There may still be ten players from League Two season, but Exeter City are currently on track to do something they have not achieved since 1964.
With 36 games played in the campaign, the Greeks have conceded just 35 goals so far – and not since that season 58 years ago have they averaged one game a season below average. In the 1963/64 season, City conceded just 37 goals on the way to promotion – while in 1976/77 they left 46 and 46 games – and again reached promotion.
If Matt Taylor’s 2021/22 vintage is to emulate its predecessors, then it’s largely down to the back line with the City looking more defensively solid than they have been for many a year. Cameron Dawson’s goal kept 13 clean sheets, and looked every inch the championship goalkeeper he was on, while all the options in the central defense deserved to start.
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The current back three include Pierce Sweeney, who plays the best football of his Exeter City career and has grown into the role of vice-captain, on the right. In the middle is Sam Stubbs, who after finally making his debut almost a year after signing after his knee injury, shows why City are so keen to sign him and why they were waiting for him to be fit .
Now left is Alex Hartridge, who was arguably the city’s best defender in the first half of the season before his own injury. But with him out, first Cheick Diabate and then Jonathan Grounds, both set their sights on a starting spot, and it was only their own injuries that saw them drop out and allow Hartridge to re-enter.
Former midfielder Taylor knows what a good defender does, and he was full of praise for the current harvest – and with all the bar pitches still young and with many of their best years ahead of them – the City defense looks better than it did for many a year, when it finally expects the manager to move on and play at a much higher level than League Two.
“You always want options and the middle half was an area that we looked strong this season and hope we stay that way this season and then move on,” Taylor said.
“Our defenders are of a great age. Sam Stubbs is still a young player, Cheick is young, Alex is young, Alfie Pond is doing fantastically well on loan and will be an excellent player for this football club, and Pierce seems to be the one. Right now we’re in a great position, so in those positions the future is really great for the club. We need options and not everyone will play every minute of the remaining players.
The last player to return to the side is 23-year-old Hartridge, with whom Taylor has been consistently impressed, and thinks it’s only a matter of time before he rises to a higher level. But even the academy product had to take its time before its recall by showing the form of others, the richness of the available options.
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“Alex is a good heart defender who had a good first half of the season before the knee injury,” Taylor said. be patient, but took his chance when he came in again. If he keeps his game simple and looks to be the best defender he can be when he steps on the field, we have a hell of a player ahead.
“He has shown that when his mind is in the right place and physically he is exceptional, and he fits the bill, and is also left-footed. Exeter City have a tradition of producing good left-footed defenders, some of whom moved to higher levels for significant fees and there is no reason why Alex can not achieve that either.
Hartridge picked up his knee injury in the 1-0 defeat to Tranmere Rovers on December 11, but it was not until March 12 before he started again for the Greeks as a result of the injury and then the form of others, but now back. , plays as well as ever.
“It was frustrating to be out there and lose my place,” Hartridge said. “The first few weeks I thought about how it struggled with the covid cases, I went here with one, but was not quite the case as some complications with the rehab. That allowed the rest of the boys to get into a rhythm. come and then not come in again when I was fit, but I worked on my game and trained enough to play well again.
“It’s something you have to deal with when you’re not playing when you think you should, but as a team it’s great,” he said when asked about the competition for places. “It means you can rest and refresh players. And a lot of it is to see others do well and then you can figure out what their strengths are and what you need to do to get back, and they add strings to their bow when they come back. .
After the 2-0 win over Oldham Athletic on Saturday, Exeter finished second in the League Two table, holding two games in hand over most of their promotional rivals, and Hartridge said they were happy with where they were in the Table with ten seats. Players to go – and they just want to avoid the top ten and automatic promotion in other play-off campaigns.
“It’s always exciting to play something at this stage of the season,” the defender added. “Last season we were not quite in the position and we did not get where we wanted to be, but that experience should help us this season. It will not get us through the games so we have to keep doing what we do.
“We still have 10 games and we have to collect as many points as we can and there is that extra incentive to get through it and only play those 10 games. We will see what happens but we are really happy with the position where we are. are to get into the top 3.
The city is heading to Port Vale on Tuesday, and while injured and suspended they will go to Vale Park with a slightly cut-off squad, with the Greeks losing only once in 14 games, Hartridge said they will definitely go with confidence can get. eppes.
“We are in a rhythm to record the results and they are happy to have the players,” he added. “It was good for us to have the players at home, so we did not have to travel, but for these away players we have to make sure that the trips do not affect us and then we can enter the free week and then reset. and go again. “
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