All eyes will be on Exeter City’s FA Cup replay with Bradford City on Tuesday night – especially Carlisle United boss Keith Millen.
He has to take his struggling Blues side to Devon on Saturday and at the moment Exeter are on the best run in English football.
Their 2-1 home win against Oldham on Saturday made it 18 games without defeat, a new club record, while it is 17 games since they were beaten on home turf at St James Park.
The current run is the best in over 100 years of them operating as Exeter City. Saturday’s success against Oldham was the first time in this unbeaten sequence they have put four wins in a row together.
Manager Matty Taylor told the club website: “It can’t be underestimated and what a fantastic achievement for this group of players.
“We will keep it for a little while and go into the history books, but we are here now to break new records and improve on where we are now.
“The four wins on the bounce shows the feel good factor around the place at the moment. It is four wins in a row in the league and I sensed a bit of excitement over it.
“I felt a bit of belief growing and most people have impressed with what the group has done recently and great to see bums on seats and that they are buying into what we are doing
“We have to build on the character and resilience we have shown and that is what I love about this team and they never know they are beaten.”
The run in League Two, which has seen them rise in the top three and the automatic promotion spots with a third of the season gone is 14 without defeat – breaking the previous record of 13 in both 1986 and spanning the end of the 2018/19 and start of the 2019/20 seasons.
At St James’ Park, it is 17 without defeat since Cheltenham Town scored a stoppage time winner back in March – the only loss in 20 on home turf, and the longest streak of home games without a defeat in England.
It is now a club record 18 games without defeat – also the longest run in England – and dating back to last season, it is now one loss in 27 for Exeter. Indeed – the nine games on the road with a defeat is the second longest run in England in all competitions, with only West Ham’s 11 ahead of it.
They host Bradford City in the FA Cup replay tomorrow after they snatched a late draw, 1-1 in the first clash when the Yorkshire side had most of the chances.
It’s too far for Millen to go and watch but he will have video recordings of Exeter’s unbeaten run to go on as he prepares for his next League test – the toughest of his short tenure.
