Pre-season, 2024(/25)

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

"Kyle Dempsey will be back early next week" - Evatt after Stoke game

[BWFC_Insane]

2-0 up goals from Collins and Vic. Good for building some confidence and hitting peaks next week.

[Mar]

Sounding promising from the game. Only what we'd expect from Bolton vs a team in a league lower.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Charles adds a third.

FT 3-0. Would have liked Lolos - on for Arfield - to bag a confidence-booster. And/or Dan (on for Collins). Never mind.

Finishing XI (starters in brackets)
Bax; Johnston, (Santos), (Toal); Conway, (Tomo), Morley, Matheson; Dan, Dion, Lolos

[truewhite15]

Shows some of the depth we're building. Disappointed that Forino wasn't ready to give us some minutes, but never mind. I'd expect him to start against Mansfield on the 13th.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Disappointed that Forino wasn't ready to give us some minutes, but never mind. I'd expect him to start against Mansfield on the 13th.

The Bs are playing at Stoke (U21s) on Tuesday afternoon, so that's an option to stretch his considerable legs.

[officer_dibble]

Charles might get another run out as well?

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

Charles might get another run out as well?

Yep, I guess. Unless they think it'd be better to knit him in – playing at Stoke on Tuesday might mean him missing two training sessions.

Could say same for Forino but let's face it, Dion is a thousand times likelier to play at Orient than the new guy.

[dave the minion]

Solid performance that today. Everyone who got minutes looked good and sharp to be honest.

New lad looks a player.....

[GhostoftheBok]

Conway remains a big plus from this preseason. His first touch is good, he's excellent in tight areas and he can beat a defender. He also has real edge to him. He has no issue scything a player when it's needed or standing up for himself. When a teammate is in trouble he's right in there.

Strongly remains me of Thomason at that age.

There's a long way for him to go, but he has a chance and he will definitely have a career. He's technically sound, he's strong and he's quick.

I'd love to see him in the squad next season after a strong loan.

[officer_dibble]

I’d like to see him turn out for us in a cup game before a loan - league cup and out on loan?

[GhostoftheBok]

I’d like to see him turn out for us in a cup game before a loan - league cup and out on loan?

We might keep him until the end of the window, to give Randell time to recover. I don't know. If we didn't have Randell I think I'd be okay with Conway and Schon as our options on the left, but Williams is currently a better player.

I have no idea how much headroom there is with Conway, but he is a talented 20-year-old to have at a League One club.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

I’d like to see him turn out for us in a cup game before a loan - league cup and out on loan?

We might keep him until the end of the window, to give Randell time to recover. I don't know. If we didn't have Randell I think I'd be okay with Conway and Schon as our options on the left, but Williams is currently a better player.

I have no idea how much headroom there is with Conway, but he is a talented 20-year-old to have at a League One club.

Good to hear. This is his last underage season, so it’s the last time he can be “betwixt and between” the Bs and the first XI without occupying a squad slot; given his development, and the relative lack of left-siders, they might just be tempted to keep him around for the autumn, when we’ll have lower-league oppo in various cups. Fairly sure we could then loan him to Division Five outside the window - and see about switching him up in January.

EDIT
Just on this - I looked it up as it intrigued me. Throughout autumn there are regular cup games Conway (etc) could play in:

13/8 – Mansfield (H) (Lge Cup 1)
? 26/8 – Lge Cup 2 ?
3/9 - Barrow (A) (Sherpa Van group)
3/10 - Villa U21 (H) (Sherpa Van group)
2/11 - FA Cup First Round
12/11 – Fleetwood (H) (Sherpa Van group)
? 30/11 – FA Cup Second Round ?

No dates for Sherpa Van knockouts but last time they were 5/12, 10/1, 30/1, 20/2 and 7/4.


One more thing - last season Conway was loaned to fifth-division Fylde in October, clearly after the transfer deadline - and ended up staying for the season. Pathway-wise, we might like to send him to D4 this time - but we might also want to try him out in some of the above games, especially if we're tacitly deprioritising the cups.

