Exeter City looking to create more history and extend unbeaten run
Gary Caldwell’s class of 2023-24 have a chance to secure City’s second highest finish – and a place in the top ten
IT was Paul Tisdale’s class of 2010/11 that defied the odds. After back-to-back promotions from the Conference to League One and then a year where survival was secured on the final day of the campaign, few expected the Grecians to fare well ahead of that season.
It didn’t start that well either – on or off the pitch. A draw at home to Colchester United on the opening day of the season was followed by the devastating news that fans favourite Adam Stansfield has lost his battle with cancer at the all too young age of 31. Understandably, it took some time to overcome that tragedy, which really did put everything into perspective.
When the action resumed, City suffered a 3-0 loss at Leyton Orient just two days after those Exeter players of the time had been present at their team-mates’ funeral. To then go the next month unbeaten was testament to their character. It ended up being a more than decent season for the Grecians and one that ended with a stunning run of seven wins in the last eight matches. The Grecians finished in eighth with 70 points, one shy of the play-offs as they recorded the highest post-war finish in their history.
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Now, Gary Caldwell’s class of 2023-24 have a chance to secure City’s second highest finish – and a place in the top ten if they can get the better of Northampton Town today, Oxford United in next week’s curtain faller at an already sold-out St James Park and other results go in their favour.
“I think this group of players has to create their own history,” Caldwell said. “I think we have to keep building on what we’ve been doing in recent weeks.
“We keep saying whilst there’s nothing in terms of play-offs, or promotion, or staying in the league to play for, we want to finish as high as we can in the league and we want to show progression from last year.
“We’ve already done that in the points total, so now the challenge is: where can we finish in the league? We still potentially could finish tenth, which would be an amazing achievement. It would be one of the highest finishes ever in this club’s history, so that is still the aim and we’ll have to win two games to do that. We have to fully focus on a difficult away game to Northampton and then obviously the last game of the season at SJP.
“It’s a big challenge, Northampton have had a great season as well. They’re one place above us, we know if we win the game we go above them, so there is lots to play for.”
