Exeter City F.C meeting the opposition.

Exeter City meeting the opposition.

Ahead of this weekend’s game I spoke to Exeter City supporter Jamie Dyer. He’s answered questions for this feature previously stating that he started following the club just over a decade ago and he has since taken great joy in their three play-off semi final victories.

He now speaks of City’s 2021/22 campaign so far and how he believes Saturday’s game will be played out, stating two Tranmere players that Exeter supporters should be looking out for.

Random fact about Exeter City? 

In 16/17 we set an EFL record of the most away victories in a campaign with 13.

How would you describe Exeter’s campaign so far and what are your hopes/expectations for the months ahead?

I’ll admit we’re beginning to see some chinks in the armour especially defensively, we had a very good run but we just haven’t got going since then. There’s plenty of positives to take from the start of the season though, we’ve been almost creating chances at will and finding the net regularly not forgetting our fine home form as well which should (emphasis on the word should) get us at least a playoff place. However, this month will be very telling as we face all of the current top 7 but despite the injuries we’ve got really good strength in depth so I can see us picking up some positive results in the coming weeks.

Taking a look at Saturday’s game, who would you say are the key players for either side and how do you believe the fixture will be approached by manager Matt Taylor?

Paul Glatzel and Jay Spearing are the names that stick out for me. Spearing is commanding in the middle of the park, very physical, decent on the ball and very experienced. Glatzel, the Liverpool loanee, has impressed  me as he scores goals, seems to  link up play  and looks really threatening.

City have injuries like I’ve said before but Matt Jay and Jevani Brown seem to be the only consistent players at the moment.  “Jev” has been a great player for us so far, always getting into good areas and has a good assist tally already this campaign as partnership with the City skipper continues to flourish. Our diminutive skipper needs no introduction; he’s skillful, knows where the net is and is vital to the way we play .

What are your current thoughts, amongst those of other supporters’ on Taylor?

Matt  has been in charge for 4 years now and the supporters are very fond of him for what he did with us as a player and you could say we’re progressing under him to a certain extent. However, what impresses me the most is that he’s built the team and club into his image while also keeping us competitive and also building on the foundations that Tisdale left. We’ve now finally got a squad strong enough to challenge and a squad that’s capable of playing Taylor’s style of football so if we don’t go up questions have to be asked. 

How would you describe the current relationship between fans and the hierarchy of the club? Would you say that being owned by the Supporters Trust and not having a particular owner as such has its advantages? What are the current exciting off pitch plans?

I’d say it’s been better than ever to be honest, particularly being fan owned. We’ve got more and more involved, for example we got to choose next season’s kit and as well as a new electronic scoreboard coming in but also a new training facility. Being a fan owned club is very special, you’re appreciated and you can get involved in any way possible. I could go on.

Thoughts on Tranmere, as a club in general?

Tranmere are a very big fish in the lower echelons of the EFL. They have a fantastic fan base, a manager who knows the club very well and it helps that Prenton Park has been somewhat of a fortress in recent years. 

Jake Caprice, the full-back who made the assist as Tranmere won promotion to League One in 2019, now plays his football for City. What’s he been like since his arrival?

Caprice has come on leaps and bounds from last season playing on his weaker side and has really worked on his game.  

The January transfer window is fast approaching, who would you like to see being brought in and how would you describe the recruitment completed in the summer of 2021? 

Our recruitment was very underwhelming given the promises that were made but we were made to eat our words with how we’re currently capable of playing. January will be interesting with Josh Key and skipper Matt Jay attracting interest but if we can keep hold of them it’ll be a success.

Finishing our conversation off, your score prediction?

It seems you’re struggling for goals at the moment. However, I believe it’s the perfect time to play us as we’re winless in four so I’ll go 2-1 Tranmere.