Lies, Damn Lies and Exeter City

Victory has not historically been a friend of Exeter City Football Club. Our relationship has been fraught to say the least, always threatening to spill over into a full blow scrap.

But there could well be better news for Exeter City fans ahead of Saturday’s clash with bottom side Droylsden, if statistics revealed this week are to be believed. A new study has discovered that teams that play in red are more successful at home than those whose home shirts are white or blue.

According to this study, undertaken by Durham and Plymouth Universities, there is a positive psychological boost for teams playing in red, meaning they win more home matches. This research looked at over 60 seasons of English football results and suggested that the colour red subconsciously boosts player's confidence and unnerves their opponents, a factor seemingly lost on over 60 years of Exeter City players!

Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal and Nottingham Forest all had spells of huge success in the 68 seasons the researchers chose to study. Southampton have also had their moments while Barnsley and Bristol City have had successes in various fields this season. Did they not take into account the Exeter City 1990 promotion?!

These researchers go on to describe that in tight matches where the winner is too close to call, they predict that the side in red “could tip the balance between success and failure." Our seven home draws this season suggests the balance never really threatened to tip at St James Park.

Have you ever wondered why Exeter City’s fan base has always had that slight advantage over local rivals Torquay? The answer is (obviously…) a very fickle bread of Devonshire loving football fans that made their decision based entirely on our home shirts. According to this survey supporters “may be subconsciously more attracted to a club wearing red, so the club has developed an increasing resources base”.

Whether this new study is just scientific madness (probably) or an excuse for Exeter City fans to be confident ahead of a crucial run of home games (doubtful) we will never know. But for a breed of fans used to false dawns this news does seem a little cruel.

Like a friend who phones you from their holiday and asks what the weather is like, this survey is almost teasing Exeter City fans, especially given the location of one of the Universities in question. We now seemingly have no excuses for a home defeat in the famous red and white shirts, as we ‘should’ have won. After all 10 of the last 12 Premiership titles have been won by teams in red…

Although, with the club currently trying to decide on a new shirt for next season it could well be worth suggesting removing the white and going for a full red number. Just in case.

PETER EVANS