Wembley awaits one of Exeter City or Lincoln City and on Thursday night we will find out which one it will be who is heading to the capital to compete for a place in League 1 when they play out the second leg of their League 2 play-off semi-final.
The tie is beautifully poised after the first leg ended 0-0 and with away goals not an issue in the play-offs it is literally winner takes all on the night. Extra time and penalties could be in operation if needed on what is set up to be a dramatic night at St James’ Park.
Exeter City
The Grecians will feel they have done the bulk of the job in this tie having come away from Sincil Bank with a 0-0 draw in which they denied their opponents clear cut chances for the most part. They now have home advantage and will be expected to get the job done but that brings a different pressure to deal with.
They are experienced in that though as they were in this exact position 12 months ago and they saw off Carlisle to make it to Wembley on an epic night of football. They might not want to leave it so late here but if they get the same outcome I’m sure nobody will really mind. It will be interesting to see how they approach this contest.
Lincoln City
If Lincoln City had any advantage in this tie then it might be that they have given it up after drawing in the first leg. In truth they never played at all in that match but a lot of that was down to the fact that Exeter had them well scouted. We know Lincoln don’t have a different plan to utilise so it will be interesting to see if they can perform better here.
The Imps have a decent pedigree in cup matches in recent times although the bulk of those were in front of their own fans. I guess to an extent the pressure is off them here and they should have a little more freedom in their play but if Matt Rhead doesn’t fire for them then you get the feeling Lincoln could really struggle.
Team News
Exeter will be hoping to have defender Troy Brown available for this match but even if he is he may have to settle for a place on the bench in what could be an unchanged side named by Paul Tisdale.
Lincoln will be hoping to have Lee Frecklington back for this match after he missed the first leg. Sam Habergham also missed the 0-0 draw on Saturday and he is hoping to be fit for the long journey too.
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Betting
I think the advantage in this tie now lies with Exeter City and if there is a winner in 90 minutes I think they will be the ones who come away with it. They probably had the best chance of the first leg when Jayden Stockley failed to connect with a first half cross but I expect him to have more of an impact in this match.
Exeter can use last year for belief and given that only the top two in the division won more matches at home than Exeter in the regular season, the Grecians should believe they can go through here. Lincoln won’t go without a fight but if Exeter defend as well as they did at Sincil Bank you wonder where Lincoln goals will come from. On the draw no bet Asian line I think the home side are the bet here.
Tips
WON – Back Exeter City (0AH) to beat Lincoln City for a 4/10 stake at 2.00 with BetVictor
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