City sink to 2-1 defeat

Disappointment after Exeter take early lead

Exeter City saw a second defeat in as many games as they were beaten at home by an impressive Peterborough side. Reece Cole gave City the lead within five minutes, but the visitors responded before seven minutes was on the clock to equalise, before defender Manny Fernandez produced a fantastic strike from distance just before the break to give his side a deserved win. 

City made a bright start, with Cole’s goal coming after a flurry of chances in the opening few minutes. He picked up a loose ball in the Peterborough box after a mishit clearance, before turning brilliantly and shooting high into the roof of the net.

Perhaps feeling a false confidence as a result of their perfect start, City players began pouring forward at every opportunity, leaving gaps in the midfield which Posh soon exploited. Abraham Odoh’s direct and powerful dribbling drew two Exeter defenders across the edge of their own box, and a through ball into the resulting space was met and finished neatly into the bottom right corner by Malik Mothersile. 

Exeter academy products Archie Collins and Joel Randal began to control the midfield for Peterborough, and without creating many clear-cut chances the visitors displayed an assured and calm dominance. City’s attempts to play out from the back were often shaky and their trio of young loanees in keeper Whitworth and defenders Crama and Yfoko came close to gifting Posh possession in their own box on several occasions. 

It was more lax midfield work that allowed Borough defender Manny Fernandez to give his side the lead just before half time. He carried the ball from well into his own half and, almost surprised at the clear path he had been afforded by the Grecians, curled a shot from twenty yards or so past Whitworth. Crosses from the flanks became Exeter’s main threat as the game went on, but both Millenic Alli and veteran forward Josh Maggenis put more than their fair share of chances high and wide of Jed Steer’s goal. 

Just as Exeter were seeing more of the ball in the Peterborough half, and seemed to be pushing for an equaliser, a counter attack ended up with an over-eager Joe Whitworth swiping Posh forward Ricky Jade-Jones off his feet in the box. Archie Collins stepped up to take the resulting penalty, but it was perhaps all too much for the Devon-born former Grecian who, in front of a packed Big Bank, put his spot kick at the perfect height for Whitworth to dive to his right and parry the ball away.

Despite the crowd being buoyed by Whitworth’s impressive act of self-redemption, City failed to push on and find an equaliser. New signing Kamari Doyle’s introduction brought something of a spark, but Manny Fernandez continued his excellent physical display for Peterborough at the back, dominating the Exeter forwards in the air as they resorted to long balls pumped forward late on.