Exeter City vs Stevenage Predictions

It has been a great start to the season for Exeter City under new manager Matt Taylor. They sit third in the league after ten matches and look well set up to sustain an automatic promotion bid.

The club would have been in the top two had it not been for a 97th minute equaliser from Port Vale in their most recent match. Midfielder Nicky Law, who has proven to be an excellent signing, opened the scoring but failed to take another chance, allowing Vale to level things up so late in the game. The team will have been disappointed with that result but they can look back on what has largely been a fantastic start to the season.

Exeter have looked a class above most opponents they have faced. They have a formidable striking force, with strikers Jayden Stockley, Pierce Sweeney and Jon Forte all on more than three goals each. They have balance also, with goalkeeper Christy Pym one of the best in the division. It has meant they can demolish teams, like their 5-1 defeat of Notts County a couple of games back, with some great, passing football being played.

However, a single criticism would be that they do not perform as well against the very top teams in the division. After losing the last two play-off finals, they have to show more bottle when it comes to these games and losing 3-0 at home to league leaders Lincoln, as well as 1-0 to promotion rivals MK Dons, suggests they haven’t quite perfected it yet. Despite this, Exeter should be in the top six come the end of the season with the squad they have.

Exeter’s opponents for this match, Stevenage, are one place below them and have been successful in the application of a tight, compact style of play focused around defensive strength.

The club have the joint-third best defensive record in the league, conceding nine goals in ten games. This defensive prowess has allowed them to accumulate 1-0 wins against Grimsby, Macclesfield, and Morecambe, as well as in their most recent match, away at Carlisle. They frustrated the hosts for most of the match and took their chance through a Ben Kennedy winner. Manager Dino Maamria should take a lot of credit for how he has got his side to play, as well as the team for adapting so well early on the season.

Stevenage have also shown they can be forced into good attacking play at the same time. They drew 3-3 at Notts County, as Stevenage came from behind three times, which showed not only the character of the side but their potential going forward. A 2-2 draw with Tranmere and a 3-1 victory at Crawley further cements this belief and suggests that this side could be a real threat to teams across the division.

However, if a team can successfully suppress what attacking threat Stevenage have, then eventually the pressure can lead to victories against this side. This was seen in losses against Yeovil and Cambridge, highlighting that like any team, Stevenage can be broken down with enough quality attacking play.

Indeed, we think Exeter will do just that on Tuesday. They have so much going for them in their forward line in midfield, that they can break down Stevenage. It will be a difficult match for them though, and we think Exeter can nick it with a 1-0 score-line, also backing Exeter to be able to suppress Stevenage’s attacking play. To add value to a bet on this game, we think an Exeter Win to Nil bet is appropriate.