Exeter City vs Plymouth ARGYLE -Match Preview

After Argyle avoided relegation last season to the Conference Premiere it was City’s turn to drop down.  The team up the road were relegated to Npower League Two, we will meet again!!!  

Plymouth Argyle will travel the unusual short distance up the A38 to St James Park for the first league meeting since 2010/11.  The last meeting between the two sides consisted with a 1-1 draw in the Johnstone Paint Trophy on August 30^th 2011, where Argyle were sourly knocked out by penalties with Exeter winning 3-0.

Argyle’s manager Carl Fletcher will see Exeter City from a whole new prospective today, where the former Wales International will take to the dugout for the very first time at St James Park.  This will be Fletcher’s first involvement in a local Devon Derby between the Grecians and the Pilgrims.  When Fletcher arrived at Home Park in February 2009 he had first-hand experience to the rivalry between the two sides when the Pilgrims were relegated to Npower league one.  He’s first intense Devon Derby was on December 11^th    2011 at Home Park where it was a very pleasing afternoon for Argyle, who won 2-0 with both goals coming from Bradley Wright-Phillips, son of former England Internal player Ian Wright.  

Alan Gow a previous Argyle player signed for the Grecians on the 22^nd March 2012.  Since his second arrival in Devon the Scottish born has scored 6 goals in 15 appearances.  In the Championship in 2009 Gow signed from Rangers for a fee of £200,000.  The move didn’t really work out for the player who spent half of that season on loan to Hibernian FC in the Scottish Premier League.  After one season with Argyle Gow was released by the Pilgrims, he then signed for Motherwell in Scotland.   The player Carl Fletcher’s men will have to keep an eye on is League Two’s second top scorer Jamie Crueton.  The 37year old is in his second spell with Exeter with the Bristol born making 19 appearances and scoring 15goals in this current season.

Plymouth Argyle players will experience the rivalry between the two sides for the very first time when they take to St James Park.  Only Robbie Williams, Conor Hourihane and Curtis Nelson are the players in the current side that have played in the Devon Derby; this was in the Johnstone Paint Trophy on August 30^th 2011.  For the rest of the Pilgrims squad it will be an exciting encounter for the players who will have their first involvement in an Exeter vs Argyle game. 

Robbie Williams will be looking to come straight back into the side after he has missed the last couple of months due to a stomach muscle injury.  Striker Nick Chadwick will also be pushing for a starting 11 place for scoring and securing a vital 3points for the Pilgrims in their 2-0 victory over York City at Home Park. Andres Gurrieri is another player certain to keep his place after he put in an outstanding display last Saturday; the Argentine was playing in the hole behind the strikers and in front of the midfielders.       

 

Available: Jake Cole, Rene Gilmartin, Ollie Chenoweth,  Durrell Berry, Curtis Nelson, Darren Purse, Jamie Richards, Maxime Blanchard, Robbie Williams, Onismor Bhasera, Jamie Lowry, Luke Young, Mark Molesley, Conor Hourihane, Joe Lennox, Paris Cowan-Hall, Andres Gurrieri, Jared Sims, Jordan Copp, Nick Chadwick, Matt LeCointe, Guy Madjo, Rhys Griffiths, Warren Feeney, Tyler Harvey

Unavailable: Paul Wotton (back injury) Jed Harper-Penman and Isaac Vassell (both players on loan to Bideford Town