Exeter City FC

Exeter City manager Matt Taylor implored the fans to stick with his players following Tuesday night’s 1-0 win over Cambridge United at St James Park.

Alex Fisher scored the only goal of the game on the 70^th-minute mark, following good work from Ben Seymour. It was a moment of real quality in the match which has seen City frustrated for large parts by a Cambridge United team who came to sit in, defend in numbers and restrict the space they had in attacking areas.

City had the majority of the play, and efforts at goal, during the match, but midway through the second half when Lee Martin registered the side’s second effort on target a large section of the Thatchers Big Bank could be heard chanting, ironically, ‘we’ve had a shot’.

“People don’t quite realise how difficult it is,” said Matt Taylor in his post-match interview. “Teams are going to come here and put bodies behind that ball and defend deep and take away our space and that is a sign of respect for our team at the moment.

“First half we couldn’t quite create any clear openings, but it only takes one. I said that on Saturday (against Cambridge), that it was either going to be a slip or a bit of quality and that showed again tonight in terms of Ben Seymour, with that run and that ball across.

“I know the fans were getting frustrated, but they have really got to stick with us as best they possibly can. We have got to stick together. My players are giving it everything they possibly can. They are not perfect and sometimes we are not quite good enough to break down a team that are just sat in, that is the crux of the matter, but we are going to keep on getting better.”

Substitutes Ben Seymour, Jack Sparkes and Nigel Atangana made a difference when they came on as well and Matt Taylor added that, when they meet Hartlepool United, in the next round to trust in the coaching staff and his players to get things right on the pitch even if the opposition come to St James Park to frustrate them.

“They (Hartlepool) are a good team and it is not going to be easy,” he said. “It could be frustrating again, but I implore the fans to stick with us.  No rubbish in terms of the chants just get behind the boys because they are trying everything they possibly can.

“Like I say, we might not be good enough to break teams down at times but it is not for a want of trying and the fans have got to have faith in us on the touchline in terms of making the right changes at the right time. We can always do that, but we have got to be in the game to do that. So, I was really pleased with that group of players tonight because that could have gone a different way tonight.”