McKenna: A Really Challenging Game Friday, 18th Nov 2022 13:03 Town face Exeter City in a lunchtime Sky Sports game at St James Park on Saturday targeting their seventh away League One win of the campaign with manager Kieran McKenna anticipating an entertaining encounter (KO midday). The teams are both among the division’s top scorers with only Plymouth, 37, having scored more than Town’s 36, while the Grecians are the league’s fifth most potent side having found the net 31 times. Asked whether that bodes well for an entertaining match, McKenna said: “Let’s hope so. Of course, we’re one of the top scorers in the league and I think, hopefully, an enjoyable team to watch. “And Exeter have scored a lot of goals since they came up a division and have been involved in a lot of high-scoring games. “So we know that they have threats and we have threats, and I’m sure they’ll be studying and looking at that over the course of the week, and hopefully it makes for a good match. Of course, the result will be all important in the end.” Exeter have made an impressive start to the season having been promoted from League Two having finished second behind champions Forest Green Rovers on goal difference last season. The Grecians currently sit in ninth in the table, 13 points behind the second-placed Blues. “They have some talented players, some talented forward players that have scored in really good numbers in the league,” McKenna said. “A very good player who we know well on loan from Fulham in Jay Stansfield, who has added to them a lot from last season. “I’m sure they are fairly pleased with how their season is going so far, but we will give them the respect that they deserve, that their results and performances so far deserve. “But beyond that it’s about ourselves and making sure that our focus and our mentality is spot on for a really challenging game.” Quizzed on what he’s made of forwards Jevani Brown and Sam Nombe, who have netted 11 and 10 times respectively in all competitions already this season, McKenna said: “Two talented forwards. Really good attributes and different attributes. “It’s clear to see from Brown and the goals that he’s scored and the areas that he picks the ball up and the quality that he’s shown has been really high. “And Nombe is a player who has been around the league for a few years and has played with Richard Keogh at MK Dons as well, so we’re fully aware of his threats. “They have Stansfield on the left and Matt Jay as well, and they have good forward players. “They are a solid team who have solid players and has been together for a while, and have talented forwards, and that’s a recipe for getting good results which they’ve got so far. “Like every team we play against, we study them, give them full respect, and after that, we focus on ourselves and what we have to do.” Town are understood to have considered signing Fulham youngster Stansfield on loan in the summer before opting to look elsewhere, but McKenna wouldn’t be drawn on whether the 19-year-old, who has scored four times since joining his late father Adam’s old club on the final day of the transfer window, had been in his thoughts. “We looked at lots of players, know lots of players,” he said. “We know Jay for different reasons, one of them being that [first-team coach and head of analysis] Charlie Turnbull worked with him at Fulham, so he’s one of so many talented young players that we know and it’s good to see him having a good start at Exeter.” Given the Grecians' free-scoring approach, the match seems likely to be different to last week’s game against Cheltenham, which for long spells resembled an attack-v-defence training exercise, while the Blues have an impressive record on their travels having won six, drawn two and lost just the one, to leaders Plymouth, this season. “Let’s see,” McKenna considered. “Of course, our away record has been pretty good, but I don’t think there are any guarantees on how the game will go, to be honest. “Exeter have scored a lot of goals, but I wouldn’t say they are a very open team. I think they defend compact and their main idea with [manager] Gary [Caldwell] at the moment is to defend compact and not give away much space. “I don’t think we can go there expecting or guaranteeing that we’re going to have a wide open game with lots of spaces. I’d imagine they are going to make it very difficult for us to break them down and we need to be ready for that. “I think we’ve shown that we can win different types of games. We’ve shown that we can win when a team sits deep against us and tries to pack the defensive block. “We’ve won games like that this season, we’ve had open games where there’s space and both teams have more attacking intent that we’ve won, and we’ve won games against teams who have played long ball. “So there are different types of games and different types of opponent and we’ve tried to build a squad and build a mentality this year where we’re willing to take on whatever type of game it is, and we’re capable of winning in any type of game. “I don’t think it’s necessarily about the strategy of the opponent or any type of game. Some days things go your way and some days you play better, and some days they don’t go your way and you don’t play so well. “I think this squad and how we’ve built it is capable of winning against any opponent if we play to our capability.” Town, who are flying down to Devon this afternoon, will be looking to close the gap on leaders Argyle from four points with the Pilgrims in action at Burton Albion later in the afternoon. Third-placed Sheffield Wednesday, only a point behind the Blues following last week’s games, are at home to Shrewsbury. McKenna's side will also be aiming to continue their recent improvement in their TV record with the 1-0 home victory over Derby County their second win in 23 on Sky and the subsequent FA Cup win at Bracknell, which was on ITV4, their fourth victory in 37 live television matches overall.
