Boss targeting six points to end 2016 in top half
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale says his side need to approach next week expecting highly competitive and robust matches at both Yeovil Town and Newport County.
The Grecians go into the post-Christmas schedule on the back of three wins and a draw from their last four games and six points in the nine days will see them finish 2016 in the top half of the League Two table.
Tis says that has to be his side’s aim – not that reaching that target is going to be easy.
“The next two games – Yeovil and Newport – we have to look to win them,” he said. “I am not saying I am taking that for granted. I am not belittling the attempts or the effort of the other teams – it is going to be a battle in both games – but it is our job to go and win it and our team needs to be ready for the highly competitive and robust nature of those games that we encounter next week.”
Tis has no fresh injury woes from players going into the match and Jordan Tillson, Ryan Harley and Troy Brown have also had plenty of minutes under their belt in the past fortnight.
Added to that City picked up their first home league win of the season last Saturday, with a 2-0 win over Mansfield, which will have been a massive confidence boost to the team.
“It is certainly better than not winning and winning games of football and gaining points can only give you confidence,” said Tis. “We have taken 10 points from the last four games, which is good form.
“The mean average of the squad’s fitness levels is improving. We have got the likes of Jordan Tillson and Ryan Harley who are returning from injury and playing and Troy Brown has made an instant impact with his return. I’ll be looking to gain the extra strength when (Pierce) Sweeney, (Troy) Archibald-Henville and one or two others come back into the squad.
“It adds competition for places and back-up. We have already seen this season that it is not a case of having your best XI and bulldozing on. It just doesn’t work that way anymore.
“The players put in so much energy and there is such a competition involved when you play games that you need a squad.
“And although the league is very tight and concatenated at the moment, over the next two or three months there is every chance it will start to stretch out and we want to be in the top half.”