Harry Kewell leads his Notts County side in Sky Bet League Two action for the first time when they travel to Exeter City on Saturday.
Following a 2-1 defeat to Grimsby Town in the Checkatrade Trophy on Tuesday night, the new manager is hoping Notts' longest away trip of the campaign brings his side's first win of the season.
Awaiting his squad's arrival in Devon are an Exeter side who got their season off to a flyer, winning three and drawing one of their opening four games.
Back-to-back league defeats have stunted last year’s play-off finalists, however, and the Grecians will look to get back to winning ways themselves on Saturday.
Kewell says…
“Matt Taylor has done a fantastic job. They had a bit of a bump in the road last week but I thought they were excellent against Lincoln.
“They could have been 2-0 up but then they found themselves two goals down by half-time and were playing a side that counter-attack well so it was difficult for them to get back in it.
“My players applied themselves really well in the first half against Grimsby and I was impressed with our style of play and the way we conducted ourselves.
“I’m expecting a good game, because Matt and myself will both want to show our ability as coaches and that should reflect well on the field.”
Exeter boss Matt Taylor says…
“It is always difficult to play against a team with a new manager because you don’t quite know what to prepare for.
“He will have had a week to work with the squad and he will still be assessing his group and working out how to get the best out of the players.
“He might change the shape, formation or personnel, so we have got to be prepared for everything.
“My players are hungry to bounce back from the Lincoln match and hopefully we can take this week’s training into the game.”
Team news
Notts' injury list includes Richard Duffy and Matt Tootle, while Dan Jones serves the first game of his three-match ban following his dismissal against Forest Green Rovers.
Christian Oxlade-Chamberlain and Elliott Ward will hope for league debuts after starting on Tuesday, while Nathan Thomas could be back in contention after missing the last three matches.
Exeter striker Jonathan Forte faces a late fitness test to see whether he can line up against his former club, while Archie Collins, Dara O’Shea and Luke Croll impressed in the Grecians' Checkatrade tie in midweek and could force their way into the side.
We’ve met before
The Grecians won 2-1 when they visited Meadow Lane in January but the reverse fixture at St James Park went conclusively in Notts’ favour.
Lewis Alessandra opened the scoring inside two minutes before loanee Jorge Grant came off the bench to add a brace, securing a 3-0 success to move Notts three points clear of Exeter at the top of League Two.
In fact, Notts are unbeaten in their last four matches at St James Park, with February 2011 being the last time they left empty-handed.