Goals from Charlie Cummins and Luca Woodhouse made the difference as Exeter City beat Fleetwood Town 2-1 in Sky Bet League Two.
A tantalising ten minutes in the second half saw Charlie Cummins open scoring from a corner before Fleetwood equalised quickly after, however Luca Woodhouse' stunning strike secured back-to-back wins for the Grecians at St James Park.
Matt Taylor named two changes from his side that beat Crewe Alexandra on Tuesday night, with Harry Kite given the nod in place of Jake Doyle Hayes, and Josh Gordon returning for the starting eleven in place of Sonny Cox.
Kick-off
Exeter City began the game attacking the Progressive St James Road Stand, and saw the first chance at that end of the pitch just six minutes in. A well won corner by Taylor Perry allowed Josh Gordon to head the ball goalwards following the set piece, thought this attempt was blocked. Hope was not lost, though, as Jack Taylor picked up the ball at the far post and shot low, however Jay Lynch got low to pull off a stop at close range.
The visitors responded with a half chance just past the ten-minute mark. A throw in on the left side of the pitch set up a crossing opportunity to the back post where Lewis McCann was waiting, however the Town man misjudged his headed attempt and placed his shot wide of the target.
With a quarter of an hour gone, Anthony Scully picked up the ball on the left wing before he found Charlie Cummins close by. The two Irishmen combined with a clever one-two pass, with Scully left to charge into the Fleetwood penalty area where he squared the ball to Perry on the edge of the box, though his attempt was wide of the target.
Another opportunity came shortly afterwards when George Birch, fresh off the news of a contract extension, dribbled into the Town penalty area before switching to his left foot. Similarly to his near miss on Tuesday night, it wasn’t to be for Birch, whose effort took a heavy deflection and made it easy for Lynch to make the save.
Throw ins from the opposition continued to possess a threat however, and Crispin McLean proved this half-an-hour in. The Scot received the ball in the middle of the pitch from the by line and sent a driven shot towards goal, though a deflection took his attempt over the bar and away from danger.
A chance for each side were the final pieces of action for the opening 45 minutes, with an attempt from Ronan Coughlan that forced Bycroft into a quick stop, and Birch who shot just high of the crossbar soon after.
City won a throw in high up the pitch inside ten minutes of the second half, where it was quickly played to Gordon inside the penalty area. The striker turned and shot, though his attempt was blocked and the Grecians had to regroup. Scully picked up the ball and struck towards goal in a follow-up that forced the visitors to send the ball behind for a corner.
While the Grecians couldn’t capitalise from that corner, another corner kick minutes later would bear fruit for Matt Taylor’s side. Brought on at the start of the second half, Reece Cole sent an inviting ball towards the near post where Cummins headed home to put City ahead.
With City ahead by just the one goal though, it didn’t take long for the visitors to search for a route back into the game. Awarded a free kick high up the pitch after the Grecians gained the advantage, Coughlan connected with ball at the near post to level the game.
While celebrations were still ringing out from the travelling Cod Army, Luca Woodhouse charged up the pitch in an aim to put his side ahead once more. The defender twisted and turned before he let fly from 20-yards out and buried the ball into the top left corner to re-establish City’s lead in fine fashion.
Ethan Sutherland saw himself introduced to the field for the final half an hour and had a golden opportunity to put the Grecians two-up from Birch’s cross, though the Wolverhampton Wanderers loanee agonisingly blazed his shot over the bar from close range.
Despite having to withstand brief threats from the visitors in the closing minutes, Matt Taylor's side defended triumphantly to see out the remainder of the game and secure the second win at St James Park in five days and continue the climb up the Sky Bet League Two table.
Up Next
The Grecians are on the road next weekend as they travel to Salford City in more Sky Bet League Two action. Click the image below for ticket information.
Match Details
Exeter City Starting XI
Bycroft (GK), Samuel, Woodhouse, Fitzwater (C), Taylor, Perry (Cole 46'), Gordon (Cox 71'), Kite (Oakes 78'), Cummins, Birch (Harper 78'), Scully (Sutherland 63')
Exeter City Unused Subs
Phillips (GK), James
Exeter City Goalscorers
Cummins (58'), Woodhouse (64')
Exeter City Yellow Cards
Perry (35'), Fitzwater (60')
Fleetwood Town Starting XI
Lynch (GK), Neal, Potter (Andrew 62'), Helm, McCann (Loupalo-Bi 70'), Haughey, Evans (C) (Cirino 62'), Coughlan, Batty, Rooney, McLean (Robertson 70')
Fleetwood Town Unused Subs
Pradic (GK), Davies, Murphy
Fleetwood Town Goalscorers
Coughlan (61')
Officials
Ref: Grant Laflin, AR1: Richard Morris, AR2: Grant Taylor, 4th: Thomas Holden
Attendance
5,515 (including 59 Fleetwood Town supporters)