Exeter boss Gary Caldwell hopes their extra time on the training pitch will pay off ahead of their clash with Wanderers.

Former Celtic and Scotland defender Caldwell took charge at St James Park back in October following the departure of Matt Taylor, who left his position to join Championship club Rotherham.

Exeter are currently 13th in the table as they aim to build on last season’s promotion from League Two.

They have had the whole week to prepare for the Whites, while Ian Evatt's men had to navigate Tuesday night's Papa Johns Trophy tie against Manchester United Under-21s.

“It is important to get the time on the training pitch,” Caldwell told Devon Live. “As much as footballers say games are the best time of the week, to get that time to work on the grass and work on specific ways of playing in and out of possession, set pieces, to get them nailed down is great.

“I feel the team is progressing because we have had that opportunity weekly recently. It is an evolving process and will continue to develop over time.

“A pre-season is the best time to implement change so I have had to be mindful of that, but I believe in a certain way of playing and the players can play it.

“It is about adapting slowly and not to overload them and slow them down, and I have to be specific about how we play the game and see gradual changes.

“We are still, as coaching staff, finding how we will work and getting things in place like individual development plans for each player, who looks after them and all that sort of stuff. There will be constant evolution as to how we work.”

The Grecians enter the game on the back of a 1-1 draw against third-place Sheffield Wednesday.

Caldwell’s side thought they had done enough to secure all three points after Jake Caprice had opened the scoring but Callum Paterson equalised in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Speaking after the game, he told Yorkshire Live: "I feel really proud of the players. The best team in the league came here, in terms of the last eight games, and we totally outplayed them from start to finish.

"Second half there was only one team in the game. We were outstanding right throughout.

"I feel for the players for what they put in but that's football. It's a cruel game. We'll learn small lessons. We should have defended one more long ball and then we'd have seen the game out."