Exeter City will be looking to extend the impressive home form, and end February on a high as they face Crawley Town on Saturday, February 29 in a 3pm kick-off in EFL Sky Bet League Two.
Exeter City manager Matt Taylor said he and the players are relishing the pressure of the promotion battle heading into Saturday’s match with Crawley Town.
The Grecians go into the match at St James Park third in the table, but it is so close at the top of the table that they could end the day anywhere from fifth to joint-top of the division with Swindon Town.
Crawley Town will provide strong opposition though. They have a good record against Exeter and, having recently appointed the club’s former assistant manager John Yems, have picked up form to sit 12th in the Sky Bet League Two table – 11 points off the play-off places.
“We know what a good team Crawley Town are,” said Matt. “John Yems is someone we know pretty well at the club and he has gone in there and done a fantastic job and they have picked up some really impressive results of late.
DEDICATED FOOTBALLvHOMOPHOBIA MATCH
Exeter City will take another stand against homophobia at its match against Crawley Town on Saturday, February 29 at St James Park.
The match has been designated as the club’s annual 'Football v Homophobia' fixture and a number of initiatives to mark the day have been organised by Exeter City Supporters’ Trust and its One Game One Community (OGOC) Group.
Click here to find out more.
THE CONTEXT
Exeter City come into the match on the back of defeat to Northampton Town at the PTS Academy Stadium last weekend. The Grecians sit in third place in EFL Sky Bet League Two, just three points behind leaders Swindon Town.
Crawley Town come into the match on the back of last Saturday's 2-0 win over Stevenage and have picked up eight points from their last five matches. They sit in twelfth place in the league.
CRAWLEY TOWN'S LAST MATCH
Crawley Town 2 Stevenage 0 | February 22, 2020 | EFL Sky Bet League Two
Crawley took all three points against bottom of the table Stevenage thanks to goals from Bez Lubala and Ashley Nadesan.
TICKET NEWS
Your support has been crucial to City's promotion push and once again we need your vocal backing to drive City to another 3 points.
Tickets are on sale at advance prices until 5pm in person and midnight online, on Friday, February 28, so you can save time and money, and pick your seat in advance. Click here to book online.
MATCH DAY COVERAGE
As usual, we’ll have the match covered across our social media channels and we’ll have a post-match interview with manager Matt Taylor and a player as they reflect on the result. You can also tune into BBC Radio Devon to listen to commentary as well.
Over the coming days you will be able to watch short and extended highlights (extended if subscribed to iFollow) and the SJP 360 recap of the match.
LAST LEAGUE MEETING
Crawley Town 0 Exeter City 1 | November 23, 2019 | EFL Sky Bet League Two
Dean Moxey's second-half strike was enough to earn the Grecians all 3 points at the People's Pension Stadium back in November.
MATCH SPONSORS
Our match sponsor is Crealy Theme Park and Resort, we hope they all enjoy their day at St James Park.
MATCH DAY PROGRAMME
Our award-winning match day programme returns this Saturday and as usual has a whole host of content for supporters of all ages. The feature interview for this edition is Matt Jay who talks about the promotion run in, home form, the current crop of youngsters at SJP and how the Leasing.com Trophy has helped him to break into the starting XI.
Junior Grecians can take part in our quizzes and local journalists Matt Bamsey and Alan Richardson cast their eyes over the Grecians and the wider footballing world.
MASCOTS
You can read the mascot profiles in the match day programme which you can pick up in the stadium for ÂŁ3.00 on the day. For mascot booking or information, please contact andy.gillard@ecfc.co.uk.
CLUB SHOP
The club shop will be open from 10:30am and closes once supporters have left SJP, giving you the opportunity to make some purchases ahead of the match including the popular new third kit! There is a great range for all City supporters including training wear, mugs, scarves and a selection of pocked money items for kids.
MATCHDAY ACTIVITIES
As ever, football at the Park isn't just about the 90 minutes on the pitch, we've got a whole host of opportunities and experiences to make your matchday extra special.
Lez the Fez
Lez the Fez is back by popular demand, bringing his unique brand of magic and balloon modelling.
Ask him nicely and he might even make you one of his latest designs – Grecian the Lion. His route with anticipated timings for his exhausting run around is 1:15pm to 2:45pm. He will start in the Junior Grecians Family Zone, move on to walking through Red Square Fan Zone then to matchday hospitality before entering the stadium and finishing in the Stagecoach Adam Stansfield stand.
FREE Face Painting
The face painters are back for the match to help you show your colours. Popular with children and seemingly as many adults, face painting will be available in Red Square from 1:30pm and subsequently around the ground. Don’t worry if you miss them pre-match they will be mobile around the ground during half-time.
First visit photo opportunity
Bringing anyone under-12 to their first match at SJP? We would love for them to be part of a 'first visit to SJP' pitch side photo opportunity.
If you would be interested in marking the occasion, and want to make the experience extra special, please get in touch by emailing: junior.grecians@ecfc.co.uk with their name and age so we can create a special 'first visit' certificate for them.
On a Saturday matchday, please head to the Junior Grecians Lounge in Red Square at 1:45pm, where you will be met by a member of staff and taken pitch side for a photo, certificate AND goody bag!
