Grecians overcome adversity for a huge victory at Oldham
EXETER City manager Matt Taylor was left delighted by the character shown by the Grecians after their battling victory at Oldham Athletic sent them second in the League Two table.
Kyle Taylor’s first goal for the club put them ahead on 52 minutes, before the Latics missed a golden chance to level when Sam Hart had a spot-kick brilliantly saved by Cameron Dawson.
Half-time substitute Nigel Atangana was shown a straight red card in stoppage time, but City’s ten men rallied and Jevani Brown sealed the win six minutes into added time with a breakaway goal.
The win saw Exeter rise to second in the table, now just five points behind league leaders Forest Green Rovers, and they have two games in hand on the five teams directly below them, after extending the run to one loss in 14.
“We have to make it count,” Taylor said after the dramatic win that took them into the automatic promotion spots. “There are ten games left, 30 points left, so a lot to play for, but we are putting ourselves closer to an end goal and where we want to be in the table. I don’t care about the other results.
“We found a way to get through the game today and we will have to offload a bit on Tuesday and it is not a free game, but we have nothing to lose for that and have to go and try and win with whatever bodies we can put out.”
The first half saw few chances Dawson denying Oldham’s Davis Keillor-Dunn with a fingertip save, while Exeter captain Pierce Sweeney headed narrowly wide - before early in the second half, City took the lead.
A long throw was only half cleared back to Alex Hartridge and his cross was too deep, but kept alive by Jake Caprice. He turned and clipped in the ball and Taylor rose highest to head home his first City goal in the 52nd minute.
Atangana, who had replaced the injured Dieng at half-time, conceded a penalty after a high challenge on Christoper Missilou, but Dawson was the hero again, getting a hand to Hart’s spot-kick to keep it level.
City were hanging on and when the Frenchman lunged in on Missilou in stoppage time, referee Seb Stockbridge had no hesitation in brandishing a red card.
But City held on, and deep into the added on time made it two. Caprice burst forward and squared the ball for Brown to fire home his seventh goal of the season and cap what was a huge win for the Grecians.
“It was brutal to watch the first 15 minutes, but the conditions, the wind, the pitch, the fatigue played a part in that,” Taylor said.
“Maybe a bit of nerves as such a big game and little quality to start the game, but in the second half we got the ball in the right end of the pitch near their box and then got the goal.
“I felt quite comfortable until a couple of moments of - I don’t want to say madness - but a bit of ill-discipline and the wrong execution for the penalty and then the sending off and then you are under pressure and on the back foot. But the second goal rounds off a chaotic half an hour period.
“We were brighter in the second half and worked our way up the pitch. We have had to withstand pressure, and our goalkeeper earned his corn, and we really stood up at the right moments.
“We withstood a lot of pressure before the second goal, it feels like a big result as we were far from our best, but that is a big three points for us.”
Taylor had no issues with the award of the penalty, or with the late sending off for Atangana, with him now to miss the next three games, but with Dieng a doubt for tomorrow, and goalscorer Taylor being stretchered off, City look short of numbers in midfield, especially with Harry Kite not yet back in training.
“Our fans were outstanding today,” the manager added. “The noise they created, I am proud to be associated with the fans and they were second to none and the only noise was the referee’s whistle or our fans.”