Grecians manager reacts to FA Cup success
EXETER CITY manager Paul Tisdale targeted a home draw in the Second Round after his side saw off Didcot Town in the Emirates FA Cup at the Draycott Engineering Loop Meadow Stadium."It was about winning today," Paul said. "We had the experience last year, which kept getting brought up. No matter the circumstances, it's not a great thing to have under your belt. The players were pragmatic about their approach today; we didn't overdo it or open the game up, we went in very sternly and waited until the hour mark to start playing more football. I think we earned it today."
Following the match, the Exeter City players gave their hosts a guard of honour as they left the field, and their boss gave a little insight into the thinking behind the decision.
"We thought that it was the right thing to do," he said. "The effort of the Didcot players to get to this point, given the number of games they've had to play, is huge. It was a big, big occasion for them, and I just wanted to show the appreciation that we have for this competition. I know what it's like - I've been there in 2006, and after a hard-fought game out there, it was certainly the right thing to do. It was a nice touch for the players to do that.
"Coming in at 0-0 at the break, I told them to just build on that, with the next ten minutes being the most important - if it was going to be Didcot's best ten minutes, we just had to endure it and make sure that we're ready, then we'd just have to open it up and we did.
"When the ball is in the box, you have to challenge the defenders and the goalkeeper, and Clinton has enough experience not to turn down the chance of a shot. Didcot had a very good chance at 1-0 and Bobby smothered it, but Clinton made the most of his.
"We had a lot to lose today - all week people were talking about last year, but our work on the training ground was to make sure that it didn't happen again. The players had that tone about them today, and I have to say that we looked quite edgy in the first half. Okay, we cleared the ball sometimes when we could have passed it, but to be goalless at the break gives you the platform of knowing that you can build your performance. The players stood up to them - Clinton stood up to them with the first foul that went in; okay, he got a yellow card out of it, but it set the tone.
"A home draw would be nice - with eleven of the last twelve away, a home draw would be nice. Please! It's not going to be a home draw, it's going to be Bury away... but at least we're in the Second Round."