Exeter City striker Robbie Simpson says there is a focus in the dressing room as the players hunt down an automatic promotion place with six games of the season to go.
The Grecians currently sit fourth – five points behind third-placed Wycombe Wanderers with a game in hand – and on the back of just two defeats from their last nine matches they are beginning to hit form at the right time of the season. Therefore, the mood is buoyant in the dressing room.
“The mood is really positive and I would say we are really focused,” said Robbie. “We are really focused on the job in hand, the last six games, we know what we need to do and we are going to do all we can to get into that top three.
“If we fall short, then we will reset our goals to win in the play-offs but we are really focused to do all we can to get into that top three at the minute.”
Robbie started his first game for City on Easter Monday since breaking his leg against Blackpool in February 2017 and he scored a crucial goal, helping the Grecians to beat Cheltenham Town 2-1 at home. He says it was a good moment for him.
“It felt great,” he said. “It was an important time to score for the team, having gone one behind. Going into the break at 1-1, we were confident we could get a winner in the second half and luckily we did.”
Robbie ended up with the man-of-the-match award and was pleased to get a round of applause from his teammates after the match as well as his name sung by the supporters in the Thatchers’ Big Bank.
“It is quite a common thing for us to celebrate someone’s performance or someone’s success so Tis, at the end of his debrief, just wanted the lads to give me a round of applause for my efforts on the day and coming back from such a long injury and getting a goal in my first start back,” explained Robbie. “I think it not only pleased me but it seemed to please a lot of the lads as well so it made me very happy.”
“I have also got a new song now,” he added. “So I’ll have to learn that one and teach it to my family for when they come down. The Big Bank have been fantastic with me. It was really good to hear them signing my name.”
City face one of Robbie’s old clubs – Cambridge United this Saturday – and the popular striker is expecting a difficult match at the Abbey Stadium.
“It will be a tough game,” he said. “It is a tough place to go. We lost there, last year, so we owe them one. They have been on a good run since Joe Dunne has taken caretaker charge. It is going to be a really tough game and we are going to have to be at our best to get the victory.”