Manager on Preston loanee winger
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale was pleased to be able to hand a debut to Lee Holmes on Tuesday evening against Stevenage, and is looking forward to utilising the Grecians’ latest asset in the run-in to the season.Holmes, who joined on loan from Preston North End on Monday, played the final 30 minutes of the game. Despite not having spent a training session with his new teammates at that point, he linked up well and provided a different danger to the opposition.
After missing pre-season this campaign with injury, the 27-year-old has only completed one full match this season – which came during his five-match loan spell at Portsmouth before the turn of the year.
But Tis feels that the former Derby and Southampton man will play a key part in the run-in to the Grecians’ 2014/15 season.
“It was good to see Lee Holmes come onto the pitch,” said Paul after the game. “He did very well for his half-hour and looked a threat.
“Stevenage stifled our play at times and we needed width in the second half, and that’s what we were able to bring onto the pitch. It was a step forward to be able to do that and make a straightforward change to try to affect the game in that way.
“You certainly want to give him the ball on the touchline areas – he’s good at that and that’s what have in mind with him coming to join us for the rest of the season.
“He is an out-and-out wide player that can play off both flanks and I think it’s interesting to see what will happen next.
“I’ll have to see how his training goes and how strong and sharp he is. He hasn’t played a great deal of football from his previous loan spell at Portsmouth. I think it’s fair to say we’ll take that game by game.
“But he’s not here to sit in the reserves or warm the bench. He’s here to be part of the performance – whether that’s 30 minutes like today, or 60 minutes or 90 minutes – he’s part of it.”