Under 18s boss Pete Gill has hailed the impact of Justin Edinburgh since his arrival as Leyton Orient head coach in November.

Not only has Edinburgh steadied the ship on the pitch, leading the O’s to a 13th place finish in the National League, but he has also shown a keen interest in the club’s academy, with graduates like Josh Koroma, Dan Happe and Myles Judd all finding regular game time under Orient’s head coach this season.

Young prospects Charles Clayden and Ruel Sotiriou have also made their debuts this campaign, with the former playing the last half an hour against Gateshead on the final day of the season, and under 18s coach Gill has praised Edinburgh’s work with the club’s youngsters.

He said: “The gaffer has been so supportive since he’s come in. When Martin Ling first came in, he kept telling me how his squad back in the promotion year had 50% of the players from the academy. He’s really into that side of it.

“Ross Embleton has been so helpful throughout the season by helping the boys with sessions. Obviously everyone knows the work Danny Webb did with this group in particular this year and with it being such a first year heavy group, the start of this year was very tough and it’s Webb that laid the foundations for this group.

“To have those three as part of the management team, I can’t fault them and they have been absolutely brilliant with me and the players. Everyone can see that if they work hard enough and ultimately, if they are good enough, they will get given the opportunity under this management team and that spurs me on and that spurs the players on as well. Everyone is delighted with that.”

Orient’s academy has a rich history of producing young players and it seems like the O’s have a vast array of talent coming through the ranks at the moment, with the under 18s winning the Merit League 2 Division under Gill’s stewardship last season, thanks to 3-1 win over Plymouth in their final game.

As a result, Gill believes the club’s academy still has a key role to play in the future and he is delighted to see so many graduates currently in the O’s first team.

He said: “I think it’s got a really good role to play. As you mentioned earlier on, it’s so inspiring for myself and the players to see the likes of Dan Happe kick on and see Myles Judd come back from injury as well as the likes of Charlie Grainger, Sam Sargeant, Josh Koroma and all these boys in the first team.

“Not to forget the boys who have moved on as well. It’s great to see Sam Dalby, Tristan Abrahams and Steven Alzate doing so well at Premier League and Championship clubs. The academy has got talent. That’s undoubted.

“It’s got a massive role to play in the football club and hopefully, I can be a part of bringing the next group through and the next ones to the gaffer’s door.”