THE temperature outside has been plummeting, but is Orient’s campaign warming up?

The halfway point in the League One season is approaching, so now seems like an apt time to take the temperature of the cash-strapped east Londoners.

With the January transfer window just around the corner, can Orient hold on to key players like striker Alex Revell and winger Dean Cox? Will the chance of a rare transfer fee payout be irresistible to chairman Barry Hearn?

The pair signed by boss Russell Slade have played big parts in all that has been good until now.

Cox and Revell have each been obvious highlights as two free signings who have come up trumps with match-winning displays.

Revell feasted on goals during November as he moved into the upper echelons of scorers in the division.

Meanwhile, Cox has provided plenty of threat from midfield with precision passes and his desire to always forage forward.

A raft of strong displays by him sparked wild speculation in some sections of the press about a transfer to a Championship side.

But he moved to quash the rumours, telling Guardian Series Sport he has no wish to quit Orient.

Revell did the same when he told this paper he is happy at the club and pays no attention to speculation.

This resolve could yet be tested in the coming weeks.

However, the loyalty displayed by the pair to Slade raises hopes that he will be able to keep them from suitors’ clutches.

On the pitch, Orient failed to live up to pre-season hopes by making a disappointing start to the campaign.

It seemed like old habits do die hard with early poor results against teams today lower down the table.

A 2-1 opening-day defeat at Yeovil Town was followed in September by derby disappointment at Dagenham & Redbridge and then a stultifying bore-draw with Walsall.

Such profligacy is starkly highlighted by the fact Orient would today stand third in League One, above Huddersfield Town, had they taken the nine points on offer from those three early games.

But now the points tally has been steadily rising as the new-look side settle in.

Orient have taken eight points from the last five league games, against eight in the previous six, then four from each of the six games prior to that.

Of course, statistics do not tell the story of the season as a spectacle.

Entertainment value has so far been high under Slade compared to previous regimes.

He plays a fast, short passing game, utilising Cox and exciting Spurs loanee Paul Jose M’Poku on the flanks to bombard the opposition penalty area.

It compares well to the recent past when Orient played a stodgy form of long-ball football which failed so badly in the last days of Geraint Williams’ tenure.

Next year, it would be interesting to see midfielder Matt Spring forage forward more like Stephen Dawson.

Young stopper Lee Butcher also deserves more chances to stake his claim.

Can Orient aim for better this season than the last-gasp survivals which marked two previous campaigns?

Time will tell but the signs are good.