Paul looks ahead to a trip to face York at Bootham Crescent
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale is confident that the Grecians can come back from Bootham Crescent with all three points on Saturday.
City haven’t won in York since March 2005, and Tisdale hasn’t been triumphant either time he has visited the Minstermen – including his very first match at the helm of the Exeter, when the sides drew 0-0. But this campaign has been one for breaking long-standing records – including a first win in Bradford for 29 years, and a first win in Gillingham for 31 – so he isn’t concerned about any portents overhanging the side.
“It’s been a season for playing and beating teams that people have told me we’ve not beaten on their own grounds for a long time, so why not York City?” said Tisdale.
“The thing that will fill us with most confidence is the way we’re playing away from home. There’s always the opportunity for me to ask the players to draw on that experience of a very efficient away form this year.
“In terms of us going into the game, it’ll be about us continuing the pattern and the intent which we’ve shown away from home. That formula for us is working so I’d like to keep it the same regardless of who we’re playing.
“But I think every team tries their hardest – they’re all professional people trying their best to win games, and no win is easy and the stats prove that. The number of times that you look at Exeter’s record over the years, and we haven’t won at a place for so many years, it just shows you – it’s hard to win football matches.”
Like Exeter, York’s position in the table comes from having a more positive away record than at home. The Minstermen have only lost three from 13 road-trips, whereas they have only taken four wins from a possible 12 at home.
And despite Exeter going into the fixture on the back of four consecutive wins from their away fixtures, Tisdale is more than aware that the home team can easily bounce back from a negative situation – as City intend to in the near future.
“I empathise with York City’s home record,” continued Tis. “We’re finding ourselves in the same situation. You always run the risk that they’ll find the key to it soon – as we are trying to do ourselves.”
Exeter fans can buy tickets on the day at Bootham Crescent. Click here to see the Away Tickets section of the website, which has full details on ticketing for the fixture.