Having held Rotherham to a draw, York are back on home turf this Saturday against another side recently relegated from League One in the form of Exeter City. What transfer uncertainty is surrounding the Grecians’ squad, and how can we expect them to set up for the game?
We’ve met before…
York and Exeter have found themselves in the same league many times over the years, with 52 meetings in total. Most recently, the two sides faced off eight times during York’s four seasons in the EFL between 2012 and 2016, and were evenly matched over that time with two wins apiece and four draws. The last meeting was back in February 2016, when a Bradley Fewster brace helped the Minstermen to a 2-0 win at Bootham Crescent. The Grecians have to look back to January 2013 for their last win in York, when Jimmy Keoghan scored the winner after Michael Potts had cancelled out an Alex Rodman own goal. This will be their first visit to the LNER.
What to expect from Exeter
Exeter are back in League Two after four seasons spent a level higher. Manager Matt Taylor, who led them to promotion back in 2022 before leaving to join Rotherham, returned in March but was unable to save the Grecians from relegation last season. They have had a fairly slow start to the 2026/27 season, exiting the League Cup with a 2-0 defeat at local rivals Plymouth Argyle then losing their first league game 1-0 at Grimsby Town. Last weekend, however, two early goals secured a comfortable 2-0 home win over Accrington Stanley. It was only Exeter’s second win since January, underlining how poor their form was at the back end of the 2025/26 campaign.
While they have held on to some key members of their squad, transfer activity has been relatively limited so far, and question marks remain over whether some first-team players might leave with the end of the transfer window approaching. In particular, forward Jayden Wareham has been attracting interest from higher leagues after hitting 22 goals last season. So far, two bids for Wareham have been rejected, but manager Taylor has acknowledged that the club need to raise funds through player sales in order to reinvest, so he may well depart in the coming days. Exeter are due to receive a seven-figure sum as part of Ollie Watkins’ mooted transfer to Al Hilal due to Watkins coming through their youth system, but this windfall is unlikely to delay Wareham’s expected exit.
In terms of playing style, Taylor seems to have gone for a back-to-basics approach. Grecians fan Brad Theobald who I spoke to said that “with Taylor in charge we haven’t been playing much football, just old school hoof-ball to try and get up the pitch”. The main tactical question for Exeter ahead of the game is whether they play with a lone striker as they did for trips to Plymouth and Grimsby, or whether to stick with two up front after this approach paid off with a 2-0 win at home over Accrington Stanley at the weekend. The answer may be dictated in part by whether Wareham remains an Exeter player by Saturday.
After spending most of last season as Exeter’s backup keeper, Jack Bycroft is their first choice between the sticks this season. He’s perhaps one to keep an eye on if it’s a tight game going into stoppage time and Exeter win a corner, as he headed home a late equaliser against Stockport in one of his few appearances last season.
The back three looks settled, with Taylor naming the same trio for each of the Grecians’ games so far in 2026/27. Jack Fitzwater will start in the middle of the three and captain the side, buoyed by scoring an unlikely overhead kick in their last game. Either side of him will be two young defenders in Luca Woodhouse, who has impressed since joining from Wycombe last season, and Wales U21 international Ed James, who has come through the youth setup at the Devon club.
There are a few options for Exeter in the wing-back roles. The experienced Gwion Edwards arrived from Morecambe this summer and may be most likely to start on the right. Two loanees are vying for the left wing-back position: Kenyan international Vincent Harper has joined on loan from Walsall and started both league games but faces competition from Wolves youngster Ethan Sutherland. A further option who could be used on either flank is Andrew Oluwabori, although his first-team opportunities have been limited since signing from Halifax last year.
The two deeper-lying midfield slots are likely to be taken by the Irish pairing of Charlie Cummins, who broke into the first team towards the end of last season after impressing on loan at Weston-super-Mare, and Jake Doyle-Hayes. Summer signing from Shrewsbury Taylor Perry is another option in this area, as is the 19-year-old prospect George Birch. In the #10 position the expected starter will be the talented but injury-prone Reece Cole, although he is another player who has been the subject of speculation linking him with a move away from St James Park this summer.
Up front, Jayden Wareham will start if he remains a Grecians player, either as a lone striker or alongside new signing Josh Gordon. The 31-year-old Gordon has played most of his career in League Two, and scored 9 times for relegated Barrow last season. Backup in the forward positions is provided by academy product Sonny Cox, who has already made over 100 appearances for the Grecians at the age of 21, but has never quite cemented his place in their front line.
York team news
York head coach Scott Lindsey revealed that the club has suffered another injury blow, with a scan on Zak Johnson revealing a muscle tear after he hobbled off at Rotherham last Saturday. Johnson is likely to be out for 3-4 weeks, and joins other absentees Jack Hunt, Hiram Boateng, Frankie Maguire, Josh Stones and Dipo Akinyemi in the treatment room. There was better news on Mark Kitching, though, who has been passed fit to play despite also being forced off at the weekend.
There will be one enforced change for City from the starting eleven at Rotherham, then, with Ryan Fallowfield likely to replace the injured Johnson, a move which would see Morgan Williams shift to the centre of the back three. Other options for Johnson's replacement are Charlie McArthur and Zech Medley, but Fallowfield’s strong showing at the New York Stadium should put him first in line. New loan signing Jovan Malcolm will come straight into the matchday squad and provide competition for Ollie Pearce up front, but may have to settle for a place on the bench for now.
