Tis frustrated by soft goals
Paul Tisdale blamed poor defending for Exeter City’s 2-0 loss at home to Notts County on Tuesday night.
The Grecians conceded a soft goal after just three minutes as Luke Croll slipped trying to clear a ball on halfway, allowing Alex Rodman to run through on goal and square the ball to Jon Stead to side foot the ball into an unguarded net.
They were then 2-0 behind midway through the first half when City gave away a cheap free-kick on the edge of their box that Michael O’Connor swung in. The Grecians had the opportunity to clear the ball before it dropped kindly at the feet of Stead who fired home his ninth goal of the season.
City kept pressing after that and created plenty of opportunities to score, but having conceded two early goals it was always going to be an uphill struggle against a County side who could sit in and frustrate a home side fragile on confidence in front of their own support.
“Some of what the players are doing is okay, but the first goal is all-important,” said Tis.
“It is such a huge moment in the game and there is nothing I can do about it. The players had to do better and they didn’t. They have to be efficient and productive and going a goal behind and then conceding a weak second goal is not productive.
“I’m not surprised. I want better, but they are learning on the job. They are young boys and we are doing our best, but we have to believe it will come. I believe I have got a good team when I have got players fit and when I have got a defence and I haven’t got it at the moment.”
Tis was without captain Jordan Moore-Taylor for the match as he was serving a one-match suspension for his red card on Saturday at Stevenage. He joined first-choice centre-backs Troy Brown and Troy Archibald-Henville in the stands.
Tis admitted that he understands supporters’ frustration at poor home form this season, but says he liked to be judged when he can get those players back on the pitch.
“I’d like to be judged when I can put a defence in place that I feel is strong enough for the league and at the moment it is not,” said Tis. “But there is nothing I can do about it. Clearly, we conceded two very soft goals.
“I’m working every day on trying to put the back four together. This is a very new back four with three players who have got only a handful of league experience in them and it is a big, big learning curve for them. It cost us today, with two weak goals.
“I cannot work any harder with them. They’ll be good players one day, but they have got to be good players this week and next week. I know it will come and I know Troy (Archibald-Henville) and Troy (Brown) will be fit soon. Jordan Moore-Taylor will be back on Saturday. I know these things, but it doesn’t really help us at the moment.”
Tis added his thanks to the fans who turned up to the match, with more than 3,000 coming to watch the game at St James Park. He said he was disappointed they couldn’t get a result for them.
“I am very disappointed to have lost of course,” he said. “I am very grateful to those people who came and supported us tonight. Thank you to them and I’m sorry we didn’t get a result for them. We just have to keep going and believe it will come.”