Midfielder gives reaction to the fixture list announcement
Grecians midfielder Liam Sercombe is delighted with the way the fixtures have fallen for Exeter, meaning that City have three huge games in eight days at the start of the season.
City open the season at home against Portsmouth on Saturday 9th August – Pompey brought 1,442 supporters to Exeter on a rainy February afternoon last season, making them the best-represented away following at St James Park that season.
That fixture is closely followed by a midweek game against Championship side AFC Bournemouth in the first round of the Capital One Cup at the Park, before an early-season trip to face Plymouth Argyle in a Home Park Devon Derby, on Saturday 16th April.
Liam, who scored important equalisers in the two corresponding league fixtures against Pompey and the Pilgrims last season, is particularly pleased that it gives the squad a chance to show the City faithful what they’re all about and set a marker for the campaign.
“The first game against Portsmouth is a massive one, especially at home,” said Sercombe. “We need to get the attendances up, and it’s in our own hands to go and perform and get the three points early on.
“Hopefully we can put on a show and make sure the fans keep coming. After that we’ve got Plymouth away, which should be another massive turnout. It’s in our hands to perform well in the first two league games and get a couple of good results.
“We want to show the fans that we are desperate to do well and that we mean business. We’ll be looking to do that from the start so that our fans have got plenty of reasons to talk well about us and to keep coming to the games.
“The league games at home against Portsmouth and away to Plymouth were a couple of good games for me personally.
“So hopefully I can get myself a few more goals next year too, starting with a couple against those clubs again at the start of next season.”
Liam, like many supporters, was poised and ready to see the fixtures when they were released at 9am.
The spread of fixtures looks favourable for Exeter as home fixtures bookend the season and Cheltenham visit the Park on Boxing Day. And for Liam, there were a couple of other dates to look out for.
“I always look forward to the fixture list coming out – as soon as I wake up I’m getting ready to check who we’ve got.
“It’s nice to have a home game on the last day as well, and my little one is on the way too and we’ve got a game on his due date, when we’re playing Burton away on Tuesday 19th August – so we’ll have to see what the situation is there.
“We’re also away at Hartlepool on my birthday as well [on Saturday 25th April], and a home one against Cheltenham on Boxing Day. So I really like the look of the fixture list this year, and I don’t think we could have asked for a better first couple of games either.”
Despite it being the off-season, Liam has been one of the many regulars at the Cat & Fiddle during the summer that are trying to get a bit of a head-start in their preparation for the new campaign.
He feels that the mood in the camp at the extra sessions has been one of anticipation at getting off to a fresh start in 2014/15.
“You get a good break and everyone needs a bit of time off, but there comes a time when you need to get yourself fit,” he continued.
“So it’s good that the coaching staff have put on a couple of sessions a week in June so that we can get a bit of a head-start. There are plenty of lads turning up and coming in, which is good, and everyone is looking forward to getting started again.”
Click here for the full fixture list.
Click here for the full fixture list.