Western Morning News (Saturday)
City aiming to get promotion push back on track at leaders
EXETER City face league leaders Cambridge United today hoping to put a marker down in their bid to reach the play-offs.
The Grecians have only won one of their last six games as their promotion push has stalled, leaving them eighth in the table and three points outside the top seven.
The Us meanwhile – led by 30-goal hit man Paul Mullin – have found form just at the right time and are unbeaten in five and with others around them stumbling have opened up a seven point gap to fourth placed Bolton.
City and Cambridge are joint top scorers in League Two with 60 goals each, but with Mark Bonner’s men likely to play on the front foot and continue to attack, City boss Matt Taylor is hopeful the clash will suit his side and be more to their likely than the recent turgid spectacles.
“They have some outstanding players and they have an attacking dynamic in their squad,” Taylor said of today’s opponents.
“But it might suit us with their attacking intent. We are level with goals scored so there might be goals in the game and hope at the right end of the pitch and hope at the right end as far as we are concerned.”
City will be focusing on what they can do to hurt the U’s on Saturday.
“We have respect for them but we can only influence our own performance. We are playing the team top of the league but we have to pack a punch and this game might suit us in the way Cambridge attack and the way we might be able to attack with some pace on the pitch.
“The last few games have been pretty brutal to watch... no teams are creating that many chances and it is all tight margins at the moment.
“We know we need to score more goals to win games of football, and we know how important to get ahead and score when on top, but the lads should be confident enough as scored enough this season and want to put a marker down.”
City beat Cambridge 2-0 back in October with goals from Matt Jay and Joel Randall to end their unbeaten start to the campaign.
“It is a battle to get energy and life into this group of players, but if you have goals in the team, it makes a hell of a difference. Hopefully it is a footballing game and if it is, it might suit us.
“We are capable of picking up points... we are going to the league leaders as they are there to be shot at.”
Winger Randell Williams is likely to be fit enough to start for the first time since Boxing Day, and although there are slight doubts over the fitness of skipper Jake Taylor and March’s League Two player of the month Matt Jay, the pair should be in the starting line-up at the Abbey Stadium.
“I think so,” Taylor said, when asked if the winger would be involved from the off. “He has had another couple of days training this week, and there signs were there in terms of his dynamic ability and he is available for this weekend barring any injury.
“He will be an important addition to the team as he stretches the game and asks different questions to what we have the last few weeks when Joel Randall has not been in the team as he has real pace and power and someone who puts a bit of fear into the opposition.”
As well as long terms absentees Jonny Maxted, Sam Stubbs and Randall, City are likely to again be without Alex Hartridge who picked up a hamstring injury in the loss to Port Vale on Good Friday, while striker Alex Fisher will also miss the clash on Saturday with injury and is in a ‘race against time’ to be available for the long trip to Barrow on Tuesday.
Nicky Ajose will also miss today’s fixture with Taylor saying that he is not in picture for selection as he is still not training with the group.