Pierce Sweeney discusses the team’s recent setbacks, the fan forum, whether his playing time is being controlled, and Jack Fitzwater’s frank media remarks regarding his colitis battle.
PIERCE SWEENEY IS THE CLUB CAPTAIN OF EXETER CITY FC
When Fleetwood comes to St James Park on Saturday, we can’t afford to make another mistake after losing to Derby at home and to Lincoln away. We are currently sitting in 14th place in League One, seven points above the relegation zone, and things appear to be in reasonably good shape overall.
We can’t sit back and relax, though, even though we’ve played more games than all ten of the teams below us—Port Vale have four games remaining, Cambridge and Cheltenham have three, Burton, Carlisle, and Wycombe have two, and the other team has one. Even more so when you take into account that following Saturday, we have two away games against fifth-place Peterborough and one home game against high-flying Bolton.
There’s no mistaking that this won’t be an easy game. Even though Fleetwood defeated us 3-0 at the Highbury Stadium in November when we were in the midst of a slump, the Lancashire team, who have improved since Charlie Adam took over as manager at the beginning of the year, are currently seven points from safety and are fighting for their lives.
What is more, former Grecian Jayden Stockley has been in good form over recent weeks with five goals in his last 11 starts. I understand Fleetwood were a little unlucky to lose 2-1 at home to Barnsley on Saturday and we will have to play much better than we did at the weekend if we are to bag a vital three points.
To be honest, we didn’t have a great Saturday at Sincil Bank. Nevertheless, I don’t think Lincoln was all that superior, and we could have won all three if their custodian hadn’t deflected Jack Aitchinson’s attempt in the 57th minute onto the crossbar. Jack will probably admit that he should have scored, and if we had won, I think we would have had the fortitude to finish the game. As it was, ten minutes later, we were unable to stop a hopeful punt upfield, which gave Joe Taylor the opportunity to put the home team ahead.
Our issues began when Zak Jules and Cheick Diabate were unable to control a long ball coming out of defence. Regretfully, I made matters worse by trying to cushion the loose ball back to Zak but ultimately giving it to a Lincoln forward.
For what it’s worth, I felt we performed much better at home against Derby on Tuesday night than we did at Lincoln. We lost 3-0. The Rams were ultimately a little too strong for us, but I felt that we played a better first half than they did and were a little unlucky to trail 1-0 at the half.
Midway through the first half, a misplaced pass by Ilmari Niskanen gave the visitors the advantage. It’s true that Derby gained possession in their own half, and Max Bird shouldn’t have been permitted to travel half the length of the pitch before putting the ball past Vil Sinisalo from just outside the box. Ilmari will undoubtedly be disappointed with his contribution to the goal.
After the break, Derby looked very sharp, with Tom Barhuizen adding an extra goal ten minutes in and Nathaniel Mendez Lang making it 2-0 on minute 52. This gave us a nearly impossible task, but we persisted in asking the guests questions, and even though the outcome was disappointing, I believe that the vast majority of people in attendance would have been encouraged by our performance.
Personally, I entered the game in the 62nd minute of the Derby, taking Will Aimson’s place off the bench. I find it funny to learn that I find it difficult to play two games a week and that I have to manage my gaming time as a result.
I can tell you that I’m more than capable of playing two games in a week because I’m as fit as I’ve ever been. I have been very clear that I have no issue with the manager making the decision to start someone else for the specific game if I am not starting.
It was nice to see Kane Wilson back at SJP, aside from that. Since Kane’s initial loan move to Exeter in the 2017–18 season, I’ve been close friends with him. Despite the fact that his time at Bristol City didn’t quite work out, I’m not at all shocked to see him succeeding at Derby.
He’s an incredible player, and I’m sure he’ll be back playing at a higher level soon, whether it’s with the Rams or another team.
Although I haven’t yet, I plan to watch the fans’ forum recording from last week as soon as possible. There shouldn’t be too many surprises in what our technical director Marcus Flitcroft and chief financial officer Joe Gorman have to say, as I see the gaffer, Ben Purrington, and Millenic Alli almost every day at the Cliff Hill Training Ground. However, it will be interesting to hear more from our chief executive Jeremy Tripper and chief financial officer Joe Gorman. Although I can’t claim to know Joe well, Jeremy always makes an effort to catch up with me. I have plenty of time for him, suffice it to say, and with people of his calibre in charge, so I believe the club is in good hands.
Being a part of the EFL initiative that saw the game on Saturday honour LGBTQ+ History Month with a rainbow ball made me very happy. There’s no denying that football has changed significantly in the past ten or fifteen years in terms of how it views various sexual orientations, but there’s still more to be done, and I wholeheartedly support the club’s initiatives to foster inclusivity and diversity in the game.
Regarding that, I’d encourage you to check out Ilmari’s great interview with Paul Diamond from the club’s LGBT+ group, which you may find on the club’s YouTube channel. Diamond offers a fascinating look into Ilmari’s experiences over the past 20+ years.
In passing, I should also point out how excellent Ilmari is in the role of interviewer—especially given that English is not his first language.
Not to mention, I wanted to use this chance to thank Jack Fitzwater for being so open and honest about his struggle with colitis in the media. Before Jack told me why he was taking the tablets, I had no idea that he had this illness.
But now that I know so much more about it, hopefully Jack’s story will inspire others who have experienced similar symptoms but have been afraid to see their doctor to do so, knowing that it is manageable and you can still lead the best possible life!
