Match "Cancelled"
Greater London League Cup
We've chosen the word "cancelled" rather than the usual "postponed" because this game will not be played.
For the fourth time in just over half a season, Leyton Orient Women have progressed to the next round of a regional cup competition without a ball being kicked. Yesterday (Sunday 8 February), the Os were due to host AFC Croydon Athletic in the third round of the Greater London League Cup. Instead, Croydon withdrew. Earlier in the season, Chessington WFC and United Dragons WFC took the same decision albeit in a round about way, resulting in further walk-overs in regional cup competitions. If we add the bye in round one, it means that Orient have barely played a regional cup tie at all.
This pattern is not a mystery. Women and girls competing at tiers 6, 7 and 8 play for enjoyment, fitness, and community - they pay to play. They give up their Sundays because they love the sport. What they do not want is to travel across Greater London to face a team operating at a fundamentally different standard — a team whose players, preparation and infrastructure resemble a professional environment. This is not competitive football; it is a foregone conclusion. It is demoralising for the opposition and unsatisfying for the Orient players who want meaningful, challenging matches.
Last summer, Leyton Orient reached an agreement with both the Greater London and Essex Women’s Leagues to move from one to the other. The FA vetoed that move at the eleventh hour thereby forcing the club to request reinstatement into the Greater London League. We were allowed to return after the League polled the other clubs. We all understood what would happen following Orient's recruitment of the current squad which is of a significantly higher calibre. The current season's results have simply confirmed that view. Orient should not be competing at this level.
We at lofcwomen.com — an independent supporters’ group — urge the FA to take a clear, proactive decision at the end of this season regarding Leyton Orient’s league placement. If the FA insists on a rigid “one league at a time” progression, next season will simply replicate this one: walkovers, withdrawals, and a lack of competitive integrity across the division. This affects not only Leyton Orient but every club seeking fair and balanced competition. It's not just Orient, there are other clubs right here in the Greater London Women's league who have either won (in one case) or lost (in two cases) every single league game this season.
The women’s game deserves thoughtful governance. We trust that the FA will make the necessary judgement and apply the logical action and ensure that next season’s league allocations reflect the realities on the ground, not just the letter of the process. It is an FA management problem which requires leadership and a named accountable person who will take responsibility for the decision.
To be clear, we at lofcwomen.com are a fan's group, our views are our own, we do not represent the club.
The above is also the topic covered by the guys in yesterday's Orient Outlook Podcast. Click
HERE to go direct to the audio (on YouTube) snippet of the women's report.
Sunday's League Cup games...
Apart from our cancellation, the British weather played havoc with the League Cup weekend as follows:-
| LC |
Balham |
2 : 4 |
Tooting Bec |
| LC |
Civil Service |
4 : 1 |
Sporting Duet |
| LC |
Ham;smith Res |
(3)1 : 1(2) |
Sth London |
| LC |
Islington Boro |
P : P |
Laces Spartans |
| LC |
London Accies |
P : P |
Brentford B |
Our predictions:
We did predict correctly that Tooting Bec would have too much for Division two (South) team Balham although the 2:4 scoreline is as good as most premier teams have managed against Bec. We didn't foresee South London firsts losing to Division one's Hammersmith Reserves, losing out 3:2 on penalties after the game finished one-all. We also got the Civil Service V Sporting Duet result very wrong as the mid-table Division One (South) side saw off their premier division opponents with a no-doubt-about-it 4:1 victory. Perhaps a lower division team will make it to the final ... again!
