Leyton Orient interim head coach Ross Embleton feels that while the club would have preferred to be in FA Cup action at the weekend, being able to give them Saturday off will be beneficial to turning around their recent poor form.

The O’s would have expected to make it to round two when they were drawn at home to non-league side Maldon & Tiptree in the first round, but the Isthmian League North Division side produced arguably the shock of the round to win 2-1 at the Breyer Group Stadium in what proved to be the final nail in the coffin for Carl Fletcher during his brief spell at the club.

Orient haven’t won a League Two match since October 19 when they thrashed Grimsby Town 4-0 away from home and they find themselves back down in 19th in the table after three consecutive losses in the league.

When asked about the lack of a match over the weekend, Embleton said: “There was a lot of fatigue, some players have played a lot of minutes. We’d have much rather have been in the FA Cup still and had a game but at the same time we’ve still been able to give them one day’s rest.

“They had the Saturday off but they were in on the Sunday, we trained the rest of the week, but to be able to give them that day without that impact of the physical fatigue and mental fatigue that it can give them, I’m hoping that we’ll look back on it as a positive.”

He continued: “It was just Saturday that they had off because I think, first and foremost, we got beat in the cup. It can be perceived and seen by everyone as a chance to sit back and enjoy ourselves, but it’s a time for us to work and try and get some valuable time on the training pitch.

“We needed to make the most of the time that we had but at the same time not having a game on the Saturday just takes a bit of an edge away in terms of the boys haven’t gone out and ran 10 or 12k on Saturday, they’ve had a chance to put their feet up.”