Sutton United assistant manager Micky Stephens says the U's are in positive mood ahead of Saturday's showdown with National League leaders Leyton Orient.

Having beaten second-placed Wrexham last weekend, United aim to go one better tomorrow by toppling the unbeaten O's and put Tuesday's deflating draw with bottom side Dover behind them.

Sutton were seemingly coasting at 2-0 thanks to first-half goals from Craig Eastmond and Nicky Bailey when skipper Jamie Collins was withdrawn in the 34th minute with a calf strain.

The Kent side reduced the arrears two minutes later from the penalty spot and then equalised with just three minutes remaining. The result leaves the U's in seventh place after 13 games.

"We were disappointed as we should have won comfortably," said Stephens.

"We've played really well in patches, especially against Wrexham, but then we were poor against Boreham Wood (lost 4-0) and poor in patches against Dover.

"Like most club's in this division, we're striving for consistency. 

"If you look at where we were this time last season then we're actually not much different. We are still working towards a points tally and a top seven finish. We'll reassess it later in the season.

"The mood in the camp is very good, very positive. We've got a good group."

That Sutton are playing Leyton Orient on equal terms is a reminder of just how far the club has come in such a short space of time.

However, Paul Doswell's team won't want to fall into the trap of paying too much respect to the east London outfit having finished 19 points and 10 league places ahead of the O's last term.

And after three amazing seasons which has seen the U's win a league title, reach the FA Cup fifth round and make the play-off semi-final, Stephens says the high expectations of some supporters are fully justified.

"If we can remain free of injuries then I am sure we can match or even improve on last season's finish," said the Sutton legend.

"We're looking forward to Orient. It's exciting. There'll be a big crowd and we're excited to be pitting our wits against a club that has reached FA Cup semi-finals and has a great Football League history.

"We are a part-time club trying to be as professional as possible, so the Dover result was kind of a refresher of where we are. 

"But we raised our game against Wrexham and I am confident we can raise our game against Orient."