Christian Walton will continue in goal, while Janoi Donacien will be a late call having been subbed early on during last week’s 1-1 draw with Cheltenham. If the former Accrington man isn’t OK, then Kane Vincent-Young could come in on the right of the defence. McKenna has decisions to make elsewhere in his backline with Cameron Burgess having returned from his facial injury. The Blues boss could recall the former Australia U23 international on the left of the centre of the defence, which would see George Edmundson drop out. Luke Woolfenden looks set to keep his place, while Leif Davis will continue wide on the left and Wes Burns on the right. With Lee Evans and Dominic Ball both sidelined with injury and Panutche Camara unlikely to be ready to start, Cameron Humphreys will keep his place alongside skipper Sam Morsy in the centre of midfield. McKenna’s options for his number 10 roles are limited by injury at present, Tyreece John-Jules having joined Sone Aluko on the sidelines, but may well bring Kyle Edwards in for Marcus Harness alongside Conor Chaplin. The Blues boss will pick between Freddie Ladapo and Kayden Jackson for the number nine role. Gassan Ahadme and Greg Leigh are back in full training and it’s not impossible that one or both of them could travel although manager McKenna said “this weekend is too soon for either of them to start” at his pre-match press conference. Ahadme is perhaps the more likely of the two to be included on the bench. Exeter beat fourth-placed Peterborough United 3-2 at St James Park last weekend, scoring in the 86th and 91st minutes to claim a comeback victory from what was manager Caldwell’s first home game. However, they have only won twice in their last six in the league, while at home in League One this season they have won five, drawn one and lost three. Caldwell, who took charge at the end of last month following Matt Taylor’s departure for Rotherham, is under no illusions regarding the challenge of Saturday’s match but says the victory over Posh illustrated that they are capable of taking on teams towards the top of the division. “On paper we have got a very difficult game, but that's on paper and last weekend we proved we can compete with these teams,” he told his club’s official website. “We have to be 100 per cent right in and out of possession as Ipswich will pose as good as or an even more difficult a task as Peterborough did on Saturday, so we have to be prepared and be ready to play our way. “[Being on TV] allows not only our own supporters but the wider audience see that we are a club on the up and one that plays an attractive brand of football, so it's a great opportunity for us to show ourselves off in a positive way.” Veteran defender Jonathan Grounds could be back in the starting XI having returned as a late sub last week after two months out with a calf problem, while another defender, Cheick Diabate, has been back in training this week following a foot injury. However, young forward Sonny Cox remains sidelined. Since taking over, Caldwell’s record in his four games reads won two, drawn one and lost one, including the 3-2 FA Cup victory at Port Vale a fortnight ago. Historically, the Blues have won 11 of the 28 meetings between the sides (eight in the league), nine have ended in draws (eight in the league), while Exeter have won eight (six). The teams last met in the EFL Trophy, then known as the Leasing.com Trophy, at St James Park in January 2020 when former Blues midfielder Lee Martin’s injury-time goal ended Town’s hopes of a Wembley appearance as they were defeated 2-1 in the third round. Nicky Ajose gave the League Two Grecians the lead in first-half injury time before Will Keane levelled on 58 as Town improved in the second half before Martin won it at the death. The teams also faced one another the previous season in the Carabao Cup with the Devon side again the winners, this time 4-2 via a penalty shoot-out after a 1-1 draw, also at St James Park. Jackson opened the scoring for Paul Hurst's side and ex-Blues defender Troy Brown levelled for the Devon side, while Martin was again the hero against his old club, hitting the decisive penalty in the shoot-out. Town’s last win at St James Park came in another League Cup tie in August 2010 when Roy Keane’s Blues won 3-2 after extra-time, Ronan Murray netting once and David Norris twice for Town and Ryan Harley scoring both for the home side. The last league meetings between the teams were back in the Blues’ 1956/57 Third Division South title-winning season under Sir Alf Ramsey. Town won 3-0 at home in the December with Doug Millward, John Elsworthy and Ted Phillips on target and 2-1 at St James Park in the April when Phillips added the second after Jimmy Leadbetter had netted Town’s first. Blues midfielder Rekeem Harper is currently on loan with the Grecians but is ineligible for Saturday’s match. The 22-year-old has made 10 starts and three sub appearances this season but has been an unused sub for the last three matches. Saturday’s referee is Alan Young from Cambridgeshire, who has shown 61 yellow cards and seven red in 14 games so far this season. Young’s last Town match was the 2-0 victory over Bristol Rovers at Portman Road in September in which he red-carded two Pirates, Bobby Thomas and Alfie Kilgour, in the closing stages. Kilgour, who was shown a straight red card for tripping Chaplin when through on goal, was subsequently successful in an appeal, while Thomas was given his marching orders for two bookable offences. In addition, Young yellow-carded Morsy, Harness, John-Jules and one other Rovers player. Before that, he was the man in the middle for the 4-0 win at Gillingham in January in which he red-carded Gills midfielder Daniel Phillips for a second bookable offence having also cautioned Donacien and one-time Blues academy youngster Stuart O’Keefe. Prior to that, he was in charge of the 2-1 defeat at Portsmouth in March last year in which he booked seven players, including then-skipper Luke Chambers, Gwion Edwards and Teddy Bishop. Young had only refereed one previous competitive Town first-team game but it was a memorable one from an officiating angle - the 0-0 home draw with Wycombe Wanderers in November 2019. Just before half-time, a Chambers header was diverted into his own net by Chairboys midfielder Curtis Thompson but Young wrongly disallowed it for offside having consulted linesman Aaron Farmer with the players already lined-up for the restart. In the second half, Blues keeper Holy stopped a Joe Jacobson penalty after Chambers had fouled David Wheeler with the offence appearing to have taken place outside the area. Earlier, Town had had penalty claim of their own turned down when Jon Nolan’s shot had struck Jacobson on the hand. Young was also busy with his cards that evening with Nolan, Donacien, Woolfenden, Kayden Jackson, Luke Garbutt and six visiting players all booked. Young had previously been in charge of Town’s 2-0 July 2012 friendly victory at Cambridge United and the 1-0 U21 Premier Cup defeat to Southampton at Portman Road in November 2014. Squad from: Walton, Hladky, Donacien, Woolfenden, Edmundson, Keogh, Burgess, Burns, Vincent-Young, Davis, Leigh, Morsy, Humphreys, Camara, Harness, Edwards, Chaplin, Ladapo, Jackson, Ahadme.
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