How will Exeter City fare in their League One venture?

Exeter City return to League One next year, ten years after the club were relegated to League Two.

In 2012, the club faced a difficult day on 28 April. After losing 4-1 to Carlisle United, the squad were relegated to League Two after three years in the third tier for football.

2017 and 2018 would see the team narrowly miss out on promotion, losing in the play-off finals to Blackpool and Coventry City respectfully.

Eventually, with former-Captain Matt Taylor now in charge at St James Park, a strong 2021/22 campaign allowed the Grecians to return to League One, finishing second to Forest Green Rovers and only losing out to the eventual winners on goal difference.

Now, the fan-owned club face a new challenge, to start their time in the league well and cement themselves above the rest, most notably arch-rivals Plymouth Argyle.

So, what are the key things to look out for as Exeter join Forest Green, Bristol Rovers and Port Vale in promotion?

A team of striking sensations

Although being the key statistic that cost them a shot at the League Two title, the team’s scoring record was a success. Captain Matt Jay ended the year as the seventh-highest scorer in the league, with 14 goals to his name.

As well as this, Tim Dieng took home 12 goals while an injured-Sam Nombe fired eight into the back of the net during his 28 games this year.

However, although the team were able to end the year in strong fashion in this area, the start to their season needs to be improved upon if 2021 is representative of their form.

In the first 12 games of the year, the Grecians took just three wins, losing one and ending eight on equal terms with their rivals.

Perhaps if the team can find that slight advantage in the early part of their season, these one-point matches may be edging closer to three-pointers more often than not.

The loss of Cameron Dawson

Dawson proved a key star at Exeter during his time at the team, with the Grecians taking the goalkeeper on loan from Sheffield Wednesday.

With 18 clean sheets, the 26-year-old took home the third-highest number in League Two all season, only being beaten by Northampton Town’s Liam Roberts and FGR’s Luke McGee.

However, Dawson will return to Sheffield, taking away a key part of Taylor’s structure and forcing him to look towards other options.

Within the club, Harry Lee recently signed a new contract with Exeter at just the age of 16 after spending much of last season as the team’s reserve.

If Lee can prove himself in the team’s pre-season action, he could be a strong fit as the team’s new man between the sticks.

The team’s past form within League One

Although looking at a team’s past form is often foolish, especially when the last time they played within a league was almost ten years ago, it is interesting to see how they have performed in the past.

After finishing second in League Two in 2008/09, the team would find themselves near the bottom of the pack the following season, placing 18th of 24 teams in the inaugural season within the third tier.

Following this, Exeter would briefly find themselves on the up, taking eighth after a strong season in 2010 and 2011 before being relegated a year later after finding themselves ahead of Rochdale alone.

From this, their past form has not been the best in comparison with their continuous appearances in the League Two play-offs.

However, the past is the past, and both Taylor and Jay will be hoping that they can spur their men along and find the form they struggled to reach in the past.

So, after weighing up these factors, it may be a case of simply finding their feet in League One before they begin a full-blown charge on title glory.

But, if they can win their battles and keep their heads cool, they may just find themselves repeating the success they found in the middle of their last League One stint.

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