Ling confident Leyton Orient can navigate ‘bump in road’

Richie Wellens’ side have seen their lead at the top of the League Two table cut to just two points by Stevenage during the festive period and now have injuries and suspension to deal with.

Held to a goalless draw by Stevenage just before Christmas, they endured another stalemate at Newport County in their last game of 2022.

And O’s then failed to find the target for a third successive match as they lost their first match of 2023 at Northampton Town, as Ben Fox netted the only goal of the game at Sixfields on Monday.

Dan Happe limped off in the first half of that contest and looks set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, with central defensive partner Omar Beckles sent off in stoppage time for violent conduct.

But Ling is refusing to panic and believes the club can find the right solutions as they look to maintain their promotion push this season.

“We’re comfortable, we’ve got a bump in the road, the first major one that we’ve had this season,” he told the club website.

“We’ve had the same results in another period, of two points from three games, then we won seven out of the next eight. So that will be nice.

“But the bigger bump is that we’ve got to deal with injuries and it’s where the recruitment team, the gaffer, myself, all get round the table and come up with some solutions.

“I’m very confident we can do that.”

O’s have already brought the likes of Charlie Kelman, Idris El Mizouni, Stephen Duke-McKenna and Jayden Wareham to Brisbane Road on loan deals this season, with left-back Connor Wood the latest to head through the exit door for a loan spell at Colchester United.

And Ling says they are always looking at their options with regards to the playing squad.

“It’s become to the forefront of our thinking,” he added.

“We’re always ready for any situation so there’s names that have been already talked about.

“You carry on recruiting, even from outside the recruitment window, transfer window.”