Exeter City manager Matt Taylor admits his team won’t need any motivating words before Saturday’s top of the table clash with Swindon Town.
The Grecians travel to the County Ground knowing that a victory will take them to the top of the Sky Bet League Two table in front of more than 1,700 of their travelling fans. Added to that they will also be keen to put a poor second half performance at Port Vale in midweek behind them.
“I shouldn’t need to say too much before the game to this group of players,” admitted Matt. “They were highly motivated before the game on Tuesday, let alone after it on the back of a defeat.
“Then you are going to top of the table, when you are two points behind them, which means it is all to play for. The fact that we are playing a team in and around us this weekend, puts a different dynamic on the game. It is one we are really up for. This group of players are a hungry group of players and they can, generally, when a big occasion is put in front of them, stand up to it.”
The match is, undoubtedly, the stand out game in League Two this weekend and with the home side also doing so well this season a crowd of over 10,000 is expected a the game – an attendance higher than has been seen at the County Ground for a number of years.
“Hopefully it won’t disappoint,” said Matt. “Hopefully, it won’t be a drab 0-0 game. It should be two good teams going at it. There are a lot of good players on show for this level and whoever puts a performance in on the day has the best chance of winning.
“We know where we are in the league and Swindon are where we want to get to. We have got full respect for their management, their staff and the players they have got there. And the amount of people that will be there on the weekend shows what a big club they are and it is only right that they are competing at the top end of the table. So, it is all to look forward to this weekend.
“It is a game where we are going to have to be at our best to withstand any pressure. We have still got to hurt them when we can and we have still got to use the ball and use the ball well on what will, hopefully, be a good pitch. It will come down to the moments of use of that ball and how often we have to defend our own box as opposed to attacking Swindon’s box.”