By Nick Park

Albion’s Ed Turns has recently gone out on loan to Leyton Orient until the remainder of this campaign.

I was lucky enough to observe his future credentials against AFC Wimbledon.

The future looks extremely bright for this youngster who is already an under-21 Welsh international. His Orient debut happened to be against Barrow and he participated in helping his team grind out a 0-0 draw.

He then featured in the top of the table clash with Stevenage where the O’s slumped to a rare defeat, 3-0. He still displayed positivity in that spectacle with a strike in the box which was unfortunately blocked.

Following was the Merseyside defeat, 1-0, to Tranmere but he was merely a spectator on the subs bench.

Just warming up against AFC Wimbledon this Saturday there were huge signs of confidence as he was not afraid to show his presence in the warm-up session.

He was selected in the starting eleven and from what I witnessed only produced one mistake throughout the whole encounter.

Early on he cleared out to midfield however the opposition were alert and intercepted. This was based maybe down to match nerves. Turns reads the game extremely well and possesses excellent positioning as a centre back.

In one-on-one situations, he is a fighter and shows determination to be victorious. He also battles with individuals, eager to be the first to the ball even when his own team are going forward.

He often used his head to prevent a Wimbledon attack commencing and needs to be saluted when sticking to the opposition’s attackers like glue when man marking.

He demonstrates great movement off the ball especially when set pieces are concerned. There was one situation during a corner when his attempt was deprived via a clearance to safety from the other side.

Furthermore, he is not afraid and stays calm during pressurised moments. He thwarted a Wimbledon attack when he passed with a touch of ease to safety. Two of Wimbledon’s men were in near proximity during this scene.

Turns shows maturity on the pitch. He can be vocal which is an indication that he has the qualities to be a fantastic leader in the long term.

He also learnt from his captain Omar Beckles in the partnership they shared at the back.

He undoubtedly learnt from a more experienced athlete during this spectacle.

Leyton Orient celebrated a deserved 1-0 win and this will only boost Turns’ confidence. He said: “There’s no denying that the position in the table made the move very appealing to me. It’s a good opportunity for me to get game time and continue to progress.”

Concerning Ed, Richie Wellens, the Orient managed stated that, “Our recruitment team have watched Ed about ten times, he’s a good footballer who will fit into the way we play. He comes highly recommended from Brighton and the Welsh FA, and we think he has the capabilities to be a success.”

Following the Wimbledon game, Wellens told us: “I thought he was really good.

“I thought that both centre halves played really good in terms of the chances that they had.”

Turns added: “I thought I had a good game, along with the rest of the team.

“I think I grew into it second half, I had a lot of defending to do.

“ I thought I held my own in a lot of aerial balls.”

Turns went on to open his account for the O’s in midweek as he scored in a 2-0 win at Crewe.

He joked: “As you can probably see, I don’t score many!

“But it’s the first one for Leyton Orient and I’m really happy with it and it counted to a good result.””

Should the O’s continue to shine until the end of the season and achieve glory by winning League Two, with Turns’ valuable involvement, it can only enhance him in becoming an unbelievably strong footballer.

Many triumphant moments are still in the pipeline for him.