Richie Wellens has gone on record to admit that Leyton Orient's home form is worrying him, after a league defeat to a managerless Wycombe Wanderers side on Saturday stretched the O's winless run at Brisbane Road to seven matches, a sequence stretching back to March.

Seven without a win at home

For a club that treats Brisbane Road as its heartbeat, seven consecutive league games at home without a victory is the sort of statistic that concentrates the mind. Wellens did not try to dress it up. Speaking to BBC Radio London, the Orient manager acknowledged the difficulty of turning the mood around at a ground where results have conspired to breed anxiety.

"It's concerning because how do we change the feel about [the place]?" Wellens said. "You can't just be reactive where you win [and] everybody's happy, you lose [and] everybody wants to rip everything up and start again. You have to go through processes."

The honest admission is notable. Managers in the third tier rarely volunteer concern so directly; press-conference language tends toward cautious optimism. That Wellens chose to name the problem rather than manage it away in platitudes suggests he is keenly aware that supporters have noticed, and that patience has limits.

A squad still finding its level

Wellens offered some context for the inconsistency. "I think we've got the nucleus of a good team," he said, "but people need to learn things, people are playing at this level for the first time." The inference is that the squad contains players adjusting to League One demands, and that the development curve has not yet translated into points at home.

The injury list is not helping. Left-back Somto Boniface, on loan from Ipswich, is likely to be absent for another fortnight with the knee problem he picked up against Sheffield Wednesday last month. Defender Joseph Olowu went off during the Wycombe defeat with an Achilles issue, while Demetri Mitchell was sent for a scan after sustaining an injury in the same fixture. Three defenders sidelined or carrying knocks in a single week is a disruption no manager relishes.

On a more positive note, loan defender Alfie Gilchrist is close to returning and is expected to get minutes in midweek. Goalkeeper Oliver Dovin, who joined on a deadline-day loan from Coventry, is also in line to start. Both men come through a fixture outside League One competition, which gives Wellens a chance to rotate without risk to the division campaign.

A culture question as much as a football one

What emerges from Wellens's comments is that the home-form problem is as much about atmosphere and expectation as it is about tactics or personnel. Brisbane Road crowds do not turn hostile without reason, but a long run without a home win feeds a cycle: tension in the stands, hesitation on the pitch, more tension. Breaking it requires a performance, and performances have been in short supply on home soil this term.

Orient's away record, by implication, offers more encouragement, though the manager did not elaborate on the contrast. For now, the focus will be on halting what has become a dismal home sequence before it becomes the story of the season rather than a passage to be corrected.

Wellens is in his first full season in charge at Brisbane Road. The material is there, he insists. The table will decide whether the process he is asking supporters to trust is actually working.

Frequently asked

How many home league games have Leyton Orient gone without a win?
According to manager Richie Wellens, Orient have gone seven league games without a win at Brisbane Road, with the run stretching back to March.
Who is injured at Leyton Orient right now?
Somto Boniface (knee), Joseph Olowu (Achilles) and Demetri Mitchell (awaiting scan results) are all doubts or absent, while Alfie Gilchrist is working his way back from injury.
What has Richie Wellens said about Leyton Orient's form?
Wellens admitted on BBC Radio London that the home record is concerning, while stressing that the squad has potential and that players are still adapting to League One football.