An FA Cup showdown against local rivals Dagenham & Redbridge could provide the perfect antidote to Leyton Orient’s ailing form, according to Ross Embleton.

The O’s assistant coach accepts the club’s current abject form, which has seen them fail to win and pick up just two points in their last seven National League games, is nowhere near good enough.

However, Embleton believes a trip to Victoria Road, as testing as it could be, is the ideal chance to put the breaks on a season in freefall.

“It gives us the opportunity to go and try break the run we are on and bring that back into our league form,” Embleton said.

“We have to look forward to it and it would be nice to get a win and go on a cup run. That is something everybody looks forward to every season.

“We know it will be really tough, but pretty much every game this season has been tough, especially recently.

“We need to get back to the approach where we feel we can go and win, and turn the negativity of the last few weeks into a positive.”

Saturday’s clash is likely to be a keenly-contested one, with Orient expected to take a strong following on the short journey across London.

Add to the mix a history of the two sides meeting in the FA Cup, most notably in 1992 when Orient beat the Daggers 5-4 in the first round, and the fourth qualifying round fixture is even more appealing.

The reward at stake is a place in the first round proper, where teams from League One and Two will enter the fray.

For Embleton, the prospect of an extended cup run is one he covets, but he says Orient are solely focused on defeating the Daggers at this stage.

“Everybody knows you have the chance to play bigger teams the further you go in the cup,” he said.

“There are a number of players in the squad who have had that opportunity to go and play the big guns further down the line. That is always a big incentive.

“We want to try and get that glamour tie down the line but we have got to win the first game first and foremost. To do that against local rivals would be the perfect way to start.”

While Orient have struggled to come to terms with life outside of the Football League and sit 17th in the table, Dagenham are pushing for a play-off spot.

John Still’s side have lost only three of their 15 league games this term, but do come into the match on the back of a 1-0 defeat to Woking last time out.

Embleton says Dagenham’s form comes as no surprise, but says Orient will do all they can to pick up a much-needed win.

“Everyone expected Dagenham to be one of the teams up their challenging this season. They have a manager who knows the league inside out and recruits well,” he said.

“At the start of the season the aim was to win every game that we played and things haven’t gone exactly as we would have liked.

“Because of that, it is important to try and find that winning form to turn our fortune around.

“We have to use the next game to get a win no matter what the competition is.”

Orient will hope an arduous extended stay in the north, which saw them take a point from games against Tranmere Rovers and Barrow, will not have a lasting impact on fitness levels this weekend.

They came through the trip relatively unscathed, but Embleton did reveal Matt Harrold is a doubt for the Daggers game.

The striker aggravated an existing problem against Rovers and will be assessed ahead of Saturday’s game.