Devon derby: Exeter City prepare to resume Plymouth Argyle rivalry

After a wait of two-and-a-half years one of the fiercest rivalries in English football returns on Thursday night as Exeter City host Plymouth Argyle.

In a county far away from most other football clubs and more known for holidays and cream teas the Devon derby is a huge deal - Exeter's St James Park sold out weeks ago and the game is live on television.

Both sides need the points - they are tied on 13 and straddle the line between relegation safety and the drop zone after a quarter of the season.

So can Exeter get the better of their better-funded rivals from down the road and open up a gap or will Plymouth secure the win and send the Grecians into the drop zone?

The bosses of both sides know a thing or two about derby matches.

Exeter's manager Gary Caldwell was Celtic captain and led his side out against Rangers in one of the fiercest derbies in world football.

Meanwhile Argyle head coach Tom Cleverley - a former Manchester United, Everton and Watford player - has been involved in big games against Manchester City, Liverpool and Luton.

"Until you're in a derby you don't really know what it's like, so I don't think it'd be fair for me to compare it to any other derbies I've been involved in because each one has its own little uniqueness about it," says Cleverley, who took over at Argyle in the summer following their relegation back to League One.

"Only once in my 18 years have I won an away derby," he added, having had a tour of the city he now calls home this week to ensure it really hits home what the game means to the people who idolise his players.

"What I would say is it's one of the best feelings I've had - if you said to me what are my top three days, one of them was winning at the Etihad with Manchester United.

"It's why we're in this industry, why I'm on this side of the fence, because I want to be involved in days like this and prepare a team to go and win at places like this."

For Caldwell, it will be his third Devon derby as manager - his first was in just his second game in charge on Halloween in 2022 when Argyle came back to win 4-2 before a 1-0 loss at home the following spring as Plymouth won the League One title.

"I've not won one yet. I need to win one and hopefully that comes on Thursday night," says Caldwell.

"The old firm for me had another level to it. It was ferocious, they were incredible games to be a part of.

"But the experience of them and the lessons I've learned about how you prepare, about how you approach them, how you behave within the game and what's needed to win and lose the games.

"We've all won derbies and lost derbies and we know the kind of aftermath and the implications of that, but those games were definitely games where you need to control emotion, you need to be clear on what you need to do to win the game, but you also need to bring emotion.

"You need to play with a different fire because supporters, it's for them, it's their game, it's for the city and it's for their bragging rights so it's a game like no other in the sense of you are playing for the supporters and what it means to them."

For Plymouth Argyle captain Joe Edwards it is not just a derby, but a landmark occasion.

He is set to make his 250th appearance for the club on Thursday, having played against the Grecians three times - the two wins in the 2022-23 season and the final derby before the Covid-19 pandemic when Exeter thrashed Argyle 4-0 at St James Park in October 2019.

"It was horrible. I hated it," Edwards says of the 4-0 loss

"It was probably one of the worst moments in my time here. It's probably in that top three of bad games and it sticks with you.

"I think having that and the experience of that helps - the two others have been really good, but that one does stick with you and it's not a good feeling to lose games anyway, but to lose games like we did there was not a nice feeling so we don't want to repeat of that."

The 34-year-old is Argyle's most experienced player and led them to a record-breaking League One title win in 2023 before getting the goal that kept the club in the Championship a year later.

"Every game I've played I've relished the chance to play for this fantastic club," he says.

"To get to 250 in a Devon derby is something special and if I can do that, if I can play and come out on a good side, it would be one of my favourite memories of this club.

"I love playing for this club, I always have. I hope I show that when I play and I always try and give 100%."

Edwards' opposite number Pierce Sweeney has played in more Devon derby matches than anyone else involved on Thursday night.

The 31-year-old Irishman is in his testimonial season at St James Park and the derby will be his 401st game in an Exeter shirt.

Of those, five have come against Argyle in league and cup matches - with the 4-0 his only taste of success.

"It's been a couple of years coming, I think everybody's pretty eager to get out there on Thursday," he says.

"I've been in Tesco, I've been at the petrol garage this week and people have been speaking to me about the game.

"It doesn't really matter whether we won on the weekend or we lost on the weekend or they won or they lost.

"I think it's about who wants it more. The manager is big on tactics, but he's also big on mentality and having heart and running further than the opposition and winning your battles and this is going to be the perfect game to do that."

Sweeney is approaching a decade at City and despite his broad Irish accent is considered as one of their own by the Exeter faithful.

In the past five seasons the defender has managed just three goals and has never found the net against Argyle - but should he be on target on Thursday night it might be a celebration to remember.

"If I scored the winner I'd be naked in the Big Bank. Not many people want to see that but I would," he jokes with a twinkle in his eye.

"I haven't scored for a long, long while and I think if I scored the winner on Thursday night, I would be not apologising to anybody, my partner would not see me until Friday afternoon."

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