Director of Football previews visit of Cobblers
Exeter City Director of Football Steve Perryman admits that the players and staff are keen to get back into the groove when Northampton Town visit St James Park on Saturday.Last weekend’s defeat at home against Accrington was a first defeat on home turf in over two and a half months for the Grecians, but made it a third loss in four Sky Bet League 2 fixtures.
While results haven’t been perfect in the last few weeks, City are still within a single point of the play-off places – the Cobblers, on the other hand, haven’t registered an away win since September and sit three points above the relegation places, after five losses and a draw in the last six.
So Perryman stressed that an Exeter squad which is nearing full-fitness are setting their sights on hitting the 40-point mark by Saturday evening.
“I’ve been aware of their team because we have been looking at Alex Nicholls – I think in their last five games, they only have one player that have played all five which suggests things are not going quite right for them or they’re having more than an average degree of injuries,” said Steve,
“But I like the manager [Chris Wilder] – I’ve always liked him. Be it Halifax, Oxford and various others, he has always had a good set-up about his team. They have always had an attacking style and a willingness to go forward.
“We like that – we don’t like teams that sit in and just defend against us. So we’re looking forward to the game.
“Northampton haven’t had a run of results to build up a head of confidence yet. Everyone thought that as per normal, after a struggling season last year they would come good and flow. But it doesn’t always go to the script.
“They’ll be looking to get a decent away win at St James Park, and we’ve got to add to our home record.
“We’ve had one or two slight knocks that have meant players have missed one or two training sessions. But everyone is back in today, so we’re hopeful of having a full group available and pressing for places.
“Of course the last game was a disappointing result, especially as late as it comes. There’s no good time to concede a goal, but when it is as late as it was, everyone is anxious to get back to winning ways – especially as it’s at home.”