O’s boss Russell Slade spoke to his club’s official website ahead of his side’s League One season opener against Carlisle at Brunton Park tomorrow afternoon, Slade happy with the spirit in his camp:
“It is a little group and they all get on very well and I think that is important, they have got a good focus, a good understanding, a good knowledge of each other and we are looking forward to the season, I think we are ready. We are all looking and hoping for a better start to the season. We have worked so hard, we reviewed the season and we have done one or two things differently.
“We have got more minutes on the pitch for players and hopefully, although you can’t say, it is a crystal ball and I am not very good at the crystal ball, but I am hoping that we can get a good start. A steady start would do me, it would be great. We just have to work very hard, the man that got to the top of the mountain didn’t fall there, he had to work hard to get there.
“Carlisle is a tough place to go and to win there last season 4-1 was excellent. But, we have to forget about that, it is a fresh start for their team and for our team and a fresh focus. Despite the levelling of the monies now it is still not a level playing field financially, you have got Wolves with mega millions there and really if it was down to finance the season should be over by November for them.
“Pressure to achieve what we did last season I don’t think affects me or the players, I think it is all about the first game and making the first step, the first step is on Saturday and it is a long road from there. I am really pleased with the group, it is a lovely group to work with day in and day out. We all love coming in and meeting each other every day and getting on with the work.
“It is a pleasure to come here, I think they enjoy coming in and we all want to work so hard for each other. There is a lot of preparation and planning that has gone into the start of the season and it won’t be through the lack of trying if we are not successful. We just want to do better last season, it has to be your target every season, can you do a little bit more than you did last season, and that is the secret to success really is improving.”
In team news for the visitors they have strengthened their squad in the last 24 hours or so with two new signings. The O’s firstly signing 20-year old Northern Irish winger Johnny Gorman, who was released by Wolves in the summer, while also snapping up Burnley central midfielder Marvin Bartley on an initial one-month loan spell from Turf Moor. As far as injuries are concerned meanwhile, summer signing and French frontman Yohann Lasimant is likely to miss out with a hamstring problem, while winger Dean Cox is also struggling with a knee injury.
The referee for tomorrow's match is Jeremy Simpson from Carnforth and he will be assisted down the lines by two County Durham men in Simon Clayton from Newton Aycliffe and Barry Gordon from Chester-le-Street. Meanwhile the fourth official is Thomas Rogers from Darlington.