Exeter City's promotion hopes on track

2-nil win over Rochdale

Exeter City got their promotion challenge back on track with a dominant 2 - 0 display against Rochdale - and are almost certain to be playing League One football next season, unless they lose all three remaining games and others in the play-off zone win all theirs.

City, who lost to Tranmere earlier in the week, dominated much of the game, getting on the score sheet either side of the break. 

Midfielder Timothy Dieng put City in front in the 36th minute after getting on the end of an Archie Collins cross. The opener made it 14 goals in all competitions for the Frenchman.

Captain Matt Jay headed in a rebound after the break to make it 2 - 0. Rochdale had no answer to the 60th-minute goal with Exeter in the ascendancy the rest of the game. 

Rochdale did have the better of the opening minutes after a game of pinball in City’s box lead to a shot that just so happened to bounce off of keeper Cameron Dawson’s hands.

From then on Exeter started to impose themselves on the match. The first goal could’ve come just before the 20 minute mark for City after a misplaced pass put through Archie Collins, but he could only force the save.

Abraham Odoh created the best chances for Rochdale, stirring nerves in City’s defence on several occasions. it looked like the attacking midfielder might have earned his team a penalty late in the first half when he went down in the box but the referee wasn’t having it, siding with the apoplectic shouts of home fans.

Rochdale had the chance to pull one back at the death after a shot from Jimmy Keohane prompted a fine reaction save from Exeter’s keeper. 

Exeter needed Northampton to lose and a number of results to go their way to secure promotion on the day. A 4 -2 win for the Cobblers against Leyton Orient put pay to that dream, but the mood will be buoyant ahead of Tuesday’s game against Barrow at St James’s Park. 

The fixture was called off because of high winds earlier in February. Matt Taylor’s men, now ten games unbeaten at home will be hoping to blow away the Bluebirds and potentially secure promotion to League 1.