Promoted Grecians have eyes on the title

EXETER City manager Matt Taylor said he gave his players the option of how they want to end their season – and they want to end it by going all out to win the League Two title.

The Grecians’ objective back in pre-season was to challenge for promotion and that goal was achieved with a 2-1 victory over Barrow on Tuesday night which sent the Grecians into League One with two games to spare.

Naturally, the celebrations ran long into the night – well, mid following morning if truth be told as the players enjoyed Wednesday off – but back at work on Thursday, the decision was left to them as to how they wanted to approach the final week of an incredible season.

“We always have a Thursday match prep meeting and I asked them a simple question: what do they want from me?” Taylor said. “We only have seven days left together in terms if training time, game time and travel time.

“I asked them that because they have earned the right to choose. In relation to what they have done this season, we never spoke about winning the league, we only spoke about getting promoted and they have achieved that, so they have achieved their goal.

“They came to me and said it – they said they really wanted to concentrate and focus on these last two games of the season with the opportunity and a chance to win a football league, something which hardly ever comes around.

“This is an opportunity that we can now focus towards. It is something we have not focused towards all season; it is two games of football and we will see where it takes us.”

League leaders Forest Green Rovers have incredibly led the table since the second game of the season, when they went top on goal difference after a 3-1 away win at Walsall. And when Exeter went into an away game at

Bradford on February 12, which they won 1-0, they were 18 points behind.

Now, with two games remaining, the two teams are neck and neck, although the Green Devils have the advantage of an eight-goal better goal difference that that of the Grecians. And with Harrogate Town at home followed by a trip to Mansfield, who are still in with a chance of automatic promotion or a play-off place themselves, Forest Green remain the firm favourites to be lifting the title next weekend.

“It shows how good our form has been in the second half of the season, it shows our consistency and shows everybody how difficult this league is,” Taylor said. “Forest Green have been the stand out team all season – and rightly so – they have got all the plaudits and they play fantastic football.

“Winning stuff is not easy – and getting promoted is not easy. That puts our achievement onto another position in terms of people’s attitude towards it.

“We both have two games left, we are level on points but we know their goal difference is better than ours and we always felt goal difference would play a big part in the end picture, we just didn’t realise it could play a part at the top, top end!

“It’s all to play for. We have two tough games – we couldn’t pick two tougher games than Northampton and Port Vale – but if the players need confidence, just look back on what they have achieved in the last 44 games.”

Taylor is certainly fixed on winning the title and has barely had time to celebrate Exeter’s promotion. He was invited to play in a cricket match for the MCC on Wednesday before returning to work yesterday to plot the downfall of the Cobblers.

“The most pleasing aspect for myself has been seeing everyone else’s reaction; the players first and foremost. To see them celebrate and the fans and then everyone else associated with the football club.

“It was great that my family and my wife were there on Tuesday night as well but I probably haven’t had the right time, or moment – or the right availability – to really digest it. Plus we still have a job to do.

“We have two games left, so I suppose I am still in work mode and I can’t get myself out of it – and I probably don’t want to get myself out of that mode to start with as we have two important games but, come 5pm against Port Vale, I will get some down time and some me time and I’ll be able to assess what we’ve achieved, the magnitude of it and what a big achievement it is for everyone at the football club - myself included – and then I can enjoy it. But until that moment comes, I am still pretty set in where I want to get to.”