TIM'S GRECIANS DELIGHT

JOHN LYONS TALKS TO EXETER CITY MIOFIELOER TIMOTHEE DIENG ABOUT HIS SUCCESSFUL EARLY DAYS IN DEVON...

- JOHN LYONS

IF TOUGH times make the good times feel all the sweeter, then you can fully understand why Timothee Dieng is loving every minute at Exeter City this season.

The 29-year-old Frenchman suffered the pain of back-to-back relegations with former club Southend, who crashed from League One to the National League, before making the switch to Devon this summer.

Things could hardly have gone much better in his opening four months at St James Park. He’s been a regular for Matt Taylor’s Grecians and has already weighed in with five goals in all competitions from his midfield berth.

While the former Oldham and Bradford man has flourished on a personal level, the team have done likewise. At the time of writing, Exeter were a club record 14 games unbeaten in League Two.

That run saw them climb to third place, while they were also 19 games unbeaten in all competitions, another club record.

“It’s a big relief to be at the top of the table and not the bottom,” smiled Dieng. “The last two seasons have been really tough in terms of the results for me at Southend and now to be on an unbeaten run, 19 games, it’s much more enjoyable.

“Everyone is on form. The people that come off the bench change the game. It’s not just the starters, the whole squad has confidence at the highest level. That’s good for the team.”