"We can't feel sorry for ourselves," says Caldwell ahead of Stevenage

Exeter City will be hoping to bounce back as they make the trip to the Lamex Stadium this Saturday, facing Stevenage in a 12:30pm kick-off.

After a disappointing 6-2 home defeat to Leyton Orient on Tuesday, the Grecians are looking for a response against a Stevenage side that comes off a notable victory away at Wrexham.

Ahead of the clash, manager Gary Caldwell stressed the importance of positivity and unity. "We have to be positive, stick together, and turn up on Saturday with a much better attitude," he said. The Grecians will wear their black and gold third strip for the match.

The two teams last met on September 21, 2024, at St James Park, where City triumphed 2-0, thanks to goals from Ed Francis and Kamari Doyle. Caldwell will be hoping his side can replicate that performance as they look to recover from a run of tough results.

Caldwell was frank about the team's recent performance, especially the first half against Leyton Orient. "When we look back, it is clear that the first half was nowhere near good enough, so we have to improve,” he admitted. "We have to do that by being positive, sticking together, and turning up on Saturday with a better attitude."

Following Tuesday's defeat, the Grecians find themselves in a challenging patch, but Caldwell is determined to lift the team. "It is easy to be shellshocked by what happened, but we will go into the same as any other game and we will review it, and understand what went wrong, and work hard to change the momentum of the season," he explained.

Despite the setback, Caldwell remains optimistic about the remaining games. "There are 18 games still to play and we have lots of things to look forward to. We can't feel sorry for ourselves, we have to work together and go into this period with a better mindset."

As the Grecians prepare to face Stevenage, the pressure is on to turn their fortunes around and get back to winning ways. The defeat to Leyton Orient has certainly added to the heat on Caldwell, but the squad is determined to show their mettle and deliver a much-needed positive result on Saturday.

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