Father figure Martin Ling presiding over Leyton Orient’s ‘minor miracle’

Remarkable revival under director of football has given Orient a chance of reaching England’s second tier for first time since 1982When Martin Ling received a call from Leyton Orient asking him to come back as director of football in 2017, it changed his life. “There’s no doubt in my mind,” he says. “To be where we are is a minor miracle. There’s a Hollywood story everyone talks about with Wrexham. But we’re probably more of a Wood Green story – it’s just we haven’t got the famous actors behind us.”Ling, a former midfielder who made more than 150 appearances for the O’s and spent six years as manager at Brisbane Road, thought his career was over after experiencing mental breakdowns while in charge of Torquay and then, in 2015, at Swindon. In 2017, new owners stepped in at Orient after the turbulent era under Francesco Becchetti during which they dropped out of the Football League for the first time, after 112 years. Ling’s appointment a few weeks later was the beginning of a remarkable revival that has given Orient a chance of playing in English football’s second tier for the first time since 1982 when they face Charlton in the League One playoff final on Sunday. Continue reading...

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