Exeter City U21s began their Premier League Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over Luton Town at St James Park.
Kieran Wilson scored the only goal of the game in the second half, but it could have been more for the Grecians had it not been for Hatters goalkeeper Lucas Thomas, who pulled off a string of first half saves.
First Half
After a quiet opening period, Ed James set the tone for the contest as he rose highest from Pierce Sweeney’s corner, but saw Thomas make a save from the effort.
Liam Cartwright’s delightful angled delivery into the area then seemingly would come to nothing before the ball rebounded off a Luton boot into the path of Harry Appleton, who saw Thomas fortuitously stop the ball with a close range save.
The Grecians were then thwarted twice again by Thomas, who first denied Appleton from the left hand side of the area before Andrew Oluwabori’s follow up through congestion was held by the young Town stopper.
While most of the attack for City was coming from the left hand side pace of Oluwabori, it was on the counter attack with Wilson that the next big chance for City would come. From a Luton throw, Wilson raced more than half the field alone before unleashing an effort from just inside the area, but once again Thomas scrambled it around the post.
Appleton and Wilson was proving a nice combination, with the Scot denied one-on-one with Thomas again as the keeper thwarted Wilson’s effort.
Second Half
Luton had barely threatened City’s final third – with Jack Bycroft making his first appearance in goal for the club – and that theme would continue in the second period as the Grecians continued to dominate the play.
Appleton saw City’s first opportunity of the half he latched onto Liam Oakes’ cross, following a marauding run forward from Louie Cayless, but saw his chance go just wide of the mark.
Oakes then had a go from the edge of the box as he drove a low effort just wide on the other side, before rattling the post just a few minutes later as City upped the tempo against the Hatters.
Pressure would finally tell with 16 minutes of normal time remaining, with the link up play of Oluwabori and Wilson proving fruitful again. Picking up the ball just inside the Luton half, Oluwabori drove inside to the edge of the box before threading the needle to Wilson, who took a first time effort to smash the ball past Thomas, who was finally beaten.
Not content with one, City soon looked for number two as Charlie Cummins lashed an effort off target shortly after.
It took until ten minutes from time before Bycroft had anything meaningful to do, as he was alert to ensure Jamie Odegah didn’t make a connection in the six-yard box to a piercing cross from the right, instead forcing the ball out for a corner at close range.
That was little trouble for the Grecians though, who continued to make good their victory. Oakes caught Thomas out with a deep cross he was forced to tip onto his bar and over late on, but it was the one goal that was enough as City kicked off their group stage with victory.
Exeter City XI: Bycroft (GK), Cartwright, Sweeney ©, James, Woodhouse, Oakes, Cayless, Cummins, Appleton, Oluwabori, Wilson.
Subs: Phillips (GK), Perkins, Anthony, Alsop, Bown.
Luton Town XI: Thomas (GK), Roberts-Edema, Source, Fox, Chiegozie ©, Evans, Xavier-Jones, Ioannides, Odegah, Lorentzen-Jones, Gawel.
Subs: Kwame Anson, Booth, Kiala, Sitt, El-Gourja.
Attendance: 335
Referee A Quelch