Exeter City win again!
In a frantic start to the game City had fallen behind after Shay McCartan’s third goal in a week. But the Grecians responded magnificently, equalising two minutes later through Tom Nichols’ twelfth goal of the season, before Ribeiro sealed the points, bundling home in the seventy-ninth minute.
City boss Paul Tisdale made six changes to the side that exited the Emirates FA Cup at Anfield last Wednesday, including a start for in-form striker Jayden Stockley who was making his first appearance for City at St James Park. Notable team news for the visitors was that eleven-goal top-scorer Josh Windass was left out of the squad due to a groin injury, meaning Billy Kee was the man to lead the Stanley attack, playing just in front of Shay McCartan in a 4-4-1-1 formation.
The Grecians were quick off the mark, threatening twice in the opening two minutes. First Tom Nichols forced a routine save from Jason Mooney in the Stanley goal, before Jordan Moore-Taylor’s shot after an Alex Nicholls knock-down was collected by the giant Stanley keeper.
After a lively start from City, it was the away side who took the lead with their first attack of the game. In a blistering counter-attacking move, McCartan latched on to a through-ball, before rounding Bobby Olejnik and drilling into the City net for his third goal in a week.
Any fears of a lingering FA Cup hangover were quickly dashed though, as the home side restored parity two minutes after falling behind. A wonderful ball from Matt Oakley sent Tom Nichols clean through on goal, and he proceeded to fire across the Stanley keeper and into the bottom-left corner for his twelfth goal of the season.
After a minute’s applause in memory of late City fan David Hunt, who fell ill on the Big Bank during the AFC Wimbledon game, the Grecians went through the gears again. After Stockley’s header was tipped over for a City corner, the Grecians threatened with the resultant set-piece but Tom McCready’s driven effort was blocked by a Stanley defender.
Accrington threatened to take the lead again in the twenty-second minute in what was becoming a frantic end-to-end affair. After midfielders Matt Crooks and Sean McConville played a neat one-two on the left-hand side, McConville worked the space for a shot at goal, but Olejnik was equal to the winger’s low-effort from a tight-angle. McConville was at it again three minutes later, as arriving late into the City box, the lively left-winger connected with Piero Mingoia’s whipped cross from the opposite side, but the Stanley forward miscued his effort as the ball sailed high over the crossbar and into the contingent of away fans behind the goal.
Next it was City’s turn to break forward. Stockley was coming off best in most of his ariel duels, and after his knock-down found Alex Nicholls in the Stanley area, the City winger couldn’t quite get his shot off in time as a defender got across to block his effort on goal.
Accrington, who began the day in sixth place in Sky Bet League 2, came close again with five minutes of normal time remaining in the first half. McConville’s free-kick from the right-hand side of the City area found Kee at the back-post, but the former Northern Irish under-21 international could only find the side-netting with his headed effort.
After a rampant opening forty minutes, the game entered some what of a lull during the closing stages of the first-half, and the two sides went in for the break on level terms.
HALF-TIME: EXETER CITY 1–1 ACCRINGTON STANLEY
Line-Ups
Exeter City: Olejnik, McAllister, Oakley, Nicholls, Moore-Taylor (capt) (Ribeiro 59’), Nichols (Davies 67’), McCready, Tillson, Stockley, Grant (Reid 84’), Brown.
Subs: Woodman, Hoskins, Hamon, Wheeler.
Accrington Stanley: Mooney, Buxton, Wright, Pearson, Halliday, McConville (Gornell 86’), Crooks, Conneely, Mingoia, McCartan (Carver 87’), Kee.
Subs: Etheridge, Davies, Bruna, Procter, Wakefield.
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