TAYLOR: THIS CAN BE OUR TIME
TWO of the last three teams to suffer Wembley heartache in League Two bounced back to claim promotion a year later.
And, where both Burton and Plymouth have shown the way, Jake Taylor and Exeter are desperate to follow.
Last season’s play-off final loss to Blackpool was a bitter pill for the Grecians to swallow – but, rather than lick their wounds, they came out fighting this season.
A storming start to the campaign – despite a slight dip in the middle – has kept them in the hunt for the automatic promotion spots all season long.
And, while Wycombe came into this weekend in possession of third place, Paul Tisdale’s side were giving chase.
Midfielder Taylor admits he and his teammates are focusing all their energy on avoiding the play-off lottery.
“Ever since the final last year, we all set our minds on achieving promotion and, whether that is automatic or through the play-offs, we are all singing off the same hymn sheet and working as hard as possible to get that end result,” he said.
Automatic
“We came back in pre-season after that and went on a fantastic run. We didn’t let it affect us and I think we used that final as our fuel. We didn’t let it hang over us, which was a real positive.
“We haven’t spoken about the playoffs, to be honest. At the moment, our focus is on doing everything we can to get in the automatic places.
“All we can really do is worry about ourselves. If we win every game between now and the end of the season, then we will see where we are. It’s important we don’t get too carried away with the whole situation.”
The squad may have lost Ollie Watkins (Brentford) and David Wheeler (QPR) over the summer but the core remains intact – in which Taylor has been a near ever-present.
The one-cap Wales international has hardly missed a game since joining from Reading in 2016 and recently took over the captaincy after Jordan MooreTaylor’s knee ligament injury.
And the Grecians’ togetherness has been clear to see from the outset, in the way they righted the ship after claiming just a solitary win in a sixweek span across October and November and, more recently, demonstrated by how they have come from behind in April to claim wins over both Cheltenham (2-1) and Cambridge (3-2).
“The character of the squad shone through – it showed our togetherness,” he added. “We didn’t want to just let the season fall away. We have had some good results and have a great squad, a great togetherness, which helps in games like that. We have stuck together and had to grind out a few results.”
This is Taylor’s second spell at the club – he was also on loan back in 201112 – and the 26-year-old admits this time around, Tisdale’s troops are ready for the step-up to League One.
And proof of that comes not least from their new training facilities but also in an academy that continues to produce the likes of centre-back Jordan Storey, 20, who has caught the eye this year.
“We are better equipped this time around – the 3G training pitch, the stadium changing rooms – it is a club that wants to do well and go forward and we have the facilities to back that up,” he added.
“And maybe previously, we didn’t have quite as many good players, the squad is very strong now. “Tis has been fantastic for me. The first time, when I wanted an opportunity, and coming back.
“He is an extremely good manager. A lot of the hard work we do is down to him, and the longer he stays at this club the more successful we will be, in my opinion.”