Wrexham and Leyton Orient are involved in the title race, but Joe Widdowson does not expect Saturday’s tie to affect it

Leyton Orient winger James Brophy has spoken about the importance of Saturday’s FA Trophy second round tie away to Wrexham.

The O’s head up north to take on one of their National League title rivals looking to bounce back after last weekend’s disappointing 3-0 home loss to Salford City.

It was a frustrating result for Justin Edinburgh’s men, but the clash in Wales gives them an opportunity to respond in a positive fashion against one of the best clubs in non-league football.

Brophy, who scored in the 4-0 win over Beaconsfield Town in the previous round, was recently asked about Orient’s ambition in this season’s tournament.

He said: “I don’t think you get many opportunities in your career to play on the Wembley pitch, so no matter what cup or trophy it is in, this is important for us.

“It will help towards the league, especially with such a big squad, so it is important we take the FA Trophy seriously and we want to get to Wembley.”

Fellow left-footer, Joe Widdowson, also recently spoke about O’s mouth-watering tie at the Racecourse Ground, which will go to a replay if it ends level after 90 minutes.

Orient and Wrexham are not only going head-to-head in the FA Trophy, but perhaps more importantly in the National League too.

The O’s are still leaders, but the Dragons are third and firmly in the mix and yet left-back Widdowson does not expect Saturday’s game to affect the race for promotion.

He added: “It is a different competition, but we want to go there and try to progress in the FA Trophy.

“I don’t think it will really affect what happens in the league too much, but it is a game we want to win.

“Obviously it will be a good test for us and it is a nice game in a big stadium, so it is one we will be up for.

“The game in the previous round was a not so glamourous tie, but everyone is looking forward to this. I am sure they want to beat us, but we want to get through as well.”