Leyton Orient star recalls club facing similar Reading plight - "It was tough"
Leyton Orient are riding the crest of a wave after finding their feet in League One - but Saturday's trip to Reading will reopen old wounds for plenty of the 2000 travelling fans.
The occasion won't be lost on Dan Happe, either. The Orient defender was a youngster trying to make the grade at a time when the club were swimming against the tide under Francesco Becchetti: a negligent owner cast in the same mould as Reading's Dai Yongge.
The Chinese businessman's poor management has led to the Royals being docked 16 points over the past three seasons and seen them relegated to the third tier.
Orient and their players were not only plagued by the same financial concerns that currently loom over Reading during Becchetti's turbulent premiership, but they also lost their Football League status after relegation to the National League.
The club was, to put it bluntly, in terminal decline. Happe recalls: "It was a hard situation. We never knew where we stood and every day you came in not knowing what was going to happen. There were meetings every day about the situation. It was tough.
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"When there's question marks about whether or not you're going to be paid that month - which was my personal experience - then you start questioning things, 'How am I going to afford this, how am I going to afford that'.
"Personally I found that when I was playing all those worries went out of the window. But then as soon as the final whistle went it all came back and everyone was talking about it again."
Orient are Happe's club: he's been on the books since the age of 14 after being spotted by a scout playing for Heathcote School and was in the stands at Brisbane Road long before they emptied in protest at Becchetti on the afternoon their demotion to non-league was confirmed back in 2017.
He was a ballboy for the League One play-off semi-final triumph over Peterborough in 2014 which still lives long in the memory of many an O's fan. Fans flooded the pitch for a very different reason that night.
Happe has been part of two promotion-winning teams during his time on the books at the O's (Dylan Hepworth/MB Media)Fittingly, Happe has played an integral role in the club's renaissance since the current regime, headed up by Nigel Travis and Kent Teague, rescued Orient.
He was influential in their National League-winning team under Justin Edinburgh, who tragically passed away just weeks later. Happe and co then romped to the League Two title last term to end Orient's eight-year odyssey from the third-tier.
Those memories mean so much more to a player who has seen first-hand the impact said success has had on other figures at the club; unsung heroes like security staff and administrative workers.
He adds: "I've been apart of this club for years now. I'm one of the few players who has been apart of it all, so it's a real privilege for me. It's sweet to go through the ranks at Orient and to still be here. Before I was even playing for Orient I'd go to the games with mates. It's amazing to think where I was and where I am now.
"This is where Leyton Orient belong: minimum in League One. To get here and be a presence in this league [after all the club has been through] is a real achievement."
Happe and Orient won the National League title back in 2019 (Harriet Lander)Only three teams have amassed more than the 13 points Orient have accumulated across their past five fixtures. Teething problems were inevitable, Happe admits, as the League Two champions acclimatised to life back in League One.
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The O's have now put their rocky start to the campaign firmly behind them. They travel to the Select Car Leasing Stadium in buoyant mood; Happe and co's stellar performances at the back have enabled Orient to rack up five clean sheets in a row for the first time since 1971.
He adds: "It's crazy. We've been playing really well and defending really well and the results and the clean sheets back that up. Things like that [records] you don't realise as much while you're playing. The mood in camp is very, very good. Spirits are high."
Saturday's match will hold extra significance for everyone in Berkshire for different reasons. For Leyton Orient, the plight of their hosts - who have been docked 16 points across the last three seasons - will trigger memories of the club's darkest days.
Reading fans on the pitch during the game against Port Vale (PA)For Reading, a meeting with the upwardly mobile east London outfit should, hopefully, reinforce the belief that better times are on the horizon - even if progress on a sale of the club has been painfully slow.
Facing the Royals won't necessarily drudge up memories Happe's own experiences, but he will be reminded of the driving force behind Orient's revival: the fans.
"It doesn't bring memories back but you sort of know what they're going through," Happe concludes. "It's not ideal for anyone at the club. There's just question marks everywhere.
"I do sympathise with Reading; I don't know if it's exactly the same as what happened here, but we feel for them. It's not a nice place to be in. Anything is possible though - look at us; we're looking up rather than down.
"The fans always travel in numbers and have been class. Through everything too. They're packing out the home games - we're getting over 8000 most games - and selling out on the road too. Full credit to them."
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