Leyton Orient’s disastrous season drew to a close four weeks ago against Blackpool, a team with which The O’s share some similarities.

Both sets of fans came together before the game to stage a protest calling for their respective owners, Francesco Becchetti at Orient and Owen Oyston at Pool, to sell the clubs.

However, while Orient endured a torrid time on the pitch this season, being relegated from League Two and dropping out of the Football League for the first time in more than a century, the story has been slightly different in Lancashire.

Blackpool’s seventh place finish was enough to secure a play-off spot and last week the team beat Exeter City 2-1 at Wembley to win promotion to League One.

Tangerines fans have been struggling for years to convince the Oyston family to sell up, but chairman Karl, son of Owen, now claims there is no one prepared to buy the club.

While the Oystons have been at the helm in Blackpool for decades, Mr Becchetti only took charge of Orient in 2013, months after the club came within a penalty away of reaching the Championship.

But both clubs have recently had to endure years of decline. In 2010, Blackpool won promotion to the Premier League with a play-off final victory over Cardiff City, guaranteeing the club a £90 million windfall and glamour ties against English football’s big boys.

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Orient's poor form this term saw them drop out of the League Two (pic: Simon O'Connor)

The club initially looked competitive in the division and for much of the season it appeared the underdogs would survive, only for a late dip in form to see them relegated.

Pool’s problems really began in 2014 however, when 27 players left the club just two weeks before the start of the new season, leaving just seven outfield players and no goalkeeper.

Then-manager José Riga was able to put together a squad in time for the 2014-15 season, but the upheaval saw Blackpool relegated to League One.

On the final day of the season, The Tangerines’ match against Huddersfield Town was abandoned after fans stormed the pitch in protest of the club’s directors and owners, a tactic employed by Orient supporters this season.

Orient ended up in the High Court in March due to a string of creditors built up by the club, but Blackpool have also endured their own legal battles in recent years.

In September 2015, businessman Valerijs Belokons, who owns a 20 per cent share in the club, launched legal action against the Oystons, alleging improper use of club funds.

In 2015, The O’s were also relegated, falling out of League One after only managing 12 wins from 46 games.

Orient could only manage an eight place finish in the 2015-16 season, while Blackpool’s decline continued, suffering a second-straight relegation and dropping into League Two.

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Orient and Pool fans have joined together this season to protest their clubs' owners

However, this term, the clubs have taken different trajectories. While Pool have rallied against the adversity to win promotion back to League One, Orient have lost their Football League status altogether.

The O’s have churned through six different managers this season, while Blackpool have allowed one, Gary Bowyer, to steer them to promotion.

The Bloomfield Road side made some good aquisitions this summer, with top scorer Kyle Vassell and defender Kelvin Mellor, who made League Two's team of the year, both joining on free transfers.

Orient, on the other hand, allowed long-serving midfielder Dean Cox to leave the club for Crawley, while last season's 25-goal man Jay Simpson was shipped out to Philadelphia Union in January.

Nine games into the campaign, Orient were above Blackpool in the table, but, as the season wore on, The O’s form dipped and by Christmas, relegation looked possible.

A run of six-straight defeats at the turn of the year meant Orient were became one of the favourites to go down, while Pool’s form was getting better, losing just two of their first 16 league games in 2017.

The results propelled them towards the promotion spot they eventually secured on the final day of the season with a 3-1 win against already relegated Orient.

Blackpool players have been ignoring drama off the pitch to achieve results on it, something Orient’s squad may have to do in order to regain their place in the Football League.