Wembley double is the target for Walsall

The Saddlers boss knows there is still plenty to play for with his team just four points outside the top six.

And with 10 league games to come between now and the club's date at the home of English football in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy final on March 22, Smith feels his side can still make their mark in the race to get out of the division.

He said: "It (reaching Wembley) does not take any pressure off at all because we want to go there twice.

"We are only four or five points off it and we have, I think, nine games in the next six weeks, so it is going to be a busy period."

The Saddlers are next in action when they host struggling Gillingham on Sunday evening at the unusual kick-off time of 6pm – the first of seven fixtures in February which also sees them visit Deepdale for a re-match with their JPT Northern Area victims Preston.

While his focus is now shifting back to the league, Smith insists Walsall will be going all out to win when their big date at Wembley comes around.

"I have been to Wembley and led a team out at Wembley – and got beat," said Smith, who captained Leyton Orient in their 1-0 loss to Scunthorpe in the 1999 Third Division play-off final.

"It is not a nice place to go and lose.

"But it is a long way off, we have a lot of games to go before we get there."

Smith did not go into the home dressing room as players celebrated in the aftermath of Tuesday night's Northern Area final success when a 0-0 draw saw them through 2-0 on aggregate.

But he did take time to commiserate with the defeated Preston team.

"I didn't go in, I watched from afar," he said about the home team dressing room.

"There were some celebrations – and rightly so.

"I shook hands with every Preston player, first and foremost, because I have been on the losing side in games like that and it hurts."