City reach the ‘defining moment’ of their season

EXETER City face a ‘season defining’ week with clashes against play-off rivals Forest Green Rovers and Newport County up next and just five games of the season to go, writes Daniel Clark.

Saturday’s 0-0 draw at home to Southend United meant that the Grecians have won just two of their last nine games, but somehow are still eighth in the League Two table, and Newport’s defeat at home to Cambridge United meant the gap between the pair is down to just one point.

Tonight, City travel to Forest Green - whose 3-2 win over Scunthorpe United gave them a four point cushion in the play-off spots back to City - before Saturday sees the Exiles visit

St James Park.

Manager Matt Taylor said that the next two games will define how the Grecians’ campaign will pan out and that he and the players know how big the games are.

“We know what is at stake and how big it is, and I don’t want to put the pressure on the players,” Taylor said.

“The next two games will define where we finish, and we will aim for maximum points and that’s the target.

“Tuesday is a huge game and I hope it will be a good surface and a slick night. Forest Green Rovers are a team who want to play a certain style, but we have to back ourselves.

“We would like to be higher and have more points and be the ones being chased, but the next two games will define it.”

City missed out on promotion in the play-off final last season - and lost their chance of automatic promotion when the season was curtailed early due to the coronavirus pandemic - and Taylor said that while they want to be higher than they are, with five games to go, a play-off spot is still in their own hands.

Colchester United - who City beat in the semi-finals last season - are only three points off the drop zone, with Southend, who haven’t dropped out of the Football League since their promotion to it in 1920, facing a second successive relegation after Saturday’s draw with the

Grecians means it is one win in 12 for Phil Brown’s men and they have just four games to rescue themselves.

Taylor added: “We missed the last ten games last season and that was a disappointment to miss out.

“We could be fighting a relegation battle as we are not too dissimilar to the teams down there, we could be in mid-table with nothing to play for, but this team has been through everything, and the next two games is our season and will define where we finish. We’ll aim for maximum points.”