Isaac “Ike” Evenson is one of several former O’s who have stepped in to manage the club on a temporary basis. Reasons for such interim stints at the helm have been wide ranging and unusual, with Evenson’s appointment certainly falling into the latter category; he lead the side for a short spell in late 1906 while manager William Holmes served a suspension relating to a betting scandal dating to his time at Manchester City.
Evenson had previously played for clubs including Stockport County and Leicester Fosse prior to joining Orient in the summer of 1905. His first season in East London saw Evenson net seven goals in thirty-four appearances. One of those goals came in a 5-1 thrashing of non-league Felstead on 12th October 1905 in an FA Cup first round qualifying replay fixture.
The next campaign saw Evenson serve his short time as manager, partaking of the role between September and November, during which time he continued to feature in the team. The highlight of his spell in charge came on 13th October when a Frank Thacker goal gave the O’s a 1-0 win at home to Evenson’s former club Leicester Fosse. The East Midlands side would go on to finish the season in third place.
Either side of the victory came heavy losses away from home; a 5-0 drubbing at fourth place West Bromwich Albion on 6th October and a 4-0 loss at eventual champions Nottingham Forest fourteen days later.
Evenson remained at the O’s until the end of the season when he joined West Brom. He would also later play for Plymouth Argyle and Stalybridge Celtic.
