“It’s great that we are patient and can come out (of attacking areas) and keep the ball, but we have to be braver and quicker when we get through that first line.”
Driven by their resentment for squandering 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 journeys of the year.
The Cod Army came back after the interval to salvage a point 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 visible 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 offensive 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 shall 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 provide 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 when you have the courage to charge at someone and commit top the cross. When we discuss bravery, such kinds of behaviours are what we mean; being measured in line with how we play, but brave when you get to a certain part of the pitch and accept 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 house when they were definitely in the lead and limited them to very little. We played 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 clubs might win or lose, so they will be eager to grab 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 most likely will advance to play championship football and possibly beyond.
“We must be well 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 get the ball, have a nice first touch, and use your technique when passing it from player A to player B.
You have less time to do it when against a team like this because they are focused on you. They are swift and powerful, but we will have a fantastic challenge since it will highlight our strengths and show our players the necessary skill levels. We can also draw some encouragement from the fact that we have already a good result against them and we competed when we played them.”
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