“17 games” – Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell is right to raise Nottingham Forest fear.

Part of the mystique of the Cup is that you never know what will happen when a game starts.

Everyone enjoys an upset, and cult heroes may emerge in the flash of an eye.

Sometimes you can sense a surprise, and other times you’re simply praying your team comes out of it with some dignity.

Most Exeter City fans hope for the best as they prepare for their first Fourth Round FA Cup fixture in 44 years against Nottingham Forest at home on Tuesday.

Make no mistake: there is the possibility of complete humiliation in this game, which will be aired live across the world.

The sense of dread is heightened by the fact that Gary Caldwell’s Grecians have conceded 13 goals in their past three games and have appeared stunned following a terrible run of results and a month marred by loan recalls and back-line injuries.

Saturday’s loss to Stevenage was particularly shambolic, sending chills down the necks of the Grecian fans. Forest hammered seven unanswered goals past Brighton in the Premier League’s early kick-off.

Exeter City has brought in defensive reinforcements.

Following City’s disastrous loss at the weekend, the club’s media staff questioned Caldwell if it would be a good idea to take a break before their televised FA Cup match.

He said, “Not when I’ve seen their score today!

“This is going to be a really difficult assignment. We have to recover as a team, as a football club, and attempt to bring reinforcements in, after which we will have a lot more preparation time in terms of training days that come our way.”

The Scottish manager did get some players in the door, but the atmosphere in the camp must be quite low right now after going eight games without a League One win and only three in their past 15 appearances in all competitions.

With 17 games remaining, City has slipped from a possible play-off push to a concerned glance over their shoulders.

At kickoff on Tuesday night, City might be just four points clear of the drop zone, but regardless of what happens over the weekend, that distance has been progressively closing and now sits at seven points.

 

A thrashing in the FA Cup might harm League One’s hopes.

Caldwell understands that his team has to improve and has stated that they will work hard in the coming days to shore up their defence.

However, he conceded that there is the possibility of a terrible night on Tuesday if they do not improve quickly, and he worried about the harm that may be done to the squad for the rest of the season if City arrive up and deliver another disasterclass.

“Some of our actions on the pitch have to be so much better,” he said afterwards.”Especially against a Premier League club, it might be a really terrible, bad experience, so we have to be prepared for that challenge when it comes.

“More importantly than that we have to be ready for the next 17 games in League One and hopefully the FA Cup can provide a platform for us to go and do that.”

City has had several memorable moments in the FA Cup, including Dean Moxey’s lob and the celebration at Old Trafford, 4-0 victories against Newcastle United and Spurs, appearances by the Busby Babes, and more.

There are occasional Curzon Ashton-style disasters along the way, but as the perpetual underdog, the FA Cup is always a source of excitement and optimism in EX4.

It doesn’t seem like a big upset is in the works on Tuesday night; we’re simply trying to put up a good fight, which has been sorely lacking in recent weeks.