PIERCE SWEENEY IS THE CLUB CAPTAIN OF EXETER CITY FC
There’s no escaping the fact we’re on a horrible run right now. Saturday’s 3-0 reverse at Fleetwood was our seventh defeat in our last eight EFL fixtures and if we don’t stop the rot soon, our hard-earned League One status is going to be under serious threat.
Truth be told, it feels a bit like Groundhog Day and I’m not sure quite what to say any more. However, I can tell you with absolute certainty that there are no divisions in the camp and, what is more, while some of our performances over recent weeks may have suggested otherwise, we’ve been working our socks off to turn things around.
Plainly, a run of one win in 13 matches is nowhere near good enough and I understand supporters’ frustrations but, believe you me, it pains us every bit as much as it does you – rest assured, no-one is feeling good about it. Giving it everything at the Cliff Hill Training Ground day in, day out, only for game after game to end in disappointment has been a thoroughly miserable experience that we’re all desperate to kick into touch.
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Saturday afternoon was a case in point; as you might imagine, the mood on the coach journey home was pretty sombre and that was before we encountered hordes of Argyle supporters, heading back from their game at Elland Road, when we ventured into a motorway services on route back to Devon!
Inevitably, some people will blame the manager for our current predicament and while Gary has never flinched from taking responsibility, I can’t help thinking even the likes of Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp would have struggled for much of a return from the hands the Gaffer has been dealt over the course of recent months.
Of course, it was never going to be easy to replace a £1m striker, whose departure was only confirmed a day or two before the transfer window closed. However, plans were in place to bring in two or three players to help fill the void left by Sam Nombe’s exit, only to fall through at the 11th hour. I don’t pretend to know exactly what went on but I’m sure no-one was more disappointed than Gary those signings didn’t come to fruition. To compound the situation, Admiral Muskwe, who joined on loan from Luton, suffered a setback on his first start for us, against Burton at the beginning of September, and wasn’t sighted again until the Barnsley game more than a month later.
All the same, if that was the extent of the problems that Gary had to endure then I’m reasonably certain we’d still be nearer the play-off places than the relegation zone – unfortunately, it was only just the beginning, with Jack Aitchison, Ilmari Niskanen, Dion Rankine, and Ryan Trevitt joining Admiral, and long-term absentee Cheick Diabate, on the treatment table not long afterwards. And no sooner did the situation appear as if it might be taking a turn for the better than Tom Carroll, Reece Cole, Caleb Watts, Jack Fitzwater, and Demetri Mitchell picked up knocks.
I appreciate injuries are part and parcel of the game and that pretty much every club will encounter a ‘crisis’ of some kind during the course of the season. However, the fact remains that we don’t have the resources of the overwhelming majority of League One clubs and, in those circumstances, it’s not too hard to understand why the last couple of months have turned into quite such a struggle. That might not be what people want to hear but it seems to me it’s the reality of the situation.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting for a minute that all our issues are down to injuries; there’s no denying that on occasions some of us who have been fit to play haven’t performed as well as we, or the manager, would have liked. On occasions, a team can get away with one or two players underperforming; unfortunately for us, when it’s already been ravaged by injuries there tends to be much less room for manoeuvre. What is more, with every defeat your confidence takes a dent and in no time at all you can find yourself in a vicious circle from which it’s difficult to escape.
The good news is that there might, finally, be some light at the end of what has been a horribly long and dark tunnel on the injury front. Ilmari came off the bench for the second half of the Fleetwood game, while Dion is set to return to SJP, having undergone his rehabilitation with Chelsea, at the end of this week. What’s more, it looks like Reece is almost over the ankle injury he sustained against Lincoln and Tom appears to have recovered from the hamstring niggle which has caused him to sit out our last few matches.
As and when we’re back to something like full strength, I’m sure the tide will begin to turn. And if we can return to winning ways sooner rather than later then I’m confident Gary and our head of recruitment, Marcus Flitcroft, will utlize the January transfer window to source the signings required to ensure we remain a League One side for the 2024-25 season.
With neither us nor our opponents able to progress to the next round of the Papa John’s Trophy, next Tuesday’s game against Swindon might appear the deadest of dead rubbers. However, we’re desperate for a win anywhere right now in order to kickstart our season and that being the case – with Saturday’s home game against Peterborough postponed because of international call-ups – next week’s cup match at the County Ground is set to assume rather more significance than it might otherwise.
It goes without saying, I’d hope to be involved. However, right now the only thing that matters is that we get back on track ASAP and, with that in mind, if the manager chooses to leave me out of the starting XI you won’t hear any complaints from me. In the same vein, disappointed as I was to be hooked at half-time on Saturday, I felt it was important I got showered and changed as quickly as possible in order that I could show my support for those who were out on the pitch.
If we were able to beat the Robins then that would provide us with just the springboard we need ahead of our match at Bolton on Saturday week. In the meantime, do, please, keep the faith – I appreciate that’s a big ask at this moment in time, but right now we’re in a dogfight and need you more than ever to help us come through this difficult patch and start climbing the table again!
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