Western Morning News (Saturday)
Taylor is not expecting an easy ride against his good pal Yems
CRAWLEY Town have provided Exeter City with plenty of problems in recent years and Matt Taylor is expecting another difficult encounter when the Grecians head to West Sussex this afternoon looking to extend their impressive recent run in League Two.
The Grecians are in good form having picked up ten points from their last four matches, while Crawley, managed by former City assistant John Yems, have won only once since hitting the national headlines with an emphatic 3-0 win over Premier League side Leeds United in the FA Cup on January 10.
The Grecians overcame Crawley 2-1 at St James Park earlier in the season – and were fortunate to come out on top that night – but you have to go back to the 2005/06 season, when the two clubs were rivals in the Conference, to see when City last did the double over the Red Devils.
“They are having a really good season, from what I can make out,” Taylor said. “They are a dangerous team and score goals and they have had some good wins against some teams towards the top end of the table.
“They have a manager (John Yems) I know well and they are a team we have faced on numerous occasions over the last few years. They gave us a really good game earlier this season and were probably a little unlucky to lose that night as they were the better team, certainly for the first hour, but we finished strongly.
“They are off a long journey themselves, having been to Grimsby on Tuesday, but I hope it is a good game of football. I am sure the pitch and conditions will have a say in the way things pan out, but two good teams hopefully.”
Yems is a man that has openly
declared his fondness for Exeter in the past and he was Paul Tisdale’s assistant when Taylor was team captain at St James Park. Few managers in League Two will know Exeter better than Yems, which must be to Exeter’s disadvantage, surely?
“I don’t think so,” Taylor said. “Maybe in a normal season where the games are spread out a little bit more.
“It’s so strange because you can prepare for an opposition which we have done countless times this season and the personnel changes and
in terms of the way the opposition is set up formation-wise, it changes. They played a back three, or five, on Tuesday for the first time in a long period and their preferred formation is a back four.
“You’re never quite sure what you are going to get from the opposition this season, so as I always say, the focus is on ourselves, our performance and the way we approach the game, but it will be great to catch up with Yemsy.
“It’s been great watching what Crawley have done so far this season and to see them beat Leeds at home, which was a huge moment for him. He’s had to bide his time in terms of becoming a first team manager. I know he was disappointed with how it ended at Bournemouth, because he was a good servant there.
“I spent a lot of time with Yemsy when he was at Exeter City and I know what a good bloke and a real footballing man he is. He does it his way and I am sure he will ruffle a few feathers, but they have been a serious team this season and their results have shown that.”
City will still be without Sam Stubbs and Randell Williams, although both players will step up their rehabilitation by returning to training on grass on Monday, while Ryan Bowman serves the second of his three-match suspension.
Bowman’s importance to Exeter is well documented so to win at Colchester – and in such style – without him was testament to the team, and his replacement Ben Seymour in particular.
“Ben has character and a personality and he backs himself, but it was a really positive evening for Ben,” Taylor said. “He has scored goals, but not a league goal and it was a monkey off his back, to a certain extent.
“It was such a good goal - and turned out to be the winner as well so that was a real plus in terms of how you set your team up and what you get from certain players and that will be a real confidence booster.
“Now, he has to recover and look after his body and figure out how he can play more minutes more often and gain some consistency alongside that, but he’s in a good place going into the weekend.”
Asked if City fans have seen the best of Seymour, Taylor said: “No, I think there’s more to come.
“I must admit, I think he will be better when he gets a consistent partner alongside him, or he plays in a partnership.
“There is a certain physicality that is demanded at the top end of the pitch in League Two, which he is improving, but that is not his natural attribute. His natural attribute is his sharpness, speed, working off the shoulder and his finishing.
“He is a good finisher and we have seen glimpses from Ben Seymour but more often than not in Cup competitions. He’s been unlucky in terms of selection at times this season, but also, his body has let him down on a couple of occasions.”