Pierce Sweeny is the Exeter City FC’s club captain.
Following back-to-back victories against Fleetwood Town at home and Shrewsbury Town away, it appears highly likely that we will play League One football next season. We currently have 47 points with seven games remaining, so it’s possible that we might surpass our 56 points from the previous season.
That won’t be simple, but if we could pull it off, it would be a fantastic accomplishment—especially in light of the difficult period we went through before Christmas. Even if I never had any doubts that we would win it, I believe we’ve performed incredibly well to virtually guarantee our safety with seven or eight games remaining.
Following our awful run of 13 league games without a victory, we have amassed a very acceptable 27 points since our Boxing Day matchup with Wycombe Wanderers. Nevertheless, it was wonderful to return to winning ways at the New Meadow before our game against Shrewsbury last Tuesday, as we hadn’t triumphed in five games prior.
It’s true that midfielder Jordan Shipley’s dismissal after only six minutes due to a foul on Ryan Woods made our task slightly simpler. Playing against ten men, however, frequently causes teams to fold and isn’t always simple, but I felt we handled the task effectively.
Regarding the sending-off, it seemed to me that although though both players were reaching for the ball, the Shrews player was the one who left the pitch, so they shouldn’t have too many complaints. After the game, Ryan undoubtedly had a huge gash on his knee that, in my opinion, needed several stitches.
It was true that it took us a little while to figure out how to use our additional man, but after Will Aimson put us ahead with a lovely little flick from a corner in the 33rd minute, there was never any real uncertainty about the result. Eight minutes later, Luke Harris increased our lead with his first club goal, and just before the half, Jack Aitchison made it 3-0.
While it’s taken a while for Luke to break through, it was wonderful to see him do so. Luke had been under fire from some of us at the Cliff Hill Training Ground for his inability to perform, despite calling himself “a goalscorer” in his first interview upon joining the team. Hopefully, he will be able to add a couple more goals before the season ends.
Even if he hasn’t had as much luck as he had anticipated in finding the back of the net, Luke has been invaluable to us. I had imagined, before he arrived, that he would be a technically sound No 10 who would defer to others to do the hard yards, but he wasn’t quite that way. Everyone can see how diligent Luke is and how eager he is to get started. Furthermore, he plays with a great lot of maturity and, despite his recent 19th birthday, I believe he has a bright future ahead of him.
We were well-positioned for Saturday’s home match against Burton Albion after defeating Shrewsbury, so I was a little let down by how we started the match. Even though I was useless for the thirty or so minutes I was on the pitch, I felt like it took us longer than it needed to get going.
Before the game started, I felt great, but as soon as it started, I started to feel weak and ill. It seemed to make no difference that our physiotherapist, Michael McBride, offered me some energy gel, so when he was called upon a second time, it was clear that I should come off.
Anyway, we were in the lead just before the half thanks to a brilliant move by Ilmari Niskanen down the right, and a goal from Reece Cole put us ahead. Sadly, Zak Jules’ dismissal at halftime due to an altercation in the tunnel depressed our spirits. Although I was not present, it seems to me that Zak reacted to a rather minor provocation.
I’m not really sure if the incident warranted a red card because I wasn’t present. But I do know that occasionally, if at all, there are some “handbags” in the tunnel and that this never, if ever, leads to a sending-off. In fact, in the entire time I’ve been at the club, I can’t recall that ever happening.
All in all, I thought we played a great second half with just 10 men; we kept the visitors to one real chance, which came when the ball struck the underside of the crossbar, and we kept getting close. It was mentioned in the locker room following the game, and there’s no doubt that it helped us cross the finish line. It seemed that the people in attendance valued our efforts, as they really got behind us in the last twenty or so minutes.
Away from football, I had the privilege of inaugurating the newly renovated library at Morchard Bishop Church of England Primary School. We adore our community and our preschool-age daughter, Myla, so I was delighted to lend a hand when requested to take on the honours.
Watching Finland play Wales in the Euro 24 play-off on Thursday night is something I’m really looking forward to. While it’s wonderful to see Ethan Ampadu playing so well for Wales, it would be amazing if he and Vil Sinisalo could make it to the tournament in Germany this summer. Hopefully, Ilmari will receive the start. Several players and a couple of staff members will be attending the Cardiff City Stadium to support Ilmari and Vil. Although I am unable to attend due to family obligations, I will be praying for our Finnish friends.
Looking a little further ahead, we are excited to play Charlton Athletic at SJP on Good Friday even though the international break prevents us from playing this weekend. Given our previous performance and the fact that it is a bank holiday, it’s one of those games you watch for when the schedule is released and you would like to think that it will be almost sold out.
We haven’t won three straight since we defeated Carlisle, Reading, and Burton at the beginning of the season, as the boss likes to remind us. As the Easter weekend culminates in our trip to Cheltenham Town on the bank holiday Monday, it would be fantastic if we could turn things around against Nathan Jones’s team.
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