The Ant Moxey Report
So on the final day of the season on a cold and blustery day at the Park, City warmed the hearts of Grecians the world over to secure their League One status for another year thanks to a fine 2-1 win over play-off contenders Huddersfield Town in front of a stand busting 8383 supporters. City lined up: Jones; Golbourne, Matt Taylor, Duffy, Tully; Friend, Cozic, Harley, Sercombe, Stewart; Ryan Taylor.
A strange line up and formation then, but it should have come as no surprise to City fans used manager Tisdale picking his teams according to the opposition's strengths and weaknesses, rather than going for all out attack, as some might advocate, in a game that would ensure City's survival if they won. It would also come as no surprise to City fans that we never do things the easy way either, but even so no-one could have imagined that Player of the Season Matt Taylor and Richard Duffy, who surely must have run him close, would have got their wires crossed so badly you could have knitted a rather nice jumper and matching scarf from them as early as 90 seconds into the game.
Duffy had both time and space to play a simple ball across the face of the box to Taylor, who had equal time and space to control the ball and play it forward, except Duffy hit the ball behind Taylor and short, and Taylor stood and watched in bemusement instead of collecting and distributing. While all this was going on bullish Huddersfield forward Gary Roberts wasted no time in nipping in and helping himself to the ball before jinking past the still bewildered Taylor and firing the ball past Jones into the roof of the net from 15 yards to make it 1-0 to the visitors.
But City are made of fairly resilient stuff these days, and at home especially don't roll over for anyone - no top ten side has walked away from the Park with all three points at all this season - and in the 15th minute forced a series of corners. The first was the best, with Harley launching the ball over where Matt Taylor and Friend burst through at the far post, unfortunately a defender did the same and beat both to the ball butting over for another corner.
After the excitement of the corners Golbourne worked his way down the left before swinging in a good looking cross that the keeper spilled under a heavy challenge from Ryan Taylor. Taylor reacted quickest and shot goalwards from about six yards, but inexplicably both officials in that half missed a cast iron hand ball from a defender on the line that saw the ball cleared.
City pressed on though, and in the 20th minute a Golbourne throw from the left was nodded on by Ryan Taylor for Friend to chase where he then lashed his 25 yard effort well wide of the near post. But then a minute later City handed themselves a lifeline. Ryan Harley's eighth corner of the game was lifted in to the centre of the box where Captain Fantastic Matt Taylor came steaming in from the back of the box to power a bullet header into the back of the net from eight yards out to send three sides of the ground into raptures and make the game level at one apiece.
With City enjoying something of a purple patch and the stands rocking, they looked to capitalise and almost went in front when Sercombe delivered a peach of a cross from just in front of the players' tunnel a minute later. Ryan Taylor rose magnificently to glance a good looking header towards goal, but caught it fractionally too fine as the ball flew past the angle of post and bar.
As we drew breath the game settled for a while as both teams probed for an opening, but once again it was City who came closest when in the 40th minute Cozic robbed a dawdling defender 40 yards out before playing an intelligent ball out to Stewart patrolling the right flank. Stewart's pinpoint cross was met by Ryan Taylor who saw his shot blocked, but the rebound cannoned out to Sercombe surging forward from deep who let fly with a fierce drive that narrowly missed the far post.
But City still weren't finished! Right on the whistle Cozic broke through again before laying the ball off to Harley on the left who played it back 30 yards out. Cozic finished the half fizzing a daisycutter fractionally wide of the post that seemed to increase speed the closer it got to the goal.
Soon enough it was time for the second half to get underway. The half time scores revealed Tranmere were winning at Stockport, meaning City were now occupying the final relegation spot. A win was now a must, as in order to stay up City had to either match or beat Tranmere's result. They wasted no time in searching out that win as with only two minutes on the clock Harley collected a throw in from deep before skipping across the pitch to unleash a full blooded dipping drive from distance that seared over the cross bar and into the City faithful on the Big Bank.
30 seconds later Huddersfield couldn't believe their luck as they were almost handed a second goal on a plate as Tully made a better connection with the ground than he did the ball in sending a woefully underhit backpass that Roberts once again nipped in on. This time though the angle was sharper and Jones had time to prepare before sticking out a boot to deflect the ball away to safety.
In the fifth minute a hanging Duffy ball in caused all sorts of problems for the Huddersfield defence as first Friend then Ryan Taylor then Stewart all had successive shots blocked before it was eventually cleared for yet another corner.
In the 17th minute Tis made a triple substitution with first Ryan Taylor being replaced by Corr, then Stewart - to rapturous applause from both sets of supporters - was replaced by Logan and finally the masterstroke of replacing Cozic with wise old head Edwards. It looked to pay dividends soon after too as Harley set off on a great run chasing a Corr flick on before eventually drilling a delicious low ball across the box. Both Logan and Friend came rushing in at the back post, but the move was ended with a linesman's flag for offside.
Corr looked to be on his way scampering through onto a Sercombe ball from deep, but as he shaped to shoot midway through the half midway inside the box, he got in a horrendous tangle with a defender and the ball drifted away to nothing with Logan in space looking to cash in on any scraps.
Time was running out, supporters were getting nervous and we wondered if this was it, especially with just ten minutes to go when Neal Trotman was put clean through and found himself in acres of space 15 yards out. He hit his shot firmly enough, but Jones was having none of it and spectacularly tipped the ball away from near point blank range. This fired the boys up for one final big push, and with the crowd roaring them on Jones hoisted a huge punt deep into Huddersfield territory form a free kick for offside. A gaggle of players rose, but it was Corr who rose highest skimming the ball on towards the Huddersfield goal where Harley burst through to smash a glorious shot from just inside the box first time high into the net to send an electric crowd into a frenzy with a mixture of joy, relief, celebration and just sheer ohmigodithinkwevedoneit!
The remaining six or seven minutes went by in a slow motion blur that lasted forever, especially when the fourth official signalled four minutes of stoppage time, but with nails chewed, nerves frayed and hearts fluttering eventually the referee blew the whistle to signal the biggest cheer and celebration at the Park for many a year.
And boy was it deserved. The place was rocking and rightly so - staying in the division must rank up there as one of the all time greatest achievements of the club, and despite two Wembley appearances and two promotions in the last three years, this was by far the most nerve wracking, and by far the most special. We get to stay and play with the big boys, and we get to renew old rivalries with fiercest local rivals Plymouth Argyle. Oh yes!
As for the players, simply well done to each and every one. Heroes all. The tension must have been fantastic before kick off, yet despite going a goal behind they kept their cool, kept their shape and kept their discipline. The goals were team efforts too and are typical of City - towering Matt Taylor power and silky Ryan Harley finesse - and typical of the precision patient football Tisdale likes his teams to employ.
Good job too, it's easy on the eye and on the better pitches scares the opposition too. Look forward to more nippy zippy play next season when the new pitch is laid. But that's for then, this is now. Today was quite simply brilliant in every way you could possibly imagine, and with the best possible ending too to a season that's been as fascinating as it has been frustrating as it has been exciting.
So well done to Paul and the boys, and thanks for all that hard work and effort - today you got your just rewards, celebrate well then let's look forward to starting all over again in a couple of months. So see you all again soon. In League One, hell yeah!
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