npower League 1 kicks off this weekend

Stevenage v Exeter City - preview

The Lamex Stadium

Saturday, August 6 - 3pm ko

Like Boro, Exeter have enjoyed plenty of success in recent years and made their way up to npower League 1 from the Football Conference in successive seasons.

They had a successful 2010-11 campaign and finished in a more than respectable eighth place in only their second season in npower League 1.

Players

Exeter will have to do without the services of last season’s 17-goal top scorer Jamie Cureton this year.

The 35-year-old has joined Leyton Orient on a one-year deal and his goal-poaching instincts played a large part in the Grecians’ attacking threat.

The club lost the services of several other key players in the summer, with Paul Jones (Peterborough United), Matt Taylor (West Ham United) and Ryan Harley (Swansea City) having all left the club.

Manager Paul Tisdale has been busy replacing them and has brought in Lenny Pidgeley (formerly of Chelsea and Bradford City), Guillem Bauza (Swansea City and Northampton Town), Danny Coles (Bristol City and Bristol Rovers), and Callum McNish (Southampton).

In addition to those players, the club this week announced they have recruited Nicholas Bignall from Reading on loan with the 21-year-old winger/striker eligible to make his debut against Boro this weekend.

Pre-season

The club won their final pre-season match on Tuesday evening when they came away from Chippenham Town with a 2-0 victory.

McNish opened the scoring in the first half with a long-range effort before Jake Gosling added number two in the second half.

Exeter City: Pidgeley, Dawson, Furzer, Bennett, Jones (Edwards 75), Gosling (Tisdale 75), McNish (Stewart 86), Frear, Keohane, Nichols (Ingham 60), Logan (Reid 60).

In other games this summer, Exeter beat Derby County 1-0, Ottery St Mary 5-0 and Clevedon 4-1.

They also lost to Torquay United 3-0.

Team news

Boro: Chris Day is likely to miss tomorrow’s match as he recovers from a dislocated finger. Alan Julian, who looked in good shape at Dagenham last weekend, will deputise. John Mousinho is also out of tomorrow’s match, but new signings Robin Shroot and Phil Edwards may both start after impressing in pre-season.

The visitors are likely to field a 4-3-3 formation with Nicholas Bignall, Daniel Nardiello and Richard Logan all likely to start up front. In goal Polish stopper Artur Krysiak will start behind a probable back four of Steve Tully, Troy Archibald-Henville, Richard Duffy and Scott Golbourne. In midfield David Noble is set to start alongside James Dunne and Liam Sercombe.

Danny Coles is not fit to start, while Guillem Bauza is a doubt.

Last time they met...

The last time these two sides met was back in 2007-08 when Exeter did the the double over Stevenage. Boro lost 1-0 at Broadhall Way in April 2008, and earlier in the season had lost to the Grecians twice - both 4-0 defeats - in both the league (February) and the FA Cup (November).