Winger viewing the bigger picture
Grecians winger David Wheeler feels that it is important for City to concentrate on an upward curve in performances and not to get too downbeat off the back of unfortunate results ahead of the visit of Morecambe on Saturday.
The Grecians go into the weekend having suffered back-to-back defeats, but that belies some of the displays. Two weeks ago City were rattling at Mansfield’s door – only to find it tightly bolted – as the Stags won 1-0 at St James Park, and then it was the turn of Bristol Rovers to upset City last weekend by winning 2-1 in stoppage-time.
And Wheeler feels, in light of the last-gasp loss to Rovers, that they shouldn’t allow the frustrating manner of the defeat affect them in any negative sense – and that they can take solace in the bigger picture.
“It’s always best to look at football objectively rather than emotionally – it’s quite easy to get carried away with it,” said Wheeler. “Losing a goal straight after scoring and then conceding a goal with practically the last kick of the match is always going to be a devastating way to lose a game.
“But in part of the game we played really well and by all accounts it was a really good game to watch, so it’s one of those things. It’s going to happen for us and it’s going to turn round – looking at it sensibly and objectively is the best way to go.”
Despite Exeter having endured a lean couple of months for the points tally, the former Staines man is far from reaching for the panic button just yet.
Quite conversely, he feels that the team are a few minor tweaks away from getting back on a good run once again.
“I wouldn’t say that there’s any cause for panic,” he continued. “It’s just a case of starting quick, getting in the other team’s face early on, and we’ll be fine.
“We’ve matched most teams physically, but sometimes we’ve needed to be a bit more creative up front or patient, or more ruthless at the back – that’s potentially what’s holding us back a little bit at the moment.
“In the game we played away at Morecambe, for example, I felt we absolutely dominated them in first half, and we didn’t come away with enough from the half to give us that lift, and they went on to win the game.
“It would be a travesty if we were both losing and playing really poorly – but I don’t think that’s the case. Some people might get carried away and call it a ‘crisis’ – but it’s not like we’ve been battered in any game this season. We haven’t lost by a large scoreline – it’s been the odd goal here and there.”