Next Up: Hartlepool at Home

One can’t help feeling a hint of “After the Lord Mayor’s Show” about Saturday’s match. With City finally showing the sort of gumption needed to win a Devon Derby, there is a buoyant feeling around St James Park currently, and the visit of Hartlepool presents a chance, albeit extremely slim, of City ending the day atop League Two. For this City would need to win by five goals and hope Chesterfield and Fleetwood draw, but hey, stranger things have happened, such as Scot Bennett becoming a lethal striker. Bennett’s form in front of goal poses something of a quandary for Paul Tisdale, with Parkin and O’Flynn both having been MIA recently, Tisdale could be tempted to continue with the fruitful Gow/Bennett combination up front. Jimmy Keohane is another pushing for a start after his telling contribution last week, while if Parkin and O’Flynn do again miss out it could mean a recall to the bench for youngster Matt Jay or Tom Nichols with Jamie Reid continuing his burgeoning international career with the Northern Ireland U21s.

Having suffered the drop last season, Hartlepool, under the guidance of ex-Middlesbrough player Colin Cooper, weren’t expected to pull up any trees this season, and so far this has been borne out with a slow start. However, Pools go into the long trip to Devon in full flow having recorded two impressive away wins in the last week – first of all a 4-1 mauling of Mansfield and then a win at League One’s surprise strugglers Sheffield United in the JPT in midweek. Some of the more familiar names associated with Hartlepool have departed, for example club record appearance holder Ritchie Humphreys, while Jeff Stelling no longer gets out his James Brown doll when he scores as he is now with Gateshead. Andy Monkhouse is still at the club, as is Luke James, currently top scorer with four in all competitions. Another face familiar to Devon supporters will be Simon Walton, the ex-Plymouth midfielder.

The last time the sides met was in the 11/12 relegation season, with the match at the Park ending in a dull 0-0 draw. Earlier in the season City came away from Hartlepool with nothing in a 0-2 defeat, but overall it is City who hold the upper hand in Football League encounters, winning 31 times to Pool’s 21 (22 draws).

Match Officials: http://www.exeweb.com/2013/10/09/match-officials-hartlepool-united-at-home/

Visitors Guide to St James Park: http://www.exeweb.com/2012/05/29/the-things-you-need-to-know-st-james-park-exeter/

Travel disruptions for those travelling from North Devon – http://www.exeweb.com/2013/10/10/travel-disruptions-for-north-devon-grecians-this-weekend/