Exeter City captain and former Cheltenham Town midfielder Jake Taylor has predicted that any side who manages to end the season above the Robins will be on course for League One football next campaign.
The two West Country sides clash at St James Park this afternoon (kick-off 15:00).
Michael Duff’s team are currently situated at the summit of the table, two points clear of fourth place Tranmere Rovers.
Though the Grecians could close the gap on their visitors from up the M5 to three points with victory today, whilst still possessing a crucial game in hand in their armoury.
Taylor has been with the Devon outfit since 2016, though spent the 2012/13 season on loan in Gloucestershire, a spell he still holds fond memories of.
“I loved that club, it was a really good experience for me. Going out on loan again and experiencing something else,” he candidly told Park Life Sport.
“It’s a really well run club that’s been pretty successful in the last few years. They’re definitely one of the strongest teams that we’ve played this year, the way they play is so difficult to come up against.”
Cheltenham earned national recognition for their impressive display against Manchester City in January, being the first side to lead against the Mancunian Juggernaut since the preceding November.
Alfie May’s close-range finish allowed the Whaddon Road faithful to dream, and the former Doncaster forward has been in fine form of late, netting twice against Port Vale last Saturday.
Town have the best away record in League Two, though Exeter’s home form too is impressive, having lost just four times at St James’ Park this season.
Taylor praised the job that Robins legend Duff has done at the club, taking them from the lower regions of the table to its peak.
“As you can see even in the cup games against Man City, they’ve got a squad of players that will compete this year.
If you finish above Cheltenham, you will probably get promoted this year, so they’re a club on the up with some fantastic players.”
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