Exeter City target festive hat-trick

Exeter City will be aiming to close 2024 on a high as they welcome Crawley Town to St James Park on Sunday, December 29.

The Grecians are in fine form after securing consecutive wins over Burton Albion and Bristol Rovers during the festive period, but they face a Crawley side eager to halt their recent struggles and turn their season around.

Exeter have enjoyed a strong festive run, with a hard-fought 2-1 win away at Burton followed by a 3-1 Boxing Day triumph over Bristol Rovers.

Gary Caldwells’ side have shown resilience and quality in recent weeks, and a third consecutive victory would send them into the new year with plenty of momentum.

Crawley, however, are in a different vein of form, having suffered three consecutive defeats. They lost narrowly to Birmingham City earlier this week, followed by a disappointing 3-0 defeat to Leyton Orient on Boxing Day.

Despite their struggles, the Red Devils have demonstrated their potential this season, having won promotion through the League Two play-offs with a historic victory at Wembley.

Crawley are currently sitting just inside the League One relegation zone and will be desperate to turn their fortunes around.

Kevin Nicholson has stressed the importance of recovery for his squad, with only three days separating the Crawley match from the Boxing Day fixture.

“It’s not about wrapping them up in cotton wool, it’s about an active recovery. The lads have to enjoy the wins, but they need to turn up at training and it all be about Crawley, whether it’s on the pitch or in the gym,” he said.

Nicholson is also mindful of Crawley’s quality despite their recent form.

“Crawley will want to put things right, and they do play good football. The guys have come in there from Gateshead and their philosophy fits the club, but we have to go out there as a group and show our home supporters what we are about, and build on a good couple of results. Crawley will move the ball, try and play, and are very free-flowing and open. We need to be prepared for everything and concentrate on ourselves and be the best version of ourselves.”

Midfielder Caleb Watts, who played 77 minutes in the Boxing Day victory, is enjoying the busy schedule and looking forward to another opportunity to perform.

“We haven’t had the chance to watch them yet, but we know a lot about them. They play good football but haven’t been getting the results lately, though they played very well against Birmingham earlier this week. We’ll prepare how we do for every match. We’re at home, so we’ll be looking to get the three points, but first, we have to recover and get our bodies right,” he said.

Watts, who has been a key player in recent weeks, added: “I’m loving being out there at the moment and I feel so up to speed. Long may that continue, as long as the gaffer keeps trusting me to do so.”

Exeter will be keen to deliver another strong performance in front of their home fans and continue their winning run, but Crawley’s desperation for points could make for a challenging afternoon.