Will it all go Oakwell for City?

We’ve hit the final stretch of the League One season, and Exeter City head to Oakwell on Tuesday night aiming to bounce back from Saturday’s setback against Wrexham.

Gary Caldwell’s side saw their six-game unbeaten run snapped at the weekend, falling 2-0 to a title-chasing Wrexham outfit at a sold-out St James Park. But with just one defeat in their last five away trips and three straight draws on the road before that, the Grecians will travel to Barnsley with quiet confidence. 

Whilst, Barnsley, now under new management and sitting 11th in the table, drew 1-1 with Wigan on Saturday and are still chasing a top-half finish. 

This is familiar territory - quite literally. Exeter have fond memories of Oakwell, having won there in each of the last two seasons. Jay Stansfield’s brilliant brace lit up a 2-0 win in 2022, and last year’s 2-1 victory was sealed by a thunderbolt from Reece Cole.

It was a different story when the sides met at St James Park in December, though. City struck first through a superb Josh Magennis free-kick, but Barnsley hit back early in the second half to snatch a 2-1 win.

Looking ahead to Tuesday’s clash, Caldwell knows the opposition may look different this time around.

“They have a young manager and the style has changed quite considerably,” he said. “There have been progressions within those changes so we have to be flexible in how we approach the game as we're not quite sure how they will set up.

“We will prepare the players for that. The big thing for us is focusing on what we are going to do and how we are going to cause them problems and be positive in the game.

“Having the ability to adapt out of possession is the most important thing.”

Despite the defeat on Saturday, Caldwell welcomes the quick turnaround.

“The good thing with Saturday-Tuesday games is the quick turnaround because when you lose a game it's great to have another around the corner because you don't have time to dwell on it and you have to move on.”

With 45 points already on the board, City are edging towards League One safety - and another good result on Tuesday would take them a big step closer.

Supporters making the midweek journey to South Yorkshire will be housed in the North Stand at Oakwell. And if history is anything to go by, they could be treated to another memorable evening under the lights.