Hatters in the house: can Exeter do the double?

Exeter City return to St James Park on Saturday, with a 3pm kick off, as they prepare to take on promotion-chasing Stockport County in Sky Bet League One.

Fresh from Tuesday night’s hard-fought 2-1 win away at Barnsley – sealed by a late Josh Magennis strike – the Grecians are riding a wave of confidence heading into the weekend.

That victory saw City bounce back from defeat to Wrexham in the best possible way, and manager Gary Caldwell wants to see another step forward.

“Stockport and Wrexham have had very similar journeys,” Caldwell said. “They’re both clubs that have made huge strides from the National League. This is a challenge we are really looking forward to.”

Saturday’s visitors are enjoying an impressive first season back in the third tier. Their 3-0 win over Stevenage on Tuesday keeps them firmly in the play-off hunt, and they will pose a significant test for a City side looking to keep climbing the table.

It’s the reverse of December’s fixture at Edgeley Park, where a Tristan Crama own goal and a late penalty handed the Hatters a 2-0 win. But Caleb Watts, who impressed in midweek, believes this weekend is a different story.

“We weren’t at our best the game before [against Wrexham], and we spoke about putting that right – I think we really did that at Barnsley,” said Watts. “It’ll be another tough game, we know they’re a good team. But there’s no reason we can’t match them this time around – we’re at home and that’s to our advantage.”

Watts added: “All season we’ve been learning through the ups and downs. I think we’re all the better for it. This team has been together since January, and it’s the best it’s been.”

Caldwell echoed that confidence, adding: “We know against the best teams in this league we have to be at our very best. No facets of our game can be below where they need to be. We have to make sure on Saturday we get everything right – and if we do, we can win.”

A strong crowd is expected once again at SJP, and with your passionate support, the Grecians will be looking to secure back-to-back wins and continue their strong home form. Up the City!