City ease into second round of Under-21 Premier League Cup
Line-UpsExeter City Under-21: Pym, Down (Egan 81'), McCready, Read, Oyeleke, Grant (Gill 74'), Byrne, Jay, Watkins, Moore-Taylor, Reid.
Subs: Keadell, Rehemi, Storey.
Goals: Watkins 25', 69', Jay 35', 82' Moore-Taylor 75', Reid pen 80',
Southend United Under-21: Smith, Kyprianou, Coutts, J. Williams, Norman (Walker 68'), Bridge (capt), Gard, Matsuzaka, Scott (Keating 85'), Cotton, B. Williams (Johnson 85').
Subs: Bexon, Adeyeye.
Goals:
Report
Exeter City Under-21s booked a place in the Second Qualifying Round of the Under-21 Premier League Cup with a comfortable win over Southend United at St James Park.
With gaffer for the night Danny Butterfield selecting Manny Oyeleke, Joel Grant and Tom McCready as the three permitted over-21 players for this fixture, the Grecians started on top, with Jordan Moore-Taylor and Jamie Reid shooting wide in the first quarter of an hour.
Ollie Watkins would break the deadlock twenty-five minutes in, as after a marauding dribble inside from the left wing, he let go of a fierce strike that flew past Shrimpers goalkeeper Ted Smith and into the bottom-left corner. Watkins might have doubled his tally ten minutes later after cutting in again, but this time his effort whistled by the bar.
City doubled their lead ten minutes after scoring their first. After Smith saved Manny Oyeleke's effort from the edge of the box, Matt Jay converted the rebound. It would be a lead that the visitors would not trouble up to the break.
HALF-TIME: EXETER CITY UNDER-21 2-0 SOUTHEND UNITED UNDER-21
Southend defender Sonny Coutts' blushes were spared when Ted Smith's spectacular save stopped the centre-back from heading into his own net under no real pressure on the hour.
With twenty minutes left, Ollie Watkins found the net for his second of the game, and it was game over when Jordan Moore-Taylor headed in Alex Byrne's cross fifteen minutes from time. Watkins won a penalty for Jamie Reid to convert for the fifth, while Kyle Egan, with his first contribution since coming off the bench, delivered the cross which Smith parried into the path of Matt Jay for number six.
FULL-TIME: EXETER CITY UNDER-21 6-0 SOUTHEND UNITED UNDER-21
Attendance: 222
Man of the Match: Ollie Watkins