Manager Gary Caldwell has given his preview of Saturday's first pre-season fixture, as the Grecians make the short trip to the Optima Stadium to take on Weston-super-Mare.
City make the annual trip to the Somerset coast well prepared after important summer preparation, and it will also be the first run out for some of the new signings who have joined the club in recent weeks.
"We've played a few in house games and we are progressing in terms of the football, said Gary. "The first week to ten days is more about general fitness. We had some early starts, we've tested the players in different ways, physically, mentally, but now it's more of the football and looking forward to keeping kind of testing that against opposition.
Speaking about why City chose Weston-super-Mare in this season's reduced match schedule, Gary said: "It's a game we've played in my two previous pre-seasons here at the club and it's always a place where I think a really good environment, good pitch, it's always a really good test, we get a good crowd. So yeah, it was a no brainer to go back there and get a test again against a good opposition."
"We wanted some different games where we feel like we'll be challenged in different ways. We always ask the opposition what formation they're playing and stuff so that tactically we get something out of the game. We're not just going into the game blind.
"We'll obviously tell them what we're doing as well so that I think sometimes in pre-season games you just go in and you get minutes and you get physical outputs but we feel like we can gain so much more and have a real game plan and a focus of how we want to play in the game and like I said, be tested against good opposition.
"It's always been tough games against Weston. It was 1-1 last year and we won by the odd goal the season before. So it's a difficult place to go but a good pitch and a pitch that we can hopefully go and work on some things that we're working on in training this week."
When asked what fans can expect to see from the City side on Saturday, Gary said:
"The game will be two 45 minute sides, there will be see some younger players, first team players and Academy players which I always think is good as well. We unearthed Jake Richards at this time in pre-season and look how well he's went on to do so. There's always an opportunity for younger players to show what they can do. But it's also we're working on specific principles, how we want to play and how we want to behave as we go into the season."
The trip to Weston is just over an hour, and City's manager would love to see as many Grecians as possible backing the boys on Saturday:
"It's been well supported the last two times we played there. Both have been night games. I remember the traffic last year was horrendous and Gilly was having a heart attack. He had to put the kick-off time back. Taggy's already warned me that the traffic's horrendous on July, whatever date it is!
"So hopefully we can get there safely, supporters can get there safely and get a big turnout and hopefully it's an exciting game, but a game where we can learn and, and definitely progress in terms of how we want to play the game and how we want to be in position and that transition element of the game as well next season."
Hear more from Gary, where he chats pre-season and the transfer window below: