Leyton Orient WFC’s Connie Montiel-McCann looks back on her club’s 2015/16 season in the London & South East Premier Division…
After eleven memorable years as KIKK United, this season we proudly became a part of Leyton Orient. This was something that we as a club were keen to make happen, with several players, myself included, having come through the former Leyton Orient Girls’ Centre of Excellence to form a core part of the KIKK first team. 2014/15 had been disappointing with the loss of numerous influential players to injury and illness proving an insuperable blow and so our aim in 2015/16 was to challenge for promotion. After over a year away, the return to the defence in particular of two key absentees, Oly Diamond (restorer of classical art and club Whip Nay-Nay champion) and Fran Cagetti (expert Italian gelato and catenaccio maker) was a boost and, combined with an influx of new talent recruited, the team had a different look and a wealth of talent to deploy.
After a promising opening victory against rival league contenders Fulham, we had an early run of mixed results against the division’s best teams. Despite playing some impressive football, we found ourselves failing to find the back of the net (a disease commonly known as Arsenal syndrome) and were not turning performances into results. Heading into autumn, a low point came against Great Shelford when, following two good FA Cup victories against Eastern Regional League Premier sides Stevenage and AFC Dunstable in earlier rounds, we bombarded their goal for 90 minutes yet found ourselves eliminated (much to their shock as well as ours) on penalties. Rather than bemoan the disallowed goals and missed chances, we focused on working hard in training and on our performance and the goals (and victories) began to flow.
Pictured – Leyton Orient WFC 2015-16
The new players were beginning to settle into the side and exert an influence. Belen Ripoll Douton (the ‘Spanish Sensation’, although she’s actually Catalonian) sparked competition to become the team’s top scorer and after migrating to East London (centre of the universe), Ellie Davies, a blonder, more Welsh version of Roy Keane, quickly established a formidable midfield partnership with the bone-crunching yet classy Italian, Egle Trezzi. By Christmas, playing quick, fluid football that was good to watch, we had gone 8 games unbeaten, dropping just two points and in November we enjoyed a half time cameo at Brisbane Road on the coldest day ever recorded anywhere in the world as the Orient men beat York City in a thrilling 3-2 victory.
Sadly, only the champions are promoted to the FA WPL and earlier in the season we had been beaten by the league leaders AFC Wimbledon at home. In the away game we were the better team and while we did not get the result we needed to break open the league title race (in which Wimbledon were deserved champions after an impressively consistent season), it was clear that we were now a force to be reckoned with and that good form continued after the Christmas break with Naomi Ogunde in goal and captain ‘Don’t dive in’ Danielle Griffiths and the rest of the defence providing a resolute base for the side to sweep forward with our swashbuckling attackers such as Hayley Barton and Lydia Cooper a test for any opposition. Competition for places was strong and so our manager had the (happy!) dilemma of who to pick, with a host of players on form week in, week out.
Pictured – Leyton Orient with the Mayor’s Cup
A major milestone was the arrival of the new Orient kit (no more why are you in green/yellow/not in red!). Its effect on morale has been clear: since it arrived, we have won every game we have played! That run meant that, despite our slow start, we finished third in the league, a pleasing conclusion. We also ended the season on a high, comfortably beating Tower Hamlets Ladies 6-0 to win the Mayor’s Cup in our own back yard, Mile End Stadium. Red clearly suits us.
Winger Sophie Le Marchand eventually pipped strikers Belen and Jasmine Campbell to finish as the team’s top scorer and the competition for places will be fierce next season with a quality squad complemented by a strong team spirit. Joining the Orient family has been fantastic and we are fully focused on our objective of winning our division – and with it promotion to the FA Women’s Premier League. The support from Orient and its fans over the past year has been great and we hope to both repay and build on that in 2016/17 with the title.
We have a second open training session/trial match on June 29th (8pm at Stepney Green 3G) so if you are interested becoming part of Orient WFC then contact us at [email protected]
You can watch highlights of our matches on youtube at Orient WFC, follow us on twitter @OrientWFC or via the official Orient club website or of course, see us in action at any of our games next season.
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