More than three months after a ball was last kicked in League Two, the fourth tier gets back underway tonight with the first leg of the play-off semi-finals. While the main season has been curtailed and decided on points-per-game, four teams’ seasons continue for at least two more matches, with a place in League One next season the prize for success.
Exeter City are play-off regulars in this division, reaching the final in both 2016/17 and 2017/18. They missed out last season after a relatively low ninth-placed finish, but they’re back to prove a point this time around. Colchester United, meanwhile, have missed out on the play-offs by just one place in two of their three seasons back in League Two. This campaign, though, they’ve just about got over the line, pipping eighth-placed Port Vale and finishing ahead of Northampton Town on goal difference.
Colchester United Host Exeter City in League Two Play-Off Semi-Final
Head to Head
Despite Exeter finishing just one place above the U’s in the table, they were ahead by seven points in the regular table and ahead by almost ten on the PPG metric. The Grecians also won three more games than their play-off opponents and only lost eight times compared to Colchester’s nine.
Colchester have the joint-highest number of draws of the four teams in the play-offs, and both of their fixtures against Exeter this season contributed to that. An entertaining 2-2 draw was played out in Essex back in December, while the January reverse fixture produced a stalemate.
Overall, history gives Exeter the slight upper hand with 31 wins from 81 previous meetings.
Pre-Lockdown Form
Despite Exeter’s better league position over the U’s, Matt Taylor’s side had the worst form of the four play-off sides before the season was suspended, winning just one in their last five.
Colchester were not much better of themselves, winning two and losing three of their last five games before the break.
Prediction
With a three month break and very little training time to prepare, there could be some very rusty performances on show from both sides. With it also being a first leg, both teams will know that they have at least one other game to play and will not want to go hell for leather and risk any injuries.
This first leg will probably be rather tepid viewing, but it should set up a much more exciting prospect in next week’s second leg.
Prediction: Colchester United 0-0 Exeter City
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