George Elokobi has praised the togetherness of Leyton Orient’s squad and believes that team spirit will enable the O’s to build on last season’s 13th place finish in the National League this campaign.

A lot has been said about Orient’s togetherness previously, with young goalkeeper Sam Sargeant claiming last month that the current O’s squad was the ‘most tight knit group’ he had ever worked with in a first team environment.

Orient have certainly shown plenty of character on the pitch in pre-season as well, battling back from 2-0 down to beat Concord Rangers 3-2, while also earning a draw against League One side Southend United at the weekend despite falling behind twice.

Elokobi is a man who knows what it takes to earn promotion, having won both the Championship and League One titles with Wolverhampton Wanderers previously, and the 32-year-old believes the O’s team spirit will provide them with ‘confidence’ this campaign.

He said: “We all know, not just football, but in every industry that there has to be togetherness for any success to happen. I think we’ve got that in abundance. The boys are really close together and we enjoy each other’s company.

“When we train, we work hard but we have fun and that’s what it’s all about. At the training ground, the coaches put on sessions which are enjoyable for us and are 100% competitive.

“In the changing rooms, there is a lot of banter and everyone is comfortable with each other and close to each other. We all know that we are there for each other and we can speak to each other about anything, not just about football, but in our private lives as well. It gives us that sense of confidence knowing that you’ve got close friends within the squad.”

The experienced centre-back arrived in East London last summer from Colchester United, penning a two-year contract at the Breyer Group Stadium.

It proved to be a stop-start first season at Brisbane Road for Elokobi, with injury restricting the Cameroon defender to 23 appearances in all competitions.

On the pitch, it proved to be a transitional year for Orient, with the O’s finishing the campaign in 13th place after a strong end to the season under current head coach Justin Edinburgh.

Having got to grips with the National League, Elokobi now wants to help Orient progress and insisted that the O’s are fully aware of how competitive the division will be this year.

Asked about last season, Elokobi said: “As a team, I thought most of us all came in new to the football club. It was all about settling the ship and making sure we kept the football club in the National League. It was about rebuilding and making sure we can take that momentum into this season, so that we can carry on from where we left off.

“As a football club, we want to progress. We’re going to respect every football club in this league and we know what this league is all about. There’s no surprises now and we know the teams in this league are all very good teams. We are going to show everyone respect and approach every single game in the right way so we can get three points.

“But at the same time, we’ve got to concentrate on ourselves as a football club and just go about our business professionally. This season is about carrying on from where we left off last season to try and better our league position. It’s a marathon and not a sprint and we will try and pick up as many points as we can.”