Tis pleased to have strengthened the Exeter City squad ahead of trip to Essex
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale says it was very important that they got a couple of loan signings into the squad as they look to cope with an injury crisis at the club.Jack Stacey, from Reading, and Luke Croll, from Crystal Palace, have both joined City on loan deals and could be thrust straight into the starting line-up for Saturday’s trip to Colchester United.
City don’t normally go into the loan market, but with several key players out injured Tis said it was a must that the club acted before the transfer window shut on September 1.
“It was very important, because we have had two or three weeks now of being understaffed,” he said. “It is no secret that we have had plenty of injuries, plenty more than we would have wished for and it is obvious, when you have those situations, it is so difficult to play two games a week.
“You can put and XI out, but the support of the bench at 60 or 70 minutes – to have some strength in depth – gives the manager a lot of confidence and also opportunity and options.
“So, it has been a really testing two or three weeks and we needed to get some support for the team. We needed to get selectable players, who are ready to go. And both Luke and Jack are ready to go and both have got experience in the league.”
Speaking on Thursday though Tis admitted that he hadn’t had a chance to select his starting XI and tactics yet for the match, given that he has so many injured players and hectic week which has seen two new players arrive at St James Park.
“We have had an eye on the game, but in terms of going through the details of it yet we haven’t had a chance to look at it,” said Tis.
“Deadline day on Wednesday was a write-off for trying to focus on anything else and now I’m just trying to establish who is fit. We have then had new players arriving and I have to have basic sessions to get them ingratiated into the pattern of play and go from there.”
Such a unsettled side can cause problems, but Tis said City just have to get on with it.
“The irony is that we spent five weeks in pre-season with that same XI who went out train play every single day in training and we looked a good unit, but that’s life. We have just got to adapt to it and get stuck into the season.”