“It’s fantastic that we have the patience to exit attacking zones and hold onto the ball, but once we cross the initial line, we need to show more bravery and speed.”
Driven by their resentment for letting a good chance to win three points against Fleetwood Town the previous weekend, Exeter City is back on the road today, embarking on one of their most difficult road trips of the year.
The Cod Army came back after the break to salvage a draw from a match that could have, and maybe should have, been over by halftime after they dominated Fleetwood in the first half.
The cries and irritations that were evident at full time were justified because, as manager Gary Caldwell pointed out, City lacked a decisive edge in these kinds of circumstances. Sadly, they won’t get to see the ball as much when they play high-flying Peterborough United today, so they need to be more efficient with it when they do.
Assistant manager Kevin Nicholson stated, “We have to push the players more in attacking actions that we might score goals from.” It’s fantastic that we have the patience to exit attacking zones with the ball in hand, but once we cross the initial line, we need to show more bravery and speed.
“We will never, ever criticise a player for making an error while attempting to act morally. We will take a swing at a player who gives up and leaves the game when they had the opportunity to be aggressive and go after the opposition or attempt a pass that might create an opportunity.
“It is a foolish play for players to thread passes 20 yards out or to Cruyffing out of our own box. However, you want to create an opportunity when you get in and around their box, or in a one-on-one where you have the courage to charge at someone and commit top the cross. When we talk about bravery, we mean those kinds of things: being measured according to our style of play, but brave when you reach a certain area of the pitch and acknowledge that you might give the ball away.
Exeter’s luck is not good this afternoon; they have only triumphed twice at London Road, the most recent occasion occurring in 1988 when Steve Neville scored the game’s lone goal to lead them to a 1-0 victory. However, records are meant to be broken, and City shouldn’t be scared after defeating Posh 2-1 just a few weeks ago.
They are an excellent team, according to Nicholson. “We held them in the first half of the game at our place when they were probably in the lead and limited them to very little. We did okay against them there.
Then, a little bit of luck went our way when they sent off a player, and we made the most of it by stepping up our game, picking up the pace, and being bold enough to take risks. We were rewarded with the two goals we scored in the 20 minutes that followed the player’s sending off.
It is close at the top and many teams could win or lose, so they will be eager to get three points and hungry for retribution for that, I’m sure.
For us, it’s all about knowing the strategy, adhering to it wholeheartedly, and carrying it out minute by minute while upholding our principles.
“They are one of the best teams, so whether you play them at home or away, it is always going to be hard,” Nicholson continued. They are elite athletes; many of the guys on their team have the ability and are likely to advance to championship football and possibly higher.
“We must be completely prepared mentally. You might not have as much time as you would versus other teams in the league, so you need to be mentally prepared for when you receive the ball, have a good first touch, and use your technique when passing it from player A to player B.
You have less time to complete it when facing a team like this because they are focused on you. They are strong and fast, but it will be a great test for us because it will highlight our strengths and the skill levels of our players. We can also feel a little more confident because we have played them and have had success against them.
