Matt Jay looking forward to testing himself against Chelsea youngsters
Despite Exeter City’s defeat in the opening EFL Trophy fixture against Oxford United, Matt Jay is optimistic about his side climbing out of their tough group when they face Chelsea at St James Park on Tuesday night.
The game, which kicks-off at 7.45pm, will see City take on a young Chelsea side and Jay, who was handed his first team debut in the EFL Trophy in 2013, is looking forward to the match.
“We have a lot of good players in the side and I am really confident we can get out of the group,” he said. “It should be a good game. It is a good match for us as a club.
“It is a chance for the lads who haven’t played that much to get some game time – a bit like the Oxford United tie five or six weeks ago. Chelsea are obviously going to be a very good side so we will have to see how we match up.”
Jay says the reorganisation of the EFL Trophy to include Premier League teams and a group stage is great for the young players at St James Park as it gives them more chance to impress the manager than it would if they were just playing in reserve matches.
“I think it is quite good because it is a group thing this season so there are more and more games and you can compare yourself to the likes of Chelsea and the rest of the Premier League teams that in the competition.
“There are more and more opportunities to impress the manager and everything that comes with playing games.”
Asked how an EFL Trophy match differs from a reserve game, Jay added: “It is a tough one to be fair because a game is a game at the end of the day, but points are riding on it. As good as reserve games are it is just different when you are in that competitive action. The EFL trophy games mean something and we feel we can go far in the competition so we want to do as well as we can.”