Independent Leyton Orient Forum

Big shock and very sad indeed. Spoke to him once on the Victoria line, Walthamstow, and tried dissuading him not to join Sheff Wed..

https://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/th ... -own-words

You made your professional debut for Leyton Orient at 16. What made you stand out at that age?
I think the coaches saw that I was very good at absorbing information and executing it in games. I was just fully committed. Becoming a professional was my sole focus. You can’t go far wrong when you have people like Pat Holland, John Gorman, Peter Eustace and Frank Clark guiding you. About three months after finishing high school, they had me in the first team and there was no looking back. I didn’t let the social aspects of being a teenager distract me. You have to sacrifice something to get to the top.

How did your move to Sheffield Wednesday, and the top division, come about?
Leyton Orient showcased me when we played Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup. That really put me on the market and Trevor Francis saw enough to bring me in. Moving from London to Sheffield was a culture change but, before I even got time to settle down, I was in the starting line-up to play Arsenal at home the following weekend. Preparing to make my debut, standing in the tunnel alongside players I’d seen growing up, was surreal.

Trevor Francis was just starting out as a manager. What was he like to play for?
Having been in a very similar situation to me, Trevor could understand some of the things I was going through. As a teenager, he allowed me to live in a hotel rather than with a host family, which showed he had a lot of trust in me. He was easy to talk to. Calm by nature. Diplomatic. Understanding. He cared, and I think that’s what matters. He certainly wasn’t perfect, but he was very good for me and my confidence.

Thanks for posting, R.McFadden, really interesting (and sad).

Scored 2 in that game so sad what a lose for his family and the club

Really sad news.

Bergen wrote: ↑Tue Jul 25, 2023 6:38 pm Thanks for posting, R.McFadden, really interesting (and sad).

Great to see he had so much respect & gratitude for the O's

Very sad news, and shocking too, he was so young.

Bart-Williams has a special resonance for me growing up because when I was a teenager he was the player to make his debut for the O's at an age younger than me at the time. Before him, all the players in the team were older than me.

And the way he swept in that goal on his debut down the north end, what a player! He barely knew how to celebrate that goal, I guess it must have come as a surprise to him? Great memories.

No doubt there will be a minute's silence for him at the Charlton game, given his association with both clubs.