CITY CONTINUE SEARCH FOR WIN

ccfcinsider
1 day ago
2 min read

The Bluebirds remain on the road as they travel to St James' Park to face Matt Taylor's Exeter City.

The Opposition:

Exeter have largely struggled throughout the campaign, lingering near the bottom of League One for the majority of the campaign.

Matt Taylor's sides typically emphasize an organized defensive structure with quick transitions, often using a balanced or cautious mentality to stay compact and hit teams on the counter. He favours disciplined positioning, hard-working midfielders, and direct attacking patterns that move the ball forward quickly once possession is won.

The Grecians sit sixteenth ahead of kick-off, and could move to fifteenth with a victory.

The Bluebirds:

City come into this one on the back of a 1-1 draw against Barnsley. Cardiff were in control and took advantage through Rubin Colwill, before Scott Banks salvaged a point for the hosts.

Cardiff can stop a Matt Taylor-style side by controlling possession to slow the game and using structured build-up to play through their press. By keeping a strong rest-defence and quickly exploiting the space left behind the press, they can also limit Taylor teams’ transition attacks.

Opposition Player to Watch:

Since his summer move from Reading, Jayden Wareham has caught the eye at Exeter and is already on his best goal-scoring season of his career so far. Wareham is a direct, hardworking striker who presses aggressively, makes sharp runs in behind, and looks to attack the box with pace and physicality.

Wareham's career began with Woking, before being signed by Chelsea after a successful trial. The striker had a failed loan move to Leyton Orient, before completing a permanent move to Reading. After two seasons at The Royals, Wareham joined Exeter in the summer. The 22 year-old has netted nineteen goals in all competitions so far this season.

Last Meeting:

Cardiff City 1-0 Exeter City (2025)