Exeter City will be looking to return to winning ways as they face Salford City at St James Park for the first time on Saturday, March 14, 3pm.
Manager Matt Taylor wants his players to get âback to themselvesâ on Saturday.
The game â which is being used to mark the 20th anniversary since the Exeter City Supportersâ Trust came into being â is a decisive one with Salford battling for a spot in the League Two play-offs and City hoping to break back into the automatic promotion places with nine games to go.
âI keep reiterating it in almost every interview how important it is to enjoy these moments,â said Matt. âPressure is pressure, we are under no illusions that we are under pressure because we want to keep picking up points and we have not done that in our last four games. So, we want to get back to ourselves.â
CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF THE SUPPORTERS' TRUST
Twenty years is an awfully long time in Football and at Exeter City.
Players have come and gone, managers have changed, rules and regulations have been updated, but one thing has remained strong and consistent at Exeter City, and that is the Exeter City Supporters' Trust.
At Saturday's match against Salford City, we recognise TWENTY years of the Exeter City Supporters' Trust, thanks to match sponsors RGB Building Supplies, who have generously agreed to share their sponsorship.
Click here to find out more about the activies on the day.
THE CONTEXT
Exeter City come into the match on the back of defeat away at Walsall last weekend. The Grecians sit in fourth place in EFL Sky Bet League Two, three points outside of the automatic places.
SALFORD CITY'S LAST MATCH
Salford City 2 Bradford City 0 | March 7, 2020 | EFL Sky Bet League Two
Ash Hunter made it four goals in three games to earn Salford City the t hree points against Bradford City.
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, March 13, so you can save time and money, and pick your seat in advance. Click here to book online.
MATCH DAY COVERAGE
As usual, weâll have the match covered across our social media channels and weâll 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
Salford City 0 Exeter City 1 | December 14, 2019 | EFL Sky Bet League Two
Exeter City picked up their third straight win in Sky Bet League Two with a 1-0 win over Salford City back in December. Ryan Bowman scored the only goal of the game, midway through the first half, and it is a victory that kept the Grecians in second going into a busy festive fixture period.
MATCH SPONSORS
Our match sponsor is RGB Building Supplies, who have generously donated half of their sponsorship to the Exeter City Supporters' Trust. We hope they all enjoy their day at St James Park.
Our associate sponsors are Bidfood and Allwood. The match ball sponsors are TWP, S&P Builders and Single Ply Structures limited.
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. This edition takes a look at twenty years of the Supporters' Trust.
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
Lez the Fez
Lez the Fez returns, bringing his unique brand of magic and balloon modelling.
Ask him nicely and he might even make you one of his latest designs â 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.
Target Shot
Test your football skills with our FREE target shot attraction in Red Square and see if you can get the highest score!
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:
There will be fun and games, including giant Jenga! You can practice from 1pm and there will be a competitive game at 1:45pm for a prize!
We will be asking a home supporter to announce the City side and a Salford City 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.
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 Big Bank at 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 playersâ tunnel. After they have been on the field and welcomed the teams and officials onto the pitch they receive their âgiftâ (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 Zoneâs 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 whoâd 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 donât 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 wouldnât otherwise get to see, including the boardroom, the brand new playersâ changing rooms, match officialsâ facilities and the security hub.
Lasting around 90 minutes, you will almost certainly learn something you didnât know before, and maybe youâll be able to tell us something from your experiences of coming to City that we didnât 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.
