Next Up: Exeter City vs Burton Albion

City’s vital win at Bristol Rovers last week all but secured another season in the third tier, with Rovers and Friday’s opponents Burton now effectively needing snookers to send Gary Caldwell’s side down. While City can now be confident of staying up, the Easter weekend has thrown up a pair of fixtures that will be absolutely vital for their opponents with a visit to Crawley on Easter Monday. While the treatment room continues to resemble Clapham Junction at rush hour, the return to form of Reece Cole has been very welcome after a season of frustration for the midfielder and, while he failed to last the 90 in Bristol, he’s expected to start on Friday. Elsewhere Josh Magennis missed the Bristol Rovers game but isn’t thought to have had more than a slight niggle so should be in line to return, while the end of the season could be an opportunity for some first team action for the likes of Tom Dean, who signed a new contract and was recalled from his loan at Plymouth Parkway during the week.

It’s fair to say that when City won at Burton on the last Saturday before Christmas, the omens didn’t look good for the Brewers. A new experienced manager in Gary Bowyer gave them some cause for optimism, although he didn’t secure a win until late January. By this time Burton appeared to be cut adrift along with Cambridge and Shrewsbury, but that win kicked off a resurgence that has seen eight victories in 2025 culminating in a 3-0 win last weekend that took Bowyer’s side above Bristol Rovers and out of the relegation zone for the first time all season. Wrexham have played a role in this recovery, with Bowyer signing three players from the high-flying Welsh club including Icelandic striker Jon Dadi Bodvarsson, who has scored four goals so far. While the former City contingent has dropped from last season’s four to just one, that player – Kegs Chauke – has featured regularly this season and will be hoping to make an impact at the ground where he was a fringe player during his loan spell from Southampton.

That win earlier in the season saw City come from behind, as has often happened this season. Billy Bodin gave Burton the lead early on, this was cancelled out by Josh Magennis on the stroke of half time before a stunner from Millenic Alli sealed a 2-1 victory. Last season Reece Cole scored the only goal of the game before City played out the second half with ten men after Zak Jules saw red for an altercation as the sides left the pitch for the interval. December’s win was the third successive City victory in this fixture although that has only served to reduce Burton’s head to head lead to 10-8, with just three draws.

The match officials for this game will be:-

Referee: Jacob Miles
Assistant Referees: Kevin Morris and Jack Clench
Fourth Official : Richie Watkins

We’ve had Jacob Miles take charge of two City games this season, the League Cup defeat on penalties to Walsall in August, and the win over Chesterfield in the FA Cup. He’s taken charge of 29 games this season, issuing 114 yellow cards and sending off three players.

Interview with Gary Caldwell

Interview with Angus MacDonald