Saints Breeze Past Exeter

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale didn`t get the result he wanted when he returned to Southampton with his team.

The Grecians were second best in the first half, but despite a strong second half showing, lost 3-1 against the in-from Saints.

City started the game relatively well and held a lot of possession in the first fifteen minutes. However, there was a lack of cutting edge from Tisdale`s men, whilst the home side looked dangerous whenever they entered the final third. And so it was to be, as fifteen minutes in Lloyd James` shot deflected off the unfortunate Richard Duffy and past the helpless Paul Jones.

This early goal only galvanised the Saints in front of a capacity crowd – the biggest crowd Exeter had played under for a league game for a number of years. The Grecians were in danger of being over-run, and David Connolly headed onto the bar in the ensuing minutes. A second Southampton goal came on the half hour. This time Jones was at a fault, when he was caught in no-mans land from a ball in the box, and Neal Trotman looped a header over the City keeper and into the net.

Exeter made it to half time without any more damage on the scoreline, but were reduced to ten men when Troy Archibald Henville`s high tackle combined with a unnecessary raising off the arm to an opposing player saw the Tottenham loanee given his marching orders.

Despite this setback, City rallied in the second half, and mid-way through it gave the 1,800 travelling fans hope when Matt Taylor`s header from a corner found the bottom corner. City pushed for an unlikely equaliser, but were punished on the break two minutes from time when Pablo Waigo coolly dispatched into the corner one on one with Jones.