Former Southampton midfielder feels fit and expects tough match with Barnet this weekend

Leyton Orient midfielder Lloyd James accepts he needs to be patient to get his starting chance, but feels fit after scoring at York City in League Two on Saturday.

The former Wales under-21 international was introduced in the 66th minute at Bootham Crescent and scored nine minutes later to earn Kevin Nolan’s team a 1-1 draw.

O’s supporters have been calling for the 28-year-old to start for a while now and those demands only got louder after the weekend.

A trip to Barnet awaits the east Londoners on Saturday and James is hoping to get his chance soon.

He said: “I feel I’m back to full fitness and obviously the more matches I play the sharper I will get, but I feel good.

“It is down to the gaffer, he has picked a good team at York, we have a lot of strong midfielders and plenty of strength in depth.

“That is what you need to get out of this league. I’ve got to be patient and keep my head down. Hopefully I can keep working hard and I’ll get my chance.”

Another tough decision for Nolan will be whether to bring captain Mathieu Baudry straight back into the starting team.

The French defender has missed the last four games through suspension and Peter Ramage, on-loan from Coventry City, has done a decent job in his absence.

James added: “The captain coming back will be a big boost, but we do have 11 other leaders stepping up over the white line.

“He made the trip up to York and he will be a good addition to the squad, although I wouldn’t like to make the decision about whether he is going to play or not. That is up to the gaffer so we will see.”

Orient were well supported at Bootham Crescent last weekend as 656 made the long journey north. It is a shorter trip on Saturday as they travel to the Hive to take on London rivals Barnet.

The Bees have an impressive home record, having won 11 games and lost just six in front of their own fans, and James expects another difficult encounter.

He added: “I said to Sammy Moore on Saturday when we were on the bench that we’ve taken a great following considering how far the journey is up.

“The fans were brilliant, they sang throughout and hopefully they can travel to Barnet as well - a nice local derby. It is always tough against them.

“We played them at the start of the season and had to grind them down because they’re a big, physical side. I’m sure we can match them again this weekend and hopefully we can get a run together.”