The Ant Moxey Report

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So on a bitterly cold night at the Park a hardy 4106 supporters - including a not unimpressive 130-odd visiting fans - witness City slump to a bitterly disappointing 3-2 defeat to Carlisle United. City lined up: Jones; Duffy, Taylor, Tully; Golbourne, Harley, Russell, Cozic, Sercombe; Stewart, Stansfield

 

With temperatures hovering around zero, supporters needed something hearty to warm them up. But it would have to come from the tea hut as precious little was coming from the pitch during the opening exchanges. City's first chance to test the Carlisle back line came in the 12th minute when Russell cleared under intense pressure just outside his box to Stewart up near the half way line who sent Stansfield scampering down the left channel. Stans crossed to the right after spotting Cozic bursting into the box, but the cross was a foot over hit and cleared easily.

 

A couple of minutes later Stansfield fed the ball out to Sercombe on the right who whipped a cross in from deep that Stansfield raced onto, but his volley from the edge of the box whistled miles over the bar. On 25 minutes Stansfield was once again busy playing a nifty one-two with Stewart in the centre circle before racing off down the right. Once again Cozic burst into the box in anticipation, but once again the cross was over hit and easily dealt with.

 

With the half hour approaching City were given a warning of the threat of what would turn out to be Carlisle's main danger man Joe Anyinsah when he tangled with Jones winning the ball and in the same movement striking a spectacular overhead kick towards goal from the edge of the six yard box. Fortunately Taylor was alert to the danger and headed clear off the line with Jones still on the floor.

 

City then broke up to the other end with Golbourne feeding the ball into Stewart from the left who cut into and across the penalty area before curling a shot a foot the wrong side of the far post, then a minute later Harley danced past a couple of lumbering defenders before spoiling his run with a wild hack at the ball sending it high and wide of the Carlisle goal.

 

But then with ten minutes to go, and with neither side really having tested either keeper, Carlisle made an incisive break to take the lead. Kevan Hurst sped down the right and whipped in a first time cross from deep and Anyinsah showed great awareness to dart in front of a daydreaming Taylor to glance a neat header into the corner from six yards out via the far post giving Jones little chance and putting the visitors 1-0 up.

 

City's response was almost immediate with Sercombe crossing to Stansfield who shielded the ball for Stewart to race round the outside and shoot from the corner of the six yard box only for his shot to be blocked at source by a sliding defender. Then Sercombe himself cut in from the right to try his luck from distance, but his shot comfortably cleared the bar.

 

With the half time whistle imminent Taylor was somewhat harshly adjudged to have committed a foul about 40 yards out. The free kick was crossed in deep past the far post where the unmarked Richard Keogh was on hand to knock it back across the goalmouth. Amidst a gaggle of defenders Anyinsah was once again sharpest, poking home from a couple of feet out to give Carlisle a 2-0 half time lead.

 

City's first action of the second half was to replace Cozic and Stewart with Corr and Logan, and thus changing to a 3-4-3 formation with Golbourne and Sercombe playing as conventional wide midfielders and Logan and Corr playing either side of the now central striker Stansfield. Ten minutes in and this new formation finally saw City's first genuine attempt on goal when Stansfield deflected an attempted clearance out to Sercombe who rasped a dipping drive straight at their keeper.

 

A minute later and City's second corner of the game - thirty seconds after their first - was whipped in by Harley to Corr who butted narrowly over from ten yards out. Corr again spurned a chance five minutes later heading Tully's deep cross onto the Big Bank from somewhere near the penalty spot, then midway through the half City had a half hearted shout for a penalty when Stansfield and a defender got in a tangle chasing Russell's good looking through ball. A penalty would have been harsh on Carlisle though, especially as it looked as though Stans might have handled in the build up.

 

On the half hour came City's closest chance of a goal when Duffy and Harley combined down the left before Harley squared to Corr lurking at the near post. His first time prod from close in was deflected away by the keeper's knee though. But, with pressure constantly building, a City goal was almost inevitable, and in the 35th minute of the half they did indeed pull one back. A cross towards Corr from the left was drilled towards goal and blocked by a defender, but only as far as Stansfield just outside the box who promptly smashed it straight back whence it came and into the back of the net to bring City right back into the game.

 

Logan battled hard for an equaliser, winning a tussle with a defender before looping a cheeky chip over the bar from distance, then with five minutes to go City hit the bar when Taylor's looping header hit the woodwork before being cleared for a corner from a Harley free kick. The corner wasn't cleared properly, and Russell came steaming in to crash a ferocious shot through a sea of players from 20 yards, but unfortunately for him it went straight at the keeper. A minute later Golbourne's cross from the left was headed over the angle of post and bar by Corr with the keeper a mere spectator, then in the final minute City looked to have stolen a share of the points when Harley crashed home a loose ball after good work out on the right by Logan.

 

But City's unlikely celebrations were short lived as straight from the kick off Carlisle won a throw deep in City territory. In it came and inexplicably substitute Richard Offiong found himself in acres of space on the corner of the box and time a plenty to curl a low shot round Jones towards the far post. Equally inexplicably it hit the inside of the post and rebounded straight back to Offiong who made no mistake second time round planting the ball into the same corner to give the visitors all three points.

 

And what a truly massive three points it was too. We're now properly into a relegation battle, and points like these are absolutely vital. So it's somewhat strange that after the wonderful performance and result a fortnight ago against Leeds at the Park that it would take almost an hour into tonight's game before we gave their keeper something to do. Tis was right when he said on the radio that we were poor in the first half. We were. There was a real sluggishness about our play, with none of the zip of the Leeds game, and uncharacteristically some very sloppy passing and lacklustre play.

 

Having said that, Carlisle might be considered somewhat fortunate to be two up seeing as they only had three shots on target, but then again that was three more than we could muster. The second half was much better with City creating a number of chances, however once again the keeper was rarely tested with supporters on the Big Bank seeing more of the ball than he did. But credit to City on keeping going though - disappointing as the result might be, they did well to get themselves level and that looked a million miles away at half time. To counter that though the manner of Carlisle's winner will be a bitter pill to swallow - you'd have thought lessons would have been learnt after Brighton stole a winner deep into injury time here last month.

 

As for the players themselves, there's not really much to report. Stansfield seemed a bizarre choice for man of the match given the near faultless display from Alex Russell in the middle, and it wasn't until the introduction of Logan and Corr in particular that we looked as though we might get something in the second half. That we did is a positive to take from the game - there aren't many - and on to MK Dons this weekend.

 

We can attack, we can defend and we can put teams under pressure. If we can do it to Leeds then we can do it to anyone in this division, so why not on Saturday at MK? Twice they've beaten us by a single goal margin this season, let's have it third time lucky for us and get something from a somewhat wretched January that's seen us pick up a mere three points from the four games played so far this month.

 

A moral boosting win, or even a draw, will set us up nicely for an equally tricky February, but in amongst the big guns of Southampton and Millwall are scattered enough winnable games to see us hopefully pull away from a relegation struggle into what, on paper at least, seems an easier March. So it could be a while before mid table obsurity beckons. For the first time in a number of seasons we're fighting at the wrong end of the table, and it will be a fascinating and neve jangling battle that'll probably go right to the wire.

 

But this is Exeter City, the club we know and love dearly. You didn't expect it to be any other way did you?

The majority of our match reports are the views of our superb volunteer writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of Exeter City Football Club.