Blyth Spartans have been handed the toughest of draw in the Buildbase FA Trophy – they will travel to the highest ranked team in the competition Leyton Orient.
The fixture will be played on Saturday the 2nd February as Blyth face a 582-mile round trip to take on the National League leaders – who beat Wrexham 1-0 despite being reduced to 10 men. A Matt Harold penalty in the 63rd minute the difference between the two sides.
A Wrexham victory would have set up a mouthwatering re-match of the 1977/78 FA Cup fifth round tie that saw Spartans host a crowd of over 40,000 at St James’ Park in a replay after a 1-1 draw.
However, there are connections between the two sides. The game is already being dubbed the McFadden Derby on social media in honour of Richard McFadden who represented both sides before he fell in World War I.
Another tenuous link is Spartans left-back Michael Liddle who spent time on loan at Leyton Orient during his years at Sunderland – making one appearance in 2010.
It’ll be the first time the two sides have met, and will no doubt be another enthralling cup tie for the Spartans faithful.