Leyton Orient Lost a Wembley Play-Off Final to Their London Rivals

In the 2024-25 season covered by these accounts, Leyton Orient finished 6th in League One and reached the play-off final, losing 1-0 to fellow London club Charlton Athletic at Wembley in a game the O's dominated for long stretches without finding the breakthrough.

Turnover grew by around 22% to close to £9m, one of the smaller revenue bases of any club to reach a play-off final that season, and a pre-tax loss of around £5m reflects the additional investment needed to sustain a genuine promotion push on a limited budget.

Net assets sit close to break-even, a position Orient's ownership has carefully protected even while backing a squad good enough to finish above bigger-spending rivals across the regular season.

The absence of a separately disclosed staff costs line makes it harder to gauge exactly how far the club stretched for its play-off push, but the modest overall loss suggests spending stayed broadly proportionate to the club's means.

Reaching Wembley on a budget smaller than most of the division's other promotion contenders was an achievement in itself. Losing there to a London rival will sting for a long time regardless of what the accounts say.