Martin Ling introduced him as a man who understands the Leyton Orient philosophy, and new O’s boss Steve Davis’ ambition was evident during his first press conference.

The former Crewe Alexandra and Nantwich Town manager believes Orient are far better than the National League standing they find themselves in.

It is clear Davis is invested in the project and sees himself remaining at Brisbane Road for the long haul.

“This is a big club and a big project and that is what attracted me to the job,” Davis explained.

“I want to go higher than this (National League). I want to manage in League One, the Championship and as high as I can.

“I would like to be able to do that here and the discussions I have had with the owners have been positive. The club want stability.

“This is a bigger club than my previous ones in terms of what is ahead of us and the longevity is something that has attracted me to the club.”

Longevity is, of course, a rarity in football management, but Davis has a track record of breaking the mould of short-haul stints in the dugout.

He spent five years at Nantwich Town, and experience which should help him cope with the demands of National League management, before enjoying a successful six years with Crewe.

With Orient dropping out of the Football League for the first time in their 112-year history, the expectation will be for the club to win promotion immediately.

Davis is acutely aware of the demands, but insists it is not in his character to shy away from a test.

“I love working on a challenge and I think this provides one of the biggest challenges at any football club at the moment,” he said.

“We are at the very start and it is going to take a lot of hard work to build and get to where we want to be. It is a big club and we all know where we want to be.

“There should be expectation at a club this size and there always is. Where the club has been over the last three years, I think that has gone as low as it probably could. Anything we can achieve on the pitch is a massive plus.”

Davis is confident both he and his growing squad, which was boosted once more by the arrival of Alex Lawless today, will cope with the demands of football outside the Football League.

He does, however, accept the O’s face a number of challenges, not least heading into many of their matches with the tag of favourites, which he hopes his players will thrive upon.

He said: “Teams will come here sit in and try and nick a goal and defend it. We know that it is a feather in peoples’ caps to come here and win here.

“We have to deal with that as a group and as players. We want that pressure because we know that little bit of pressure gets a little bit more out of each other.”