Tis: 'Fringe players have to be on their toes'
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale says it is important that all the players on the fringes of the first team are raring to go at any point over the next three-and-a-half weeks of the season.
City head into a home fixture with Barnet on Good Friday, before travelling to promotion rivals Cambridge United on Easter Monday.
Therefore, it is likely that more than 11 players will be required for those two matches and Tis says he has recognized that with the effort and attention he has given to certain members of the squad this week.
“At some points of the season it is the effort and the attention you give to those players on the edge that is more important, because they are the ones that are next to come in,” said Tis.
“If you don’t give them the correct attention and focus then they can easily slip from form or confidence.”
“The 11 that are playing, are easy,” added Tis. “They are all satisfied. They have been selected and they have all got a job to do. The ones who are on the edge, are the ones that you need to spend time with and that is where the coaches come into their own.
“You just cannot predict more than two or three games in advance. We have got five games to go – possibly some more if we are successful – and all players have to be ready. It is our job to keep all of them on their toes and as close to top form as possible.”
Speaking about what he expects from Friday’s opponents Barnet, Tis added: “They have got someone in charge who is trying to develop their football and we have seen – in our match reports – that they are making efforts to develop the way they play.
“They have got some good players and we are playing against a team that is in mid-table, who can put on a good performance and play really well. We shouldn’t underestimate them.
“A team that, maybe, hasn’t got the pressure that we have, will give us a certain kind of threat by being relaxed and able to play. I think we just have to understand where their strengths are and try and combat it.”