Better Defending Reaps Reward

Well, that was most welcome. After the reservations over the January transfer window and given the lack of communication over the ownership situation, it was good to be able to focus on a fourth win in five. It wasn’t a lucky win but fortune was on our side, to accompany the sort of defensive display which seemed beyond us earlier in the season (in particular we previously coughed up soft goals from corners/other set pieces but Exeter had 14 yesterday and couldn’t make them count). Exeter fans and management will probably feel, with some justification, that they were on top for the majority of the game, but during our period of ascendency we scored twice (or in the words of Gary Caldwell were gifted two goals) and through a tough second half restricted Exeter - absent their top-scorer - to very few real opportunities.

With none of those who started against Bolton having departed in January, the team showed just one change from that XI, with Kilkenny coming in for his debut, replacing Morgan. With Sessegnon apparently not fit and O’Connell having been sold, Thomas found himself elevated from clearly surplus to requirements to the only defender on the bench (alongside three midfielders, a winger/wide forward, and a central forward).

If someone says Exeter had the better of the first five minutes I’ll take their word for it; I had been watching the rugby and then had problems logging on to Charlton TV, so I missed the start. I was, however, safely up and running when we took the lead in the seventh minute. Fraser held it up on the left side and laid it off for Dobson, who was given the time to look up and pick a spot. He saw the run inside from Rak-Sakyi and floated it unerringly into his path. Still a lot to do but Rak-Sakyi had got beyond and on the right side of his man (to meet the ball in) and superbly met it on the full and helped it on its way into the far corner. Super goal. And the post-goal commemoration for Ben Jay was worth the yellow card.

For the next 15 or so minutes, with Exeter rather stunned, we played some high quality and effective football, with Fraser mobile and the two wide forwards causing problems. Blackett-Taylor cut into the box only to overrun the ball and then not get the penalty as he seemed to be bundled over. Inside 20 minutes we were 2-0 up. Ness brought the ball out of defence, looked up, then hit a super long ball into the channel where CBT was making the run. The first touch wasn’t great but their defender failed to make a decisive intervention and allowed Blackett-Taylor to nudge him out of the equation, then slide the ball under the advancing keeper.

In some respect that was the pinnacle for us. The Exeter manager clearly didn’t like what he was seeing and made a change to their left-sided wing-back before 30 minutes were up. The guy who came on clearly carried more threat going forward and that, coupled with a perhaps unavoidable taking the foot off the peddle from us, saw Exeter gradually regain the initiative. That was of course aided by them getting one back on the half-hour. Their guy in a tight spot on the right side was allowed to turn, as Dobson for once got his angles wrong. His cross to the far post didn’t seem especially threatening, but Rak-Sakyi stood and watched it while Inniss and others didn’t move out to try to meet it. Instead the Exeter sub read the flight and attacked the ball, brushing past Rak-Sakyi and hitting the dropping ball in to the roof of the net.

In the following few minutes Exeter might even have drawn level as first we caused problems for ourselves as three went for the same ball inside the box, fortunately getting away with it as a shot was blocked, then a shot from further out brought a decent save from Maynard-Brewer with his fingertips. But we made it to half-time with a lead still intact.

The second half was dominated by Exeter, in terms of possession and chances. But with Kilkenny and Dobson working hard in front of the back four those chances were kept to only a few – and we did have one ourselves as CBT brought an excellent save from their keeper from close range, as well as a break which began down the left and saw us with numbers unable to convert, with Leaburn – who had by then replaced Bonne – seeing a shot blocked.

Exeter’s two real opportunities came in five minutes of stoppage time. First, a free-kick for handball on the left side was headed out rather weakly and dropped to one of theirs in space on the edge of the box. He hit the shot hard but wide, which was a let-off. And then right at the death we were almost robbed, as a clear shove on Ness as he went to head clear went unpunished. In the resulting confusion Maynard-Brewer had to come out of his box to head clear, then get back into position to stick out a paw and divert a goalbound shot around the post. That one would have been hard to take.

In the greater scheme of things it wasn’t a classic. We spent much of the second half focused more on spoiling Exeter’s play than creating much ourselves, while aside from swapping Bonne for Leaburn our only changes, despite some tired legs, came in the final few minutes (Campbell for CBT, Thomas for Rak-Sakyi – and a quick switch to 3/5 at the back). There’s no special importance to be attached, just a hard-earned win which leaves us moving back up the league but only to the mid-point, 10 points off both the final play-off spot and the last relegation place. Next up of course is Fleetwood at home and a challenge for Inniss not to be wound up by a returning Stockley. Should be fun.