Stevenage welcome Gary Caldwell’s Exeter City to The Lamex Stadium this afternoon for another big battle in Sky Bet League One…
As the campaign reaches its midway point, Stevenage continue to be enjoying the dream start to life in the third tier after earning promotion earlier in the year. Steve Evans’ side sit an impressive third in the table, behind only Bolton and Portsmouth.
Earlier this week, attention briefly turned to the FA Cup as Boro met Port Vale for a second-round replay. A late Stevenage equaliser in normal time, and then in extra time, meant the game would be decided by a penalty shootout.
Taye Ashby-Hammond pulled off two superb saves in the shootout to send Boro into the third round to play Maidstone United away from home.
The Opposition
Exeter City won four of their first six league games this season, and looked as if they were going to enjoy an exciting campaign. However, their form over the last couple of months has been extremely disappointing as they have seen themselves drop to 20th in the table.
The Grecians have failed to win a league game since the 16th of September, so they will be arriving at The Lamex with a big point to prove. They have also failed to score in their last four league games, with their most recent clash ending in a 1-0 home defeat to Port Vale.
They have struggled for goals for a large portion of this campaign so far, but their top scorer is Ryan Trevitt who has five to his name in all competitions. Exeter’s captain, Will Aimson, has played at centre-back in all of his side’s League One games this season, but is suspended for today’s match after receiving two yellow cards last weekend.
The Manager
Gary Caldwell was appointed as Exeter manager in October 2022, and last season guided his side to a 14th placed finish in League One. He previously had managerial spells at Partick Thistle, Chesterfield and Wigan Athletic, where he won the League One title.
Against their former club
Jamie Reid started his career with Exeter City, where he made his professional debut as an 18-year-old. He made 28 appearances for the Grecians, scoring three goals. Reid signed for Stevenage in July 2021, and has become a fan favourite, earning the nickname ‘Big Goal Reidy’. An incredible 17 goals from 27 appearances is his current tally for the season.
Exeter City’s Jack Aitchison may be a familiar name to Stevenage supporters. The 23-year-old spent the 2020/21 campaign on loan at The Lamex Stadium, where he made 26 appearances, predominantly as a winger under Alex Revell. Aitchison is likely to feature against his former club this afternoon, having made 15 league appearances this season.
Officials
Ross Joyce has been appointed Match Referee for today’s game, with Paul Lister-Flynn and Damith Bandara as Assistants, and David Harrison as Fourth Official. Joyce has handed out 76 yellow cards and six reds in 18 games this season.