On Wednesday 29th March 1905, the O’s travelled to Portsmouth and were on the end of a dreary 13-0 hammering. Two days later, the club’s board of directors met with the intention of appointing a new manager to guide the team. Their choice was Sam Ormerod, who is best remembered for his time as Manchester City manager.
Between August 1895 and July 1902, Ormerod came close to a fifty percent win rate for City, also winning the Second Division during the 1898-99 campaign. After suffering relegation in 1902, he resigned and later managed Stockport before joining the O’s.
Ormerod’s first match as manager came on 1st April 1905 and saw a convincing 3-0 win over Swindon Town in the Second Division of the Southern League. This was followed by an even more emphatic victory nine days later as Grays Athletic were brushed aside 7-1. While the side played their final few matches of the season, the club’s board of directors were planning an application for election into the Football League, a campaign that ultimately proved successful.
The O’s first game in their new division was a 2-1 loss away to Leicester Fosse on 2nd September. Poor results on the pitch coupled with immense financial difficulties off the field led to Ormerod’s resignation before the season was out. He was replaced by William Holmes, a player he had signed for both City and Orient.
During his time at Millfields Road, Ormerod had suffered from ill health and three years after leaving the club, on 2nd March 1909, he passed away, still in his early fifties.
