The prospect of seeing Leyton Orient play at Wembley would have been inconceivable for O’s fans this time last year.

With Orient in the midst of a relegation battle and the club’s future under serious threat under Francesco Becchetti’s control, with a winding up petition which was heard in the High Court, the future looked grim for O’s fans.

But the feelgood factor is slowly returning at Brisbane Road and if the O’s beat Gateshead this Saturday, Justin Edinburgh’s men will be just one round away from playing at the national stadium in the FA Trophy final.

After a tough start to the new campaign, Orient are making steps in the right direction both on and off the pitch, with the club losing just one of their last eight games in all competitions and assistant coach Ross Embleton has reiterated the FA Trophy is a competition the O’s want to win.

He said: “You’d have looked at the start of the season and I’m sure a lot of people would have wanted us to bounce back at the first attempt and get out of the league. Then they would have looked at a FA Cup run as the two big priorities this season. But those two didn’t particularly come.

“But when we looked at the FA Trophy, right from the beginning we felt it was a competition that one, we could do well in and two, one we needed to do well in. We’ve given ourselves a chance to do that.

“We are a big club who are still in the competition, so we need to grab that opportunity.

“In the past, I’ve followed the club to Wembley and I know what a great backing and a great amount of support we’ve had. We need to make the most of still being in the competition and do everything we can to go and win it.”

Embleton returned to the club in the summer as assistant coach, having worked with Orient for nine years previously, and should they get there, a trip to Wembley would be one of the biggest achievements of his career.

He said: “What I’ve been through in my career, getting to Wembley would be the biggest achievement so far.

“It would be a fantastic thing for me personally. But personally is not the most important thing, as it’s about what the club achieves.

“So many people have been through so many different things and it has been talked about on a number of occasions this year.

“It would be a real consolation for us to get to Wembley and give everybody that fantastic day out.”

National League rivals Gateshead stand between Orient and a place in the semi-final this weekend, with Steve Watson’s men arriving at Brisbane Road in good form, having lost just two of their last 11 games in all competitions.

As a result, Embleton is relishing the chance for the O’s to play in front of their own supporters at Brisbane Road on Saturday.

He said: “It’s nice to be at home. After the two long away trips we’ve had, it’s nice to be at home in front of our own crowd in that competition for the first time this season.

“We know that a different responsibility comes with being the home team, certainly being the home team at a club the stature of ours in this division.

“It’s a challenge we are relishing rather than one we are looking at as a difficult one.

“We have to grab it with both hands and know that a good home draw in this cup competition can take us into the latter stages which when you enter it at the start of the year, is something we are desperate to achieve.”