ADRIAN PATULEA is convinced he can make the step up to League 1 after this week earning a move to E10 from Lincoln City.
Orient's latest summer arrival scored 11 goals in 31 League 2 games for the Red Imps last year and having now adapted to the rigours of the English game, the Romanian forward is sure he can better that total.
The 2008/09 campaign was Patulea's first on these shores and he was delighted to be offered the chance to step up a division so soon.
"I'm really looking forward to the challenge," he told leytonorient.com. "It's a step up for me to be moving to League 1 but I feel that I'm well equipped to make the jump.
"As a striker it's my job to score goals and I'm confident that my strengths will allow me to do that at League 1 level and help Leyton Orient to progress.
"The chance to test myself in a higher division was a big reason in my decision to come here and I can't wait to get started now."
Patulea, who rejected a new contract with Lincoln in favour of a transfer to east London, was a big fan of football on these shores prior to his move to Sincil Bank and he believes his skills are geared to success with the O's
"It was difficult for me at the start," he admitted. "I had to come over to England, meet new people and adapt to the different style of the game, but after two or three months I felt I really came in to my own.
"I think that League 1 football will be even better suited to my abilities. From speaking to people in this division, the football is more about passing and possession and is more technical.
"That will be good for me and I'm happy this chance has come along just a year after moving to England.
"I've worked really hard at my game and I'm sure that improvement can continue at Leyton Orient.
"My professional career began at 16 with Rapid Bucharest and from there I went to Astra Ploiesti and then to another big club in the city, Petrolul. I was making good progress in Romania and I had a good career there.
"But I watched a lot of English football as a kid and I thought I would be able to fit into the style of play in England, so I decided to try and make it over here.
"For me English football is the most exciting in Europe and I was delighted to get the chance to prove myself in that environment. It is very different to Romanian football, but I'm enjoying it immensely and I'm looking forward to progressing further with Leyton Orient."
Patulea generated huge press interest last summer when the story of how he kept himself fit before trialling with Lincoln emerged.
And while he felt the column inches dedicated to the tale were perhaps a touch unjustified, he would only be too happy to be the man hitting the headlines this year by firing his new club to glory.
He explained: "That was a story that seemed to generate a lot of interest, and to tell you the truth, a bit too much was made of it.
"The situation was that I had just arrived in Lincoln and was training very hard - from 6.30am to 6.30pm - at times with nobody else around at the training ground, to get myself fit.
"My wife was with me, and as she is a handball player in Romania, we were training together.
"One day I was carrying her on my back, the groundsman spotted me and the story went from there.
"It seemed to attact a lot of headlines and hopefully I can make many more by scoring lots of goals for Leyton Orient."
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