Paul commends display at Vale Park
Exeter manager Paul Tisdale praised his side for a complete performance which saw the Grecians run out 2-0 winners at Vale Park against high-flying Port Vale.
Jamie Cureton and Danny Coles gave City the advantage in the first half, and the only sore point for the visitors was the soft dismissal of Mark Molesley in the second half for his part in a kerfuffle on the byline. However the City boss was complimentary of his players for the showing throughout from the kick-off until the final whistle.
“We were strong for the whole game,” said Tis. “In terms of the flow of the game, we certainly had the best of the first ten or 15 minutes. You’d say arguably they had the flow after that.
“Once you go a goal up and the opposition push on and you defend deep – which we did, and we organised ourselves to do as such – then I thought we were strong the whole game, and especially in the last half-hour defending our box.”
For all City’s brilliance on the break – which saw the Grecians countering with surgical precision and to devastating effect at times – the two goals came from unlikely sources. Matt Oakley was at the heart of both, providing the cross for Cureton’s opener and then whipping in a dead-ball from a set-piece to allow Coles to pounce.
“We played very sensible, pragmatic, considered game,” continued Tis. “If we were going to score two goals, I couldn’t have seen it being from a wide free-kick and a cross. I couldn’t see us doing that against them – but we did, and then defended very well.
“Matt was the pick of the players today. The players were tremendously determined, right to the last minute. In terms of quality and expertise, Matt Oakley shone through today.”