Compared to most other clubs, Exeter City have to cover a lot more miles on the road over the course of a season.
This season loyal City supporters will have to travel a total of 7740.2 miles to watch their beloved City up and down the country. That figure includes the journey home, which is always made sweeter when the Grecians return to Devon with three points. No season had as many wins on the road as 2016/17, as City returned home with three points a record 13 times, the most in League Two that year.
In a season where Exeter started very slowly, losing their opening three games, the first victory of the season came away at Accrington Stanley, as Ryan Harley’s long range effort and Jake Taylor’s volley gave City a 2-1 win – former Grecian Arron Davies netted for the hosts.
Another win at Colchester followed before City managed to sneak a 2-0 victory at Stevenage despite being down to ten men for the majority of the match, after Jordan Moore-Taylor was shown a straight red in the 24th minute.
While City struggled at home they excelled on the road with emphatic triumphs at Barnet and Morecambe, 4-1 and 3-0 wins respectively. It was actually a defeat on the road that seemed to be the catalyst for the Grecian’s turnaround in form that season, as Carlisle scored twice in added time to turn the game on its head and win 3-2.
That defeat was then followed by a 12 match unbeaten run, which included a remarkable streak of seven straight wins. That run contained impressive victories at Cheltenham, Grimsby and eventual League Two winners Portsmouth – all wins which helped catapult the Grecians from the relegation zone to within touching distance of the automatic promotion spots.
A 3-0 loss at Home Park in February ended the good form but Exeter’s next win came 17 days later on the road, as goals from academy graduates Ollie Watkins and Moore-Taylor helped City to a 2-1 win over Crawley Town.
City’s next away win – a 2-1 triumph at Mansfield – was the 12th of the season, breaking the Grecian’s record for the most away victories in a single season.
The final victory on the road that season came at Doncaster, as the Grecians confirmed their play-off place in style with a 3-1 win – goals coming from Moore-Taylor’s long-range free-kick, David Wheeler and Liam McAlinden.
It’s safe to say there were a lot of happy Grecians driving all over Britain that season.