Experienced O’s forward encouraged by working style of new boss at Brisbane Road and excited about new National League season

East London Advertiser: Leyton Orient forward David Mooney tries to tackle a Harlow Town opponent (pic: Allison Hazel/Harlow Town).Leyton Orient forward David Mooney tries to tackle a Harlow Town opponent (pic: Allison Hazel/Harlow Town). (Image: Archant)

David Mooney has been impressed with new Leyton Orient head coach Steve Davis and praised the way he gets his point across.

The O’s only announced Omer Riza’s successor on July 10, but the former Crewe Alexandra manager already appears to have made his mark.

Davis revealed at his opening press conference how he tried to sign Mooney whilst at Gresty Road and it appears the pair are enjoying the chance to finally work together.

“He is trying to implement the way he wants us to press and the different styles of pressing,” said Mooney.

“We are obviously going to face different games against different teams, but he has been really good and got his point across, which is very clear and easy to understand.

“Everybody has bought into it and fingers crossed we can take it into the first game, but we know it is a tough start for us away to Sutton United.

“It is a difficult league, but with the games being local it can work for you or work against you, so hopefully we make it work for us.”

Orient face a hectic opening month of the season with seven National League fixtures to play between August 5 and August 28.

Three of them are at Brisbane Road and in addition to that almost all of O’s away games in August are fairly local.

After facing Sutton United, Orient’s next trip is to Bromley before visiting Woking and Maidenhead United before the month is out.

Mooney added: “We looked at the league fixtures the other day and pre-season is not too unforgiving, as we are going Saturday, Tuesday all the way up and then we have that at the start of the season.

“You have also got a Saturday (Woking) to Saturday (Eastleigh) and then a Monday (Maidenhead), so you are a bit like what is going on.

“But if we can get off to a good start we will want the games coming and the year we won eight on the bounce we just wanted them to come.

“If you are edgy at the start then you are thinking we don’t really need this run, but hopefully it can be us facing teams who feel like that and the ones who don’t fancy the matches.

“With our youthful exuberance and pace, if we can get off to a strong start then I think we can cause teams all sorts of bother.”

The Orient forward admitted he never expected the east London club to ever be in a position where they are competing in the National League.

Yet the Irish striker insists they need to embrace the challenge and do their best now to try and get the club back into the Football League.

“What has been has been and it is gone, so there is no point dragging it back up because you will only feel down about it,” said Mooney.

“It is a fresh start with fresh faces and a fresh manager with fresh ideas. It is a fresh league as well and it is uncharted territory.

“I never thought I would see the day where we are in this situation, but we are and we have to embrace it and try our best to get out of it.”

Mooney will hope to show his class yet again and get more minutes when O’s visit Greenwich Borough this weekend.