Tuesday’s challenge come in the form of Scunthorpe United as the Grecians get back on the road again.
Prior to kick-off Jed Penberthy picks out a couple of Iron players hoping to prove their mettle in trying to disrupt City’s quest for the top Seven.
Ryan Loft
Leading the line for Scunthorpe this season is former Exeter loanee Ryan Loft. Ryan has found his feet in Lincolnshire with seven league goals and five assists leading the line for the Iron.
Loft’s impressive form has since seen him touted as ‘the only choice for Player of the Year’ according to the local press. After being released by Leicester City in the Summer, Loft was quickly snatched by the Glanford Park side, who were short of quality in that department last season.
The Tottenham youth graduate had spells at Braintree and Stevenage before joining Exeter in January 2018, where he made the one solitary appearance- in a 1-0 away loss to Mansfield.
The 22-year-old chipped in 5 goals last season for Carlisle prior to the curtailment and will be full of confidence after finally settling down at Scunthorpe. The 6-foot-2 striker will be the point of attack for The Iron and will look to create openings in front of the City box.
Despite his ‘Lofty’ figure, Ryan has a great sense of athleticism. As a schoolboy he was a high jump champion, meaning his aerial capabilities could spell trouble for the Grecians back line.
Abobaker Eisa
Every striker needs his service and Abo Baker has been the source. The left winger has chipped in with four assists and just as many goals as Loft, offering a conundrum to League Two’s defenders.
The Sudan-born attacker played for Uxbridge and Wealdstone as a youngster before moving to Shrewsbury in January 2018. He was an unused substitute in the Football League Trophy final that year as the Shrews lost 1-0 to Lincoln City.
He scored his first Football League goal in April that year in a 1-1 draw with Bury. Since, he went on loan to Colchester United making 14 appearences scoring two goals before moving to Lincolnshire in 2019.
The only game he has not be involved in this season was the first fixture with City in October and he will be going into Tuesday’s game full of confidence. Abo is fresh off a solid performance against Salford City on Saturday where he found the net in the Iron’s 1-1 draw.
Jem Karacan
Karacan signed for the Iron in January and has featured in every game since. The crafty Turkish midfielder has added valuable experience to the Scunthorpe central areas and has chipped in with an assist too since his arrival.
Jem started his youth football for the Wimbledon F.C. youth side before the club’s move to Milton Keynes. Staying relatively local to London, Karacan swapped his allegiances to Reading where he would become a household name upon breaking into the first team in 2007.
In the 2014/15 season, Karacan was made captain at the Madejski Stadium and his number was changed to 21 because of Nigel Adkins’ eccentric comparison to Italian legend Andrea Pirlo. His form in Berkshire was noticed by Galatasaray, once an affiliate club to the Royals. He moved to the Turkish giants and made his Champions League debut in 2015.
Now 32, Karacan is back in English football in the humbling’s of League Two, but his continental experience is a major coup for Scunthorpe who are looking to secure safety for another season.