City ‘are ambitious’ but must get by accordingly
EXETER City manager Matt Taylor has dismissed claims made by Bradford City boss Derek Adams that the Grecians ‘don’t really want to get promoted’ and ‘want to stay in League Two,’ ahead of tomorrow’s FA Cup clash between the two sides.
Former Plymouth Argyle boss Adams made the claim shortly after the first game of the League Two season in which his Bantams outfit were held to a goalless draw by an Exeter side struggling in the midst of an injury and Covid crisis.
At the time, Adams said: “We’re not an Exeter, so to speak, who throw young players in (and) don’t really want to get promoted; they want to stay in that division but the ethos is sell players on and generate enough money.
“Would the Bradford City fans be happy with that? I don’t think so.”
His disparaging comments did not go down well at St James Park, especially as recent seasons suggest he is very wrong, with Exeter reaching three out of the last five play-off finals, where they lost to Blackpool (2-1), Coventry City (3-1) and Northampton Town (4-0) respectively.
Adams’ comments suggest that the Grecians are a club that lack ambition to go higher in the football pyramid, but Taylor refutes that claim, even if their business model is one where they need to sell to build and survive.
However, off the back of those sales – the likes of England international Ollie Watkins, Wales international Ethan Ampadu, Swansea captain Matt Grimes and many others – the Grecians have not only earned enough money to give Taylor a bigplaying budget, but also invest in improved facilities throughout the club.
“Ambition, at times for a club like Exeter City, is survival,” Taylor said. “I hate to say it, but sometimes, we have to play our younger players to survive as a football club.
“Exeter City is a fantastic football club and we all buy into the way that we are run and the way we conduct ourselves and our reputation comes off the back of producing players, developing players and – let’s be honest, selling them on to higher levels of football for income for the football club to keep us running as a business and a football club.
“We need to keep the product on the football pitch, but (promotion) is not for the want of trying. We have come so close. What is it, three or four play-off finals in recent seasons and we are always in the top ten and close to the play-off positions and challenging at the right end of the table.
“In terms of our resources, we will always be limited, but it is certainly not a club that I can say is lacking ambition.”
Taylor takes his Grecians to Bradford this weekend in the FA Cup first round, a draw that did little to whet the appetite of supporters for either club, given they are divisional rivals and supporters more often than not look forward to something different in the Cup.
It wasn’t to be, but Taylor is hoping the Grecians kick on from the euphoria of last week’s dramatic 2-1 win at Salford City which was achieved through a stoppage time own goal winner for his side.
“A home tie would have been nicer to cut the travelling and expense, a non-league team at home would maybe give you more chance of progressing, but it is another opportunity for this group of players will face with the same vigour as they have faced time and time again,” he said.
“The feel on the back of that SalIAN