikely anyone would argue with that!
Nevertheless, the club is making positive moves to recruit further in order to add some more depth to the squad. Finding the right fit in terms of ability and character is not an easy task. The arrival of Lois Heuchan last week will doubtless prove invaluable.

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As reported on the club's website...

"Leyton Orient will host a special double header on Saturday 27th September, with the club’s men’s and women’s first teams both set to play at BetWright Stadium. First, the O’s men’s team will take on Stevenage in Sky Bet League One at 12.30pm. Following that, the women’s team - who have started their campaign with 13-0 and 14-0 victories - will then host Luton Town Development at 4pm. 2025/26 Season Card Holders and fans with match tickets for the men’s team fixture against Stevenage are invited to stay behind and watch the women’s team for free.
Supporters who only wish to watch the women’s team match will also be able to gain access to BetWright Stadium for free. Full information on how fans can gain free access to the women’s team fixture will be confirmed in due course.
Leyton Orient CEO Mark Devlin said: “We’re really looking forward to this and I hope that as many fans as possible can stay behind after the men’s team game to get behind the women’s team. With the support of the McCaffrey Football Group, our women’s team have had a big rebuild of their footballing department this summer. They have a lot of new, exciting players – many of whom have played at very high levels previously in their careers – and that has been reflected by their early-season results. Growing the reach of our women’s team is very important to us and I firmly believe that they are on the right track to have a very successful few seasons.”
Leyton Orient Head Coach Richie Wellens added: “The growth of the women’s game is there for everyone to see and it is great that the club are doing this. I know our women’s team have had an incredible start to their season and I’m sure they’ll be confident of getting another good result on the 27th. I hope as many of our fans as possible can stay after the Stevenage game to support them.”
Leyton Orient FC Women Head Coach Jason Stephens said: “We’ve had a great start but that’s all it is at this stage; a start. We have a new-look squad this season and we are all working extremely hard to achieve something special. We’ll have a few games at the stadium this season but, with this one being straight after a men’s team game, I hope lots of fans can stay behind to support us. I can promise that we’ll put in a performance full of energy and endeavour, and we’ll look to play an entertaining and attacking brand of football. We hope that those who are able to stay enjoy it and that they can then come and watch us more regularly.”

From our point of view as fans, here at lofcwomen.com, this will be very expensive to implement and that alone reflects the strong drive behind the development of Orient's women's team. Further to what has already been said, we as Orient fans really need to step up here and put bums on seats, that's the best way to support the club and the women's group. We ask you to help make it a great day and watch the players (they are an excellent team) do their stuff against Luton. This may well provide the launch pad for greater things to come and at an accelerated pace. Be there!

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This Sunday sees us in a second qualifying round match away at Norwich based club Dussingdale & Hellesdon. Larry Peterson will be there, with his growing crew of fans, he 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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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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