New boss Justin Edinburgh eager to protect Charlie Grainger and Sam Sargeant whilst the O’s battle to turn around their form
Justin Edinburgh has revealed Leyton Orient goalkeeper coach Dean Brill is set to remain between the sticks for the foreseeable future.
The new man in charge at Brisbane Road sprung a real surprise at Solihull Moors last weekend by not picking either Charlie Grainger or Sam Sargeant in goal.
Between the duo, they had started all of O’s competitive games this season, but Brill played at Damson Park and after a shaky start, showed his experience with some good saves, though he would have been disappointed with Liam Daly’s second-half winner.
Edinburgh explained his thinking behind picking the 32-year-old: “Between now and January Dean will play because I think he needs to and it will only benefit our young boys.
“In the two days I had before Saturday, I had to think about the welfare of everyone and there is a lot of talent here and a lot of young players, but I’m exposing them in a difficult circumstance.
“They were exposed to that last season and that will affect people, so you have to be mindful of that and make sure you don’t ruin this potential.
“It can be a real negative on them and can affect them going forward, but I think for the next block of games, Dean will play.”
Brill looks set to be Orient’s number one until January and if he impresses, he’ll likely retain the number one shirt for most of the campaign.
It is not all bad news for Grainger and Sargeant, however, with the academy graduates backed to be O’s first-choice stopper in the future once the E10 outfit have moved away from the relegation zone.
“There is no doubt we have two young goalkeepers with huge potential - huge - but I’m wary and cautious that we could ruin that potential with the position the club is in and the run we are on,” said Edinburgh.
“From my knowledge of this league and being a manager, I think it’s very difficult for those guys to be a number one in this team at the minute. It was a decision I took and I think it’s right to take it away from them for the time being.
“I’ve no doubt one of them two probably will be the number one when we get to where we need to be and back to winning matches and playing with more confidence.
“But right now we need a presence and a voice and someone who has been through the process and Dean was there and he fits the bill and his performance showed that.”
It was a bold move for Edinburgh to make after only a couple of days in the job, but it could prove to be vital for all involved at Orient.
While Grainger and Sargeant would both back themselves to be O’s number one right now, their confidence will no doubt be low due to the run the club finds itself on.
The duo have huge potential, though a spell on the sidelines may be beneficial in the long run.
Sargeant has yet to be given a proper chance and will only show his true ability once he is given a run of games.
But it’s difficult for him to come into a struggling team, as we’ve seen, while Grainger deserves a rest after being put under a lot of pressure during the last few months.
In the long-run Brill probably isn’t the answer, but after shaking off some of his rustiness following two-and-a-half years without a competitive game, his experience will be pivotal over the next month as O’s look to move away from danger.
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