WEMBLEY 2020: James Heneghan's Exeter City v Northampton Town preview

Date/time: Monday, June 29, 7.30pm kick-off

Venue: Wembley Stadium

Forecast: 17C, cloudy

Betting: Exeter 31/20, draw 23/10, 17/10

Form guide: Grecians WLLDDL, Cobblers WLLWLW

League positions: 5th v 7th

Possible line-ups: Exeter (3-5-2): Maxted; Sweeney, Martin, Moxey; Williams, Taylor, Collins, Richardson, Law; Martin, Bowman. Northampton (3-5-2): Arnold; Goode, Turnbull, Wharton; Harriman, McCormack, Watson, Adams, Hoskins; Morton, Oliver.

Man in the middle: Michael Salisbury

Last time out: Exeter 3 (Martin, Richardson, Bowman) Colchester 1 (Senior); Cheltenham 0 Northampton 3 (Oliver, Morton 2)

Most recent meeting: Saturday, February, 22, 2020 - Northampton 2 (Oliver, Hoskins) Exeter 0

Record v Exeter: P117 W53 D34 L30

James Heneghan's preview: A week on from their stunning exploits at Cheltenham Town, the Cobblers must summon up the effort to do it all over again when they take on Exeter City in tonight's League Two play-off final at Wembley.

For much of the past 12 months, it's felt as if promotion would be a bridge too far for the Cobblers, that this season would perhaps be a year too soon. They made a poor start, stuttered in the middle and then there was the small matter of a worldwide pandemic that stopped all sport across the globe.

And yet here we are. It's 359 days since the Cobblers faced Northampton Sileby Rangers in their first pre-season friendly of 2019/20. They will now end an elongated and unique season, against all odds, at Wembley Stadium, with a real shot of sealing their return to League One two years after relegation.

But this is not a typical final occasion at Wembley because there is one key difference.

An empty Sixfields or a deserted Whaddon Road is one thing, but a fan-free Wembley will be quite another. An eerie and somewhat bizarre atmosphere is sure to greet the players when they step out at 7.30pm, and it is an almighty shame that Cobblers fans, and Exeter's for that matter, cannot head to the capital to roar on their side.

But Northampton players know full well they have the backing of supporters, even if it's from their television screens. Cobblers flags, banners and cardboard cut-outs already drape the Wembley stands, and rewarding fans with trips to the likes of Sunderland, Ipswich and Peterborough next season will go a long way to making up for it.

As for the game itself, how do Town's chances stack up? It's a close one to call, almost too close. Even the bookies are struggling to separate these two evenly-matched sides, though Exeter do edge it with most.

Ultimately, it comes down to who handles the occasion better and who produces the goods when it really matters. These are two very decent sides both of whom are capable of beating any team in this division - and a few from the league above - on their day.

Exeter spent much of the season occupying a top-three spot. Indeed, as recently as mid-February, the Grecians were level on points with leaders and eventual champions Swindon Town.

It was, in fact, defeat at Sixfields later that month which sparked their undoing prior to lockdown. City struggled to recapture their good form after going down to goals from Vadaine Oliver and Sam Hoskins and failed to win any of the next six games, though they did get back to winning ways at just the right time courtesy of last Monday's extra-time victory over Colchester United.

After a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, top scorer Ryan Bowman sealed a 3-1 victory at St James Park to book a date with the Cobblers.

The Grecians have some wrongs to right at Wembley having been beaten in the League Two play-off final in both 2017 and 2018, losing to Blackpool and Coventry City respectively. They'll hope it's third time lucky this evening.

Lining up in the same shape, there are many similarities between the teams. Both play with three at the back, both look for creativity through a wing-back and both have an in-form striker. Whether it's Randell Williams versus Nicky Adams or Callum Morton against Ryan Bowman, whichever team wins more individual battles will almost certainly come out on top.

This is a big game for so many reasons but it is particularly important for Keith Curle, who can win his first promotion as a manager 18 years after being appointed player-manager at Mansfield Town. He has been close on a few occasions before but he knows he now needs to seal the deal.

That said, tonight should not be the deciding factor when it comes to passing judgement on Curle's first 18 months at the club. The fact they've even reached the League Two play-off final, albeit in unusual circumstances, is a clear sign of progress. He should - and will - be allowed to continue that next season whatever happens this evening.

It's also been a positive season for Northampton, irrespective of the outcome of tonight's game. They've come a long way in the past 12 months and should start next season in decent shape, whatever division they're in.

But how dearly they would love to be a League One side again. To do so, the Cobblers must ensure they have not produced their one big performance a game too early, akin to England in last year's Rugby World Cup.

As impressive as they were in their dismantling of Cheltenham Town, it will count for precious little if they can't do it all over again at Wembley.

It's been one helluva ride to this point. Let's hope the Cobblers have one big push left in them.

Prediction: Exeter City 1 Northampton Town 2