Exeter City play host to Crawley Town on Sunday looking to record their third successive victory in League One.
At a time when the home side sit in 12th position in the table, Crawley remain in the relegation zone courtesy of three defeats in a row.
Match preview
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Having only won three successive games in this division on one occasion since April, Exeter cannot be described as a team that are regarded as genuine playoff contenders.
Nevertheless, back-to-back victories over Burton Albion and Bristol Rovers have catapulted Gary Caldwell's side into 12th position and just six points adrift of fifth position.
With some of the teams directly above them facing each other on Sunday, there is an opportunity for Exeter to break into the top 10 ahead of the New Year's Day fixture at second-placed Wycombe Wanderers.
Caldwell can only hope that the recent success has led to his Exeter side forgetting about their dismal run beforehand where just two points had been accumulated from six outings.
Exeter have won five of their 11 fixtures at St James Park in the league this season, albeit only once in the last five outings.
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As for Crawley, Rob Elliot would have hoped that he had instigated a turnaround on the back of his arrival from Gateshead in October.
Instead, three consecutive defeats have kept the club in the relegation zone, conceding eight goals in the process to Peterborough United, Birmingham City and Leyton Orient.
Succumbing so tamely to the latter of those opponents will concern Elliot at a time when the teams below them continue to edge closer to passing them.
Crawley make the trip to the South-West having scored just eight times in their 11 away league fixtures during 2024-25, with five of those goals being netted in the most recent three games.
Team News
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Despite scoring as a substitute against Bristol Rovers, 17-year-old Jake Richards may have to remain patient for another League One start.
Kamari Doyle could be introduced for Demetri Mitchell in the final third, while Jack Fitzwater will likely retain his place in the back three having proven his fitness over recent matches.
Elliot will inevitably make alterations to his Crawley side with Panutche Camara and Junior Quitirna both in line for recalls.
Who else features may be dependent on if Elliot moves away from going with a 3-5-1-1 formation, while it remains to be seen whether Ronan Darcy features in the squad amid speculation regarding a potential January transfer elsewhere.
Exeter City possible starting lineup:
Whitworth, McMillan, Fitzwater, Francis; Watts, Woods, McDonald, Niskanen; Alli, Doyle; Magennis
Crawley Town possible starting lineup:
Wollacott; Mullarkey, Conroy, Barker; Ibrahim, Camara, Quitirna, Anderson, Hepburn-Murphy; John-Jules; Swan
We say: Exeter City 2-1 Crawley Town
Crawley have shown in patches that they are capable of troubling a certain amount of teams in this division. However, with Exeter showing some of their best form of the season, we expect the home side to come through with a hard-fought victory.
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Darren Plant