Please click here to view our 'First vist to SJP' guide.
Family photo opportunity
Another extra service that has really taken off is photos of away and City families in the respective dugouts. If you would like to record your visit with this 'Kodak moment; please ask at the Tombola stall at 1:50pm.
Other Activities in Red Square Fan Zone:
Don't forget those special selfie an autograph opportunities as the players start to arrive around 12:45pm!
There will be fun and games, including the chance to win a Classic Selection Box with Play Your Cards Right!
We will be asking a home supporter to announce the City side and a Crawley Town supporter to announce the away side as near to 2pm as possible. If you would like take on this responsibility please head to the Information Point before 2pm.
East Devon Grecians will also be supplying a quiz sheet for a small donation to their funds. Every penny then earn is used to improve things at St James Park and The Cliff Hill training Ground.
In Red Square Fan Zone will be the Kenniford Farm van serving hot food direct from their farm.
You can also pick up some free player stickers from the Ambassador Team situated around the outside of the stadium, the Information Point/Meeting Place and the Tombola Stand, this week's player is skipper Jake Taylor!
At the Tombola stall You can also take part in the Exeter City tombola where the first prize is a signed Exeter City football. Just pull out number 25 (Jake Taylor!) and you can take the second ball home. Team Sheets will also be available for a small donation with all funds raised go directly to the academy to support the future of the club.
To help boost the funds for the Academy you can also obtain a team sheet for a small donation at the Tombola stall.
Junior Grecians Lunch boxes
New in the JG lounge are kids lunch boxes which include a sandwich or sausage roll and some healthy snacks including a fruit bag and yoghurt. The packs are ÂŁ3.95 and include a FREE sticker pack.
50/50 draw
Don't forget to take part the Supporters Club matchday 50/50 Draw at St James Park, with half the money going directly to the club, and half been given away to draw winners in prize money.
The team of sellers from the Supporters Club can be found in Red Square from 1:30pm and tour the stadium before the games kick off, selling draw tickets to supporters for 50p each.
Junior Grecians tickets
Junior Grecians members get access to free match tickets when purchased alongside a paying adult. There are two family friendly areas available at St James Park, section E in the IP Office Main Stand and a section of the Thatchers Big Bank which is identified by the white barriers).
Click here to find out more.
Join the Guard of Honour
All being well (weather permitting) the Guard of Honour should be back on Saturday. The lucky flag wavers should be selected from the Stagecoach Adam Stansfield Stand around 2:25pm
After assembling, the Guard of Honour (and parents) move to the far side of ground to get some practice in waving their flags, which also presents an opportunity for Grecian and Lexi to pose for photographs.
When the players finish their warm up the Guard of Honour go on their 'lap of honour' in front of the stands to the players’ tunnel. After they have been on the field and welcomed the teams and officials onto the pitch they receive their “gift” (a bag of sweets) and certificates of participation.
If your son, daughter or grandchild has not been involved in the Guard of Honour and you would like to make sure they do not miss out please email customerservices@exetercityfc.co.uk.
Junior Grecians Lounge
The Junior Grecians are the Official Junior Supporters Club of Exeter City FC.
The room provides a safe comfortable environment for families to enjoy pre-match entertainment, such as a large screen TVs, Playstation consoles and Table Football, as well as the option to enjoy refreshments from the Zone’s very own kiosk.
A feature wall displaying a packed Big Bank also provides a photo-sharing opportunity using the #jgzone hashtag. There are activities and competitions to suit all junior age groups, from FIFA19 and Table Football tournaments to free Activity Packs for younger children.
The Zone also features a VIP party area and there are several party packages available to book throughout the season.
So, if you are visiting St James Park on a matchday with children, be sure to pop in to the family zone!
New for this season, is the Family Zone 2 in the Stagecoach Adam Stansfield Stand, the astroturfed area includes a photo wall opportunity, table football, and beanbags where children can gather to play games and relax before kick-off.
Stadium Tours
Did you know that the Supporters' Trust offer FREE tours around St James Park?
The free guided tours are great for anyone who’d like to get a behind the scenes view, whilst finding out about the history of their club. The tours and are open to all; you don’t have to be a Trust member to come along.
Tours start at 11am on matchdays from Red Square and take in many parts of the ground that you wouldn’t otherwise get to see, including the boardroom, the brand new players’ changing rooms, match officials’ facilities and the security hub.
Lasting around 90 minutes, you will almost certainly learn something you didn’t know before, and maybe you’ll be able to tell us something from your experiences of coming to City that we didn’t know!
To book your place, please contact reception on: reception@ecfc.co.uk or call 01392 411 243, or email: david_luxton@sky.com.
Matchday timetable
Take a look below to familiarise yourself with the key matchday timings here at St James Park.
For the Adults
BOTTLE BAR
On the Big Bank on Saturday?
We will again have the bottle bar in the triangle kiosk, with Carlsberg plastic bottles available at half-time for just ÂŁ4.
Make sure you visit the Centre Spot bar after the match, where pints of Thatchers, Carlesberg and Tribute and selected Ales at the FECRACE bar are just ÂŁ3.
