Exeter v Accrington: another thriller in store?

Should Clark start for Stanley? – accringtonobserver.co.uk

These teams have produced some good games in recent years. There was a five goal thriller at the Crown back in November 2014, as Exeter won 3-2 with some excellent long-range strikes on show.

10 months later, Accrington Stanley won the same fixture 4-2. They dominated the 15 minute periods either side of half-time, each seeing them net a 90-second double salvo. The opening and closing half hour periods though were exciting and Exeter threatened to overturn a four-goal deficit, though ultimately it proved too late.

Lee Holmes was the Grecians’ best player that day, but has not played for the club since December due to an ankle injury. Thankfully, Holmes is not one of 10 players out injured, as was the case earlier in the campaign. Equally, the importance of his recovery is somewhat tempered by the form of Ollie Watkins and David Wheeler.

Watkins netted with a fine strike last week at Hartlepool, with much of that game seeing Exeter as the more prominent side. The home side’s late comeback however meant a 3-1 defeat that was made even harder to take by a penalty that was not given with scores level.

Accrington Stanley were a touch hard done by at Cheltenham in January, with a debateable red card and a big second half miss at 1-0 the defining moments in an eventual 3-0 loss. They have since responded well though with just one defeat in eight, despite playing six of the top ten in that time.

Their last outing saw a 1-0 win over Barnet. It was not their best performance, but they defended well throughout with Matty Pearson and Mark Hughes stubborn at the back. The fit again Sean McConville came back into the team at the expense of attacking wide man Jordan Clark, who was perhaps unlucky to be dropped.

The former Shrewsbury man’s set pieces set up both goals in the 2-2 draw with Wycombe and he subsequently put in a decent 28-minute performance off the bench against Barnet, hitting the post late on. That victory was only the fourth against bottom half opposition for Stanley, who tend to thrive against the better teams, evidenced by their impressive cup runs this term.

Exeter are firmly in the reckoning for a play-off place, but should not underestimate their big-game specialist visitors.

The Football Lab’s Verdict: 1-1
Betting Tip: Accrington or draw 8/11