[dave the minion]

I've seen 2 pre-season games and he's played in both - carried himself so well that the outside world you wouldn't be able to tell he was a B teamer....

[GhostoftheBok]

One more thing - last season Conway was loaned to fifth-division Fylde in October, clearly after the transfer deadline - and ended up staying for the season. Pathway-wise, we might like to send him to D4 this time - but we might also want to try him out in some of the above games, especially if we're tacitly deprioritising the cups.

Evatt said he wanted Conway in "at least" League Two, as I recall. I was also told by Iles that there were suitable offers in for him, but the club wasn't ready to pull the trigger yet.

Now obviously I don't know anything other than what's out there in the aether, but you'd imagine we're not stringing potential loan clubs along for no reason.

My expectation is that we'll let Max go on loan, probably to League Two or the equivalent level, once we know the state of play with Randell. If Randell broke down again I'd guess we'd probably go with Max ourselves as back-up to Schon.

That's all pure guesswork, but I think it's probably correct.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

One more thing - last season Conway was loaned to fifth-division Fylde in October, clearly after the transfer deadline - and ended up staying for the season. Pathway-wise, we might like to send him to D4 this time - but we might also want to try him out in some of the above games, especially if we're tacitly deprioritising the cups.

Evatt said he wanted Conway in "at least" League Two, as I recall. I was also told by Iles that there were suitable offers in for him, but the club wasn't ready to pull the trigger yet.

Now obviously I don't know anything other than what's out there in the aether, but you'd imagine we're not stringing potential loan clubs along for no reason.

My expectation is that we'll let Max go on loan, probably to League Two or the equivalent level, once we know the state of play with Randell. If Randell broke down again I'd guess we'd probably go with Max ourselves as back-up to Schon.

That's all pure guesswork, but I think it's probably correct.

Fair enough. In the long run it will probably do him better to play say 20 D4 games between now and January than half a dozen stilted cup games for us. It's not like we don't know what he's about.

I do wonder though if we'll play him in the Mansfield game - home, League Cup, nine days' time - for a couple of reasons. One, to see how he equips himself with us in a (reasonably) competitive game against a third-tier oppo. Two, and related, perhaps to drum up (even) more interest in him so we have a better choice of loaning club. Clearly we can never know how things will work out but I imagine we'll be weighing up the quality of borrower with his odds of regular gametime.

[GhostoftheBok]

I do wonder though if we'll play him in the Mansfield game

I think he might make the bench for Orient. It'll be very early for Randell, given how much football he's missed. I could easily see Conway starting the Mansfield game and Randell coming off the bench.

[BWFC_Insane]

If we have ambition to bring players through then I don’t know why we can’t give them a go in these circumstances. I get we need to go up so risking Conway starting league games is maybe not on the cards but use as a sub introduce him see how he goes, play the cup games. I’d like to see it because I think he’s got something. Whilst a loan can develop players I also think we have him, Khumbeni who could add something and I’d prefer that we let them stick around and see if they can come through.

[Dave Sutton's barnet]

It's a balance though, mate. In Khumbeni's case, he would now need a squad space, so who do we deregister or not buy?

Conway wouldn't take a squad space - not until next season - but it's a fine judgement call on whether he's better served on our fringes or playing the majority of minutes somewhere else.

I like the idea of him coming on as sub - hell, I like us to rotate dem wingbacks and keep 'em fresh and fighting - but we've got a big squad now. Say for instance Schön settles well and Randell comes back. Would we really have Conway on the bench over Randell? Or, if Johnston returns, would Conway get a bib over Iredale – who may not be a brilliant wingback but covers two positions?

[GhostoftheBok]

If it came down to it I actually think Randell would work better on the right now than he does on the left. So if things went to pot with recruiting a new RWB I'd not mind Conway and Schon for the left with JDC and Randell for the right.

Ideally we get Armstrong, who would radically improve us; but if not Randell is an option.