Lloyd James set to miss next month with an achilles injury

East London Advertiser: Orient captain Mathieu Baudry passes head coach Ian Hendon after being sent off against Portsmouth on Boxing Day (pic; Simon O'Connor)Orient captain Mathieu Baudry passes head coach Ian Hendon after being sent off against Portsmouth on Boxing Day (pic; Simon O'Connor) (Image: 07958 573219 simon.oconnor@virgin.net)

Leyton Orient boss Ian Hendon is without a number of key players for the first League Two match of 2016.

The O’s make the trip to Broadhall Way to take on Teddy Sheringham’s Stevenage rocked by the news that midfield Lloyd James is ruled out of action until February.

He missed the festive period clashes against Portsmouth and Bristol Rovers and the club have confirmed he has suffered an achilles injury.

James seems set to miss around six to eight weeks with the problem and joins fellow midfielder Sammy Moore on the sidelines.

Moore is ahead of schedule, though, as he continues to recover from a burst blood capsule behind his knee, but the Stevenage match should come too soon for him.

It means Jack Payne and Bradley Pritchard are likely to continue together in the centre of midfield with Blair Turgott and Jobi McAnuff on the wings.

Orient’s captain Mathieu Baudry serves the second of his three-match suspension for getting a red card on Boxing Day.

His fellow Frenchman Jean-Yves M’voto could also miss the clash at Broadhall Way after picking up a groin injury in training this week.

If M’voto can’t make the fixture, Connor Essam and Cole Kpekawa will partner each other in defence with Frazer Shaw and Sean Clohessy at left and right-back respectively.

While Paul McCallum and Dean Cox both remain unavailable as they continue their rehabilitation from knee ligament injuries.

The O’s are currently ninth in League Two, but only one point off the play-off positions and looking to bounce back after suffering a 2-1 loss at Bristol Rovers on Monday (December 28).