Exeter City 0 Crawley Town 1: Match report

Crawley Town recorded their first ever victory over Exeter City as substitute Josh Yorwerth fired a home from just inside the box.

City manager Paul Tisdale made three changes to the side that lost to Hartlepool United on Saturday, with Ethan Ampadu breaking another club record as he made his league debut for City aged 15 years, 11 months and two days.

He joined the reinstated Matt Oakley in the centre of defence, while Ryan Harley recovered from knee injury, picked up against Brentford last Tuesday, to return to midfield.

Crawley started the match brightly as Enzio Boldewijn cut the ball back for Josh Payne to send a shot dipping onto the roof of the net.

However, City got into gear after the 10-minute mark as Ampadu broke out of defence and released Jake Taylor down the right. The former Reading man’s cross was a good one as it forced Lewis Young to hurriedly knock the ball behind under strong pressure from Robbie Simpson.

Watkins then acrobatically volleyed an effort onto the roof of the crossbar before Simpson nodded a Lloyd James cross into the six yard box that Liam McAlinden just failed to convert.

The chances kept coming for City as Simpson fired bouncing effort at goal that Yusuf Mersin had to dive to his right to save and the Ollie Watkins headed over after a good cross from Taylor.

If City were guilty of anything it was not taking their chances – highlighted when McAlinden failed to connect with another low Simpson cross five minutes before half-time

And Crawley warned them of the danger they posed on the counter as Boldewijn broke through the midfield and fed a ball to James Collins who warmed the gloves of Bobby Olejnik with a fiercely-struck shot just before the break.