It’s going to be Paul or nothing at Wembley
EXETER CITY boss Paul Tisdale has sounded a stern warning to his players ahead of today’s League Two Play-Off Final: “Have no regrets”.
The Grecians have been riding high after Jack Stacey’s 25-yard winner in the 95th minute of their semi-final second leg against Carlisle United.
But Tisdale has urged his men to forget that moment of elation to ensure they finish the job against Blackpool at Wembley.
“Take nothing for granted,” he said.
“You come through the play-off semi-final as high as a kite just because of the nature of it – to win a semi-final two-legged game – you feel you have achieved something.
“You feel absolutely exhilarated but you have still got one game to go.”
Tisdale, 44, has been in charge of the club for almost 11 years – behind only Arsenal’s Arsene Wenger in the current longest-serving manager stakes.
And he has twice taken Exeter to the national stadium, experiencing both highs and lows.
He saw his side lose the Conference Play-off Final when Morecambe beat them 2-1 in 2007 before seeing off Cambridge United 1-0 at the same stage a year later.
Tisdale insists that he will be aiming to ensure his side’s semi-final heroics were worth it today.
He said: “My experience of the previous two times is that when you look back on the semi-finals: the game we had against Oxford in my first year was a wonderful game but then you lose in the final and then that semi-final doesn’t turn out to be so important.
“The next year we won the play-off final and then the Torquay semi-final previous to that turned out to be very, very important.
“Both games were really exciting and were terrific games.
“But our target has to be to make the Carlisle United semi-final important by finishing the job.”
Tisdale, who will be without injured duo Matt Jay and Robbie Simpson for today’s game, is desperate to see his side perform on the day.
“It is an awful place to lose and a great place to win,” he said. “We have to make sure we get the most out of the day.
“I just urge the players to make the most of it and play to the best of their ability.
“If we do that, then we can have no regrets no matter what happens.”
The toffee trial came during a hard-fought 3-1 victory at Newport County in March with the Seasiders’ boss claiming they were not his favoured treat anyway.
But now Bowyer, 45, is hoping for the chance for revenge with a promotion to League One, which will hopefully see him pitched against the club that sacked him – Blackburn Rovers. But that is all in the future. The present brings a battle with Exeter at Wembley today for a club who were in turmoil before Bowyer’s arrival, having suffered back-to-back relegations.
And former Blackpool hero Keith Southern, who was involved in two play-off-winning sides during his 10-year spell at the club, could not be happier if Bowyer bites back.
Ex-midfielder Southern (below) said: “It’s never easy coming into a club when it was a losing football club and had been for two or three seasons.
“Gary came in and he had to turn the tide – and he has managed that.
“He has recruited really well and brought in league-specific players.
“A lot of them have been promoted from this league and know how to win in this division which is vital.
“I hope as a former player and fan that he gets the job done and gets a promotion on his CV because I think he deserves it.”
Bowyer said: “My initial aim was to bring stability to the club. I wanted to lay some foundations to build on. We have progressed quickly, a lot quicker than I ever expected. “The progress the players have made is fantastic. “It’s been very good and I’ve enjoyed it. When anybody mentions Blackpool you smile because everyone knows what it’s like to visit Blackpool – and I’m fortunate enough to do it every day, driving in and seeing the Tower.
“I am proud of what we have achieved but we now have one more game to eclipse what we have done so far.”