EFL Countdown | #36 Matt Jay

We've played some progressive stuff to reach the halfway line of Playmaker's countdown of the 'Top 72' players in the EFL this season - and we've got a fleet-footed League Two forward to mark the occasion. 

Before we introduce the player in question, we'd like to quickly point out that 'Playmaker's 72' is not necessarily aimed at ID'ing the best footballers across the EFL - instead, it focuses on those who have enjoyed the best campaigns across the Championship, League One and League Two this season.

Let's get stuck in...here's our Number 36: Exeter City captain Matt Jay.  

Loyalty towards a club and a genuine affection for its fans and the area are less common than they once were in the modern game, but Exeter City's Matt Jay is a fantastic example of a homegrown player coming good. 

Despite Exeter finishing ninth in League Two last season, Jay enjoyed an outstanding personal campaign: bagging 20 goals in all competitions from an advanced midfield role. 

Speculation swirled last summer, with many tipping Jay to jump ship and join a club higher up the football ladder, the likes of Ipswich, Portsmouth and Millwall all linked to the jewel in the Grecians' crown. 

However, Jay quickly poured cold water over the transfer rumours by committing to Matty Taylor's project in Devon and replacing Jake Taylor as club captain. 

“A lot of other clubs, looking from the outside, if you don’t make it the first couple of years then you are bypassed as they ‘haven’t got time for you’, but Exeter they give you real time and exposure and not just a year on loan," said Jay in an interview with DevonLive in October.

“There is a real pathway and a journey – for me it has been pretty long, and then if you keep working hard and pushing, you get to where you want to be. Five years ago, if you said I would be captain I wouldn’t have believed you. 

"It has been a terrific journey, but it doesn't stop now, and we want promotion.”

Ah, promotion. The fly in the ointment, as any Exeter fan will tell you. From 2016/17 onwards, the Grecians have lost THREE League Two play-off finals, most recently enduring a nightmare 4-0 reverse against Northampton at Wembley in 2019/20. 

However, under new captain Jay, Exeter sit second this season with six games remaining. Unbeaten at home in League Two since the turn of the year, hopes are growing at St James Park that this could be the year they skip the drama and (likely!) heartbreak of the play-offs and clinch automatic promotion. 

With 50 Exeter goals now under his belt after netting in a 3-1 win over Swindon last month, Jay has scored a dozen League Two goals this term; as he and midfielder Timothee Dieng (11) have shouldered the goalscoring load.

🏠 Unbeaten at HOME in 2022 (top 4 tiers):

🛡 Liverpool*
🛡 Newcastle
🛡 Forest
🛡 Sheff Utd
🛡 Bristol Rovers
🛡 Exeter
🛡 Mansfield
🛡 Sutton

* unbeaten at home all season in the league.#LFC #NUFC #NFFC #UTB #BRFC #ECFC #Stags #suttonunited pic.twitter.com/i3EoNhvm0P

— playmakerstats (@playmaker_EN) April 7, 2022

Jay's technical ability and speed make him an ever-present danger in offensive areas, and his shots-on-target percentage of 49% (46 of 93 shots on target) is one of the best in the division. He has also drawn more fouls (33) for his side than any player, which is doubly dangerous given that set-piece specialist Jevani Brown is on dead-balls this season. 

Speaking after his exceptional 2020/21 vintage, Jay expressed his desire not to be a 'one season wonder' and stated that his focus was to continue to play, score and assist regularly...with the broader goal being to lead the Grecians to promotion.

It's fair to say Jay has achieved his personal aims - and now he and his boyhood club are tantalising close to achieving their main objective.  

Playmaker's 72

Check out the articles for all of those featured so far...

37: Bart Bialkowski 38: Nicky Cadden 39: James McClean 40: Morgan Gibbs-White 41: Antonee Robinson 42: Harry Darling 43: David Ajiboye 44: Jevani Brown 45: Luke Leahy 46: Liam Roberts 47: Lewis O'Brien  48: Gavin Bazunu 49: Lloyd Kelly 50: Sepp van den Berg 51: Wes Burns 52: Wes Foderingham 

53: Ross Sykes 54: Dan Neil 55: Kal Naismith 56: Fraser Horsfall  57: Keane Lewis-Potter 58: Jack Diamond 59: Christian Walton 60: Ricardo Santos 

61: Jack Rudoni 62: Matt Grimes 63: Ilias Chair 64: Conor Grant  65: Peter Clarke 66: Callum Lang 67: Viktor Gyökeres 68: Stephen McLaughlin 

69: Tom Lawrence 70: Davis Keillor-Dunn 71: Emil Riis  72: Rob Dickie

50 goals for my boyhood club, a very proud moment for me 🔴⚪️ @OfficialECFC pic.twitter.com/G12nEIxwcH

— MJ (@mattjay__) March 9, 2022