Expert view on Exeter City ahead of Bolton Wanderers clash

What have you made of recent performances?

The last few seasons in League Two, the home form has been really strong. This season, it hasn’t quite been as good. Caldwell’s first period in charge, they didn’t win at home for three months.

But that has turned around now - they have got four wins in a row at home, which is their longest run of the season. The game is already a sell-out, and I think seven of the last nine games have been home sell-outs.

The fans are turning up for games that potentially a couple of years ago, they wouldn’t have got anywhere near a sell-out. Exeter are in mid-table but have sold the game out a week in advance, which shows the fans are buying into what is happening this season.

How important has Exeter’s home form been?

The last few seasons in League Two, the home form has been really strong. This season, it hasn’t quite been as good. Caldwell’s first period in charge, they didn’t win at home for three months.

But that has turned around now - they have got four wins in a row at home, which is their longest run of the season. The game is already a sell-out, and I think seven of the last nine games have been home sell-outs.

The fans are turning up for games that potentially a couple of years ago, they wouldn’t have got anywhere near a sell-out. Exeter are in mid-table but have sold the game out a week in advance, which shows the fans are buying into what is happening this season.

How much of a blow is Jay Stansfield’s injury?

Stansfield has impressed since joining on loan from Fulham (Image: PA)

It is not as bad as first feared. The club hope he will be back before the end of the season. I think the initially feeling when he went down was, ‘that is his time here over and he might not play again before the end of the year’.

It looked like a cruciate injury, but now it doesn’t appear to be that. It is going to be a big blow to not have him available. Even when he wasn’t scoring goals, he was still contributing significantly with his running and bringing others into play.

He had scored in his last two before the game at the weekend when he got injured. There isn’t really any obvious replacement in the squad who could do the same job as him, let alone be of the same quality. He does look a player who is too good for League One.

And fianlly, how are you expecting the game to go?

You don’t quite know how Bolton will react to winning at Wembley. The hope from Exeter’s point of view is they will have been out on the town all week! I think they are probably far more professional than that.

While winning the Papa Johns Trophy was great for Bolton, I imagine they would trade that for promotion if they had the choice. The season is very much alive, they are battling for the play-offs and they need the points.

I think it will be a very even game, Bolton probably come in as slight favourites. The game earlier this season, Bolton could have been 5-0 up after half an hour. I don’t think it will be as open as it was on that occasion – that was one of Exeter’s worst halves of the season.

I think the first goal will be crucial. Whoever gets that, the other team will have to push up and take more risks. I think Exeter would probably take a draw if offered it.