Leatherhead player-manager discusses why the Whites are doing so well this season and how he’ll get behind O’s Ross Embleton this weekend

East London Advertiser: Sammy Moore in action for Leatherhead against Margate in the FA Cup (pic: Dan Eicke Photography).Sammy Moore in action for Leatherhead against Margate in the FA Cup (pic: Dan Eicke Photography). (Image: Archant)

Sammy Moore is better placed than most to talk about Leyton Orient and Dover Athletic having played for the two clubs last season.

Although the midfielder has been looking at his two old teams from afar, he will get the chance to watch them do battle on Saturday at Brisbane Road.

The National League match in E10 sees leaders Dover take on struggling Orient, who have sacked head coach Steve Davis after a run of 11 league games without a win.

On paper there appears only one result pending, but Moore is hoping O’s can turn around their season by ending their poor form tomorrow.

He also reflected on the Kent club’s start to the new campaign, which sees them in top spot with 36 points to their name.

Moore said: “It is a little bit of a surprise to see Dover where they are because when you make so many changes it can be tough for everything to gel in pre-season, but it seems like they’ve gelled really quickly.

East London Advertiser: Sammy Moore in action for Leyton Orient during the 2015/16 campaign (pic: Simon O'Connor).Sammy Moore in action for Leyton Orient during the 2015/16 campaign (pic: Simon O'Connor). (Image: 07958 573219 simon.oconnor@virgin.net)

“I spoke to Connor Essam on Sunday and he was saying the togetherness in the squad is really good and everyone knows their job.

“They go man-to-man from set-pieces and seem to be spot-on with that and things like that are so important in the National League.

“You can have the best 11 footballers, but it is all about people putting their bodies on the line for each other and knowing their jobs.

“Everyone knows their role at Dover and they’ve gone to some big clubs like Tranmere Rovers and Aldershot and got great results, so it is going to be tough for Orient.

“I was speaking to Dover’s assistant Jake Leberl recently and he was saying they are flying and have the mentality where they just feel they are not going to lose.

“They have gone for a slightly different way of playing this season as well so they have more pace and energy and Chris (Kinnear) has done a fantastic job.

East London Advertiser: Leyton Orient assistant manager Ross Embleton (left) and head coach Steve Davis (pic: Simon O'Connor).Leyton Orient assistant manager Ross Embleton (left) and head coach Steve Davis (pic: Simon O'Connor). (Image: Simon O'Connor Photography)

“But all of the Orient fans need to get behind Ross Embleton and Dean Brill and I will be there and getting behind them and hopefully they can get a result.

“We have seen it before where a caretaker comes in and it gives the players a lift, so hopefully that can happen.

“If Orient can get a good result it will hopefully see them get a good run of form going and they can start to climb the table.

“Obviously it is a club I really love because I was treated so well by the fans and my family were always made to feel so welcome so hopefully they can appoint a manager soon and he can get them moving up the table quickly.”

Moore will only be at Brisbane Road on Saturday because his Leatherhead team have moved their Bostik Premier fixture at home to Wingate & Finchley back a day.

The former Dons midfielder is hoping to see some Orient supporters in attendance on Sunday at Fetcham Grove.

He added: “I moved our midweek games to a Wednesday so Orient and Wimbledon fans could come along and see what we are trying to do at Leatherhead.

“We are trying to make the club as professional as we can and we’ve got a lot more sponsors now and we’ve boosted the attendance figures.

“All these things behind the scenes have helped increase the budget and it would be great to get more Orient and Wimbledon fans along to games.

“Sunday will be tough because Wingate are a decent side and in the Bostik Premier you have to earn the right to win games.

“You need to work hard out of possession and it is not all about the flair players at this level, you need to do the nitty and gritty things.

“The league is a little bit false at the moment because some teams have played four games more than us due to our FA Cup run, but it would be great to get some Orient and Wimbledon fans over to support us.

“I want to make Leatherhead like both of those clubs in terms of the family feel you get when you visit the ground. I want to bring that philosophy at Orient and Wimbledon of being made to feel so welcome to Fetcham Grove.

“Next season is really going to be exciting for us too because of the budget we’ll have after the FA Cup run, but we need to start picking up points now as well.”