Exeter City at home to start the New Year

Match preview: Exeter City v Accrington Stanley

It was only recently that the Exeter City and Accrington Stanley met at the Crown Ground in Sky Bet League 2, with the Grecians 3-2 winners that evening.

Five weeks on, the teams meet again – this time in front of the St James Park crowd for the inaugural game of 2015. With two home clean-sheets on the bounce, City will be aiming to secure a third and using that as a base for victory.

The congested Christmas period was somewhat lessened for Stanley, who didn’t have a fixture last Sunday after their home tie against Burton Albion was called off at short notice, with parts of the Store First Stadium pitch deemed frozen and unplayable.

Whether the added respite from playing is advantageous remains to be seen. Exeter meanwhile will be keen to bounce back from their heaviest defeat of 2014, a 4-1 reverse at AFC Wimbledon last time out.