ORIENT trio Alton Thelwell, Tamika Mkandawire and Wayne Gray are closing in on returns to full training after stepping up their programmes in Belgium this week.

All three took part in Tuesday morning's training session and they are expected to be back to full fitness ahead of the season's start.

Mkandawire (groin) and Thelwell (knee) both underwent surgery towards the end of last season, while Gray suffered a knee injury in the final day victory over Bristol Rovers but did not require an operation.

O's boss Martin Ling is delighted with their progress.  He said: "They joined in with the warm-up yesterday and did the full session this morning.

"It's good to have them out there and it's important to get these sessions under their belts as they will help with their confidence."