What are the odds of Exeter City being promoted this year?

David Banks
Authored by David Banks
Posted Monday, March 18, 2019 - 10:40am

While south coast favourites Exeter City were scheduled to take on League Two strugglers and bottom club Macclesfield Town on Tuesday night, this crucial fixture was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch at the latter’s Moss Rose Stadium.

This was an important game for both sides, particularly with eighth-place Exeter currently sitting just two points off the play-off positions in League Two. The Grecians are also winless in their last three matches, since a narrow 2-1 win at Crewe Alexandra on February 23rd.

Now all attention will switch to St James Park on Saturday, when Exeter will entertain seventh-place Colchester United in a bid to get their promotion track back on track. 

But how will they fare in their bid to reach the promised land of League One?

How are Exeter Shaping Up in the League?

In many ways, Exeter’s form has been a major cause for concern since the turn of the year, with the club having won just four from their last 11 matches (and secured a disappointing 15 points from a possible 33 in the process).

This dip in form can be traced back to the start of winter transfer window, when the Grecian’s top scorer Jayden Stockley was snapped up by Championship side Preston North End for £750,000.

The forward, who scored an impressive 41-goals in just a season-and-a-half at St James Park (and a total of 16 in the first half of the 2018/19 season), has left a huge void to fill and the club are definitely struggling to plug this gap.

His replacement Ryan Bowman, who was signed shortly after Stockley’s departure, also has yet to score for his new club as the acclimatises to life on the south coast.

In fact, the second highest scorer at the club is still the experienced midfielder Nicky Law, who has hit the back of the net just seven times since August.

With Exeter struggling for goals and failing to win on a consistent basis, there’s no doubt that they need to improve their form quickly if they’re to remain their promising promotion hopes.

What are the Odds on Exeter’s Promotion?

Since the departure of the talented Stockley and Exeter’s indifferent run of form, the odds of them returning to the third tier of English football for the first time since 1992 (the club’s highest ever league placing saw them finish second in the old Third Division at the end of the 1932/33 season) have fallen slightly. 

In fact, Leo Vegas' highly regarded sports book have priced Exeter at around 8/1 to one to earn promotion, either automatically or through the play-offs.

However, the Grecians are now 10 points off the third automatic promotion spot in League Two (albeit with a game in hand), but with one win in their last five it seems unlikely that they’ll reach such exalted heights.

In fact, their best bet is to earn promotion through the play-offs, and their much needed win against rivals Colchester at the weekend will give Exeter a timely shot in the arm.

With another home game against third-placed Mansfield scheduled for March 30th, the next few weeks could well make or break the club’s faltering title hopes.

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