Grecians keep everything crossed for good weather
ON SATURDAY, it was heavy snow that put paid to Exeter City’s League Two trip to Harrogate Town. Now, following a couple of days of freezing temperatures, it is the forecast heavy rain that once again threatens their first ever trip to Wetherby Road.
The Grecians have seen their last four away trips postponed, all through no fault of their own. Stevenage had a Covid outbreak, Barrow had a frozen pitch, Newport’s was waterlogged and then it was the snow that descended on the quaint north Yorkshire town that saw to Saturday’s postponement.
But once again, after the game was hastily rearranged, the Grecians will head north this morning, probably more in hope, rather than expectation, that the game will be on with heavy rain due to fall throughout the day – on top of a snow-covered pitch that is in the process of melting away.
The irony of it all? Until their promotion to the Football League last season, Harrogate played on a true running, pristine, 4G astroturf surface that would more than likely survive such differing elements! Only Football League rules state that clubs are not permitted to play on ‘plastic’ surfaces, hence why they were forced to dig it up and lay a grass pitch over the summer. Crazy, huh?
Anyway, City must prepare as though the game is on and given that they played – and lost – to Harrogate as recently as December 15, they head north seeking revenge.
“They have signed five players since we last played them and they have had some games called off as well, so I think their team might look slightly different to last time,” City boss Matt Taylor said.
“I don’t think the game will feel, or pan out, too differently, I think it will be a physical game and a game for first contacts and second balls to allow your players of quality to get on the ball in certain areas of the pitch.
“They performed really well in the home game against us and we didn’t quite have it in us to compete and run and get there first, like we usually have, so we will be looking for a little bit of revenge.
“The fact it was only three or four weeks ago that we played them, it is still fresh in the mind.”
The Grecians picked up some injuries in their last fixture – the 1-1 draw at home to Bolton Wanderers a week ago – and that includes captain Jake Taylor. He is expected to sit this one out as he recovers from a hamstring injury, while Tom Parkes is also a doubt.
“Jake Taylor picked up an injury last Tuesday and we are hopeful it is not a severe hamstring tear and it is just a strain, so we will keep assessing him over the next week or so,” Taylor said.
“Tom Parkes suffered a really tight hamstring and we hope that is more of a neuro problem coming from his glute as opposed to damage to his hamstring but the rest of the group are not in a bad position.
“Jake is our Mr Dependable. He’s added goals to his game this season and he will be a big miss for us. He does a lot in the changing room, a lot behind the scenes and a lot around the training ground and he is a big influence, hence why he is captain of this football club.
“Of course we will miss him and touch wood, it isn’t a serious one. I had a catch up with him and he said he never gets muscle injuries, he has never damaged his hamstring before, which probably tells you how much effort this group of players are putting in and how strange it has been in terms of the pitch and soft and firm surfaces and then the amount of travel and how disjointed this season has been. But that’s the way it is at the moment.”
With City now set to play two games a week until mid-March, then player welfare is an added factor when it comes to team selection. Taylor added: “We are pushing these players to the absolute limit and sometimes, surfaces can play a part in the injuries that we are picking up. But that’s part and parcel of it, we can’t really control it, we do the prehab and strength work as best we possibly can, but muscle injuries are part and parcel of any sporting action.
“The ones you depend on the most are the ones that have probably been body hardened for a long period of time and Jake Taylor and Pierce Sweeney are two players that have never really picked up hamstring or muscle injuries in the past.”
Tonight’s match kicks-off at the unusually early time of 6.30pm due to the travel involved for Exeter.