It’s been a difficult few months for Orient following Edinburgh’s death back in June.
Edinburgh was an influential and inspiring leader for the club and guided them back to the EFL last season.
Clarke feels Edinburgh has been a huge loss to football and paid to tribute to the former Orient boss at his pre-match press conference.
“Justin’s a guy I knew very well and locked horns with quite a few times,” he said.
“He was successful as a manager, successful as a player and I’ve shared a beer with him on many occasions and he’s a great guy.
“He was great footballing man and great lost for the club and for the family.
“It’s certainly been a really tough few months for that football club but they’ve handled it superbly.
“They’ve got a really good coaching team and I think this is when football comes together. The fans of not only Leyton Orient but the fans that have gone there have been very respectful because Justin was a young man. I’m sure they’ll always remember him.”
Walsall will be looking to bounce back from last week’s defeat to Salford City.
Clarke is expecting a difficult encounter and feels there isn’t t a lot separate teams in League Two.
“It’s a competitive division and there’s not a lot in the league so we’ve got to keep looking to raise the standards.
