As the Iron go in search of their fourth consecutive Glanford Park victory this weekend, manager Russ Wilcox has stated he’s expecting a tough test to lie in store.
Leyton Orient are the visitors to North Lincolnshire, who currently sit 19th in the League One table on seven points having recorded one win, four draws and two defeats so far this season.But having reached the divisional play-off final in the last campaign, Wilcox is wary of the threat Russell Slade’s side pose.
He told The Iron Player: “It’ll be a tough test because they’ve been right at the top of League One for the past two seasons.
“They were a game away from being a Championship side last season and they’ve recruited well over the summer.
“The likes of Darius Henderson and Jobi McAnuff have been brought in and they’re Championship standard players.
“I think come April or May time, they’ll be up there amongst the top six like they always are.
“Russell Slade is an outstanding manager, his record is there for all to see and he knows what’s required from the football club.”
After winning their opening eight league games last season, Orient have struggled to rekindle that kind of form at the beginning of this campaign.
But the O’s have been impressive on the road and recorded a number of positive results away from home, including a 1-0 win at Aston Villa in the second round of the Capital One Cup.
“I actually watched them at Villa and they deserved to win,” he continued.
“Orient made six changes to the team that played the previous Saturday before that game so that tells you all you need to know about their strength in depth.
“It’s going to be a tough game but we’re looking forward to it and we’re going into it off the back of Tuesday night which has given everybody a boost.
“The players are bubbly and bright, which they have been all the way through the season, but you can just feel that extra bit of spring in their step that winning football matches brings.”
With three wins from three in league and cup at home over recent weeks, Wilcox is now challenging his players to claim their fourth successive triumph and send Orient back down to the capital empty handed.
He added: “It’s very important to win football matches but if you had a choice of having a good home record or a good away record, you’d choose a good home record every time.
“Our away support has been fantastic this season but we’re playing in front of three thousand plus of our supporters every home game so it’s important to show the fans what you’re about and we’ve done that in the last three games.
“I think our performances as well as the results have been outstanding in the last three games and my challenge to the players is to now try and make that four.”
See much more from Russ Wilcox, Marcus Williams and Luke O'Neill on The Iron Player.