Dominant win for Exeter City

Match report: Exeter City 2-0 Stevenage

Exeter City put in what was easily their best performance of this young League One season to claim a 2-0 home win over a toothless Stevenage.

Goals from Ed Francis and Kamari Doyle at the beginning of each half sealed a dominant victory for Gary Caldwell’s side.

Whilst the overriding impression of the game was City’s dominance, what was initially obvious was the visitors incoherence, as many passes went astray on their part, and they often resorted to speculative long balls forward. Nevertheless, it was Stevenage who came close to opening the scoring first. A pair of corners were headed over by Borough’s physically imposing captain Carl Piergianni within the first five minutes- chances which he will no doubt rue having missed as his side failed to come as close for the next ninety.

Despite being far more creative than their opposition from open play, Exeter’s opener came a few minutes later from another set piece. A corner from the right was headed down by City’s Josh Magennis and converted by Ed Francis with a brilliantly improvised reverse shot low into the bottom right-hand corner.

It may not have been the most beautiful of goals, but it certainly proved a preemptive reward for the control which City would from then on exert on their visitors. They kept the ball neatly in tight areas and switched the play quickly from right to left when needed, usually via their silky midfield duo of Ryan Woods and Kamari Doyle.

The chances continued to come for the hosts, not least a half volley which fell, perhaps unfortunately, to full back Jack Macmillan, who failed to add to his total of nought Exeter goals with a shot straight into the nearest defender. Pierce Sweeneys follow up was equally tame and easily saved by Stevenage keeper Mahoney.

Josh Magennis poked wide a one-on-one from a tight angle, which had come curtesy of a brilliantly executed reverse through ball from the ever-sparkly Doyle. Magennis’ shot was, in fairness, from a tighter angle than he would have liked, but still constituted the most glaring of the many chances which City passed up in the first half.

Just as they had struck early in the first half, City did so in the second, this time with a goal that was much easier on the eye than the scrappy opener. Having got past a couple of Stevenage defenders, Doyle was sent to the floor on the edge of the box with a cynical trip, but not before managing to lay the ball off to the nearby Ilmari Niskanen. Niskanen responded with a first-time ball back to Doyle, who found a pocket of space with some brilliant footwork before firing the ball high into the roof of the net.

The game seemed done even at that stage, but there was still time for the mere 123 travelling fans to watch their side being completely contained by Exeter, without the hosts managing to find a third goal. Millenic Alli came on for Doyle with half an hour to go, and missed several chances, not least a shot which he himself created with a brilliant feint and change of pace, and then shanked across the face of goal for a throw in.

Ed Francis sent a pair of freekicks into the wall in quick succession, but the final result began to be in less and less doubt as 90 minutes edged closer.

Exeter certainly proved their worth against a Stevenage side who look in danger of relegation even at this early stage, but Gary Caldwell will know that there are many more, harder games to come in which his side will need to show similar class and control to take three points.