Leyton Orient’s title challenge has stuttered with three straight defeats but Scott Cuthbert today dismissed suggestions their “bubble has burst”.
Orient have slipped to third in League One, behind Brentford and Wolves, and are without a win since last month. Russell Slade’s side are three points off top spot and face fourth-placed Preston tomorrow looking to get their promotion bid back on track.
Cuthbert is confident Orient are not faltering with the finishing line in sight. The defender said: “People will assume the bubble has burst but that is up to them. We are good enough to go on a run from now until the end of the season and it will be a different picture if we can get a couple of wins.
“We have had a great season so far, so it is frustrating when you go three games without picking up any points. But all teams go through runs like this and it is important we stay positive.”
Brentford and Wolves are favourites with the bookmakers to go up automatically but Cuthbert insists Orient are happy as underdogs.
He said: “We are not the biggest team and we have got some massive clubs up against us but that gives us added motivation to keep going. We are good enough to be matching Wolves and Brentford.
“Conceding late goals against Rotherham and Peterborough has not helped and we did not start well enough against Bristol City. But we are aiming to put things right against Preston.”
Skipper Nathan Clarke handed Orient a major boost ahead of tomorrow’s game by signing a new two-year contract. He said: “The club are going in the right direction and it is something I want to be a part of.”
