Interim Exeter City manager Matt Taylor was left to reflect on another disappointing afternoon, as the Grecians were well beaten by Cardiff City.
Their tough week on paper has transpired as expected, facing the current top two sides in League One.
But after a resilient effort against the third-tier leaders Lincoln City on Tuesday evening, yesterday’s performance was anything but.
And after a point against Burton Albion in Taylor’s first match back at St James Park, it’s now three consecutive losses for Exeter in their hunt to confirm third-tier survival.
The Grecians were comfortably second-best in Devon as Cardiff recorded a much-needed victory, extending their lead over third-place Bolton Wanderers to 11 points. After the Trotters stumbled against Rotherham United in the early kick-off, though they did fight back from 2-0 down to claim a point, it gave the Welsh outfit the perfect opportunity to establish clear daylight once more.
A run of one win in four had seen them surrender top spot to Lincoln City, and they began the afternoon seven points behind the League One leaders, following the Imps’ earlier victory over Stockport County. Exeter, meanwhile, had gone from a position of mid-table security to only a few places and points above the relegation zone. The departure of Gary Caldwell to Wigan Athletic had undoubtedly destabilised them, and Taylor had yet to steady the ship in the south-west.
And once Rubin Colwill’s three-minute brace gave Brian Barry-Murphy’s outfit a commanding first-half lead, they never looked like losing it. Racking up 30 efforts on Joe Whitworth’s goal, further efforts from Alex Robertson and Callum Robinson condemned Exeter to an eleventh match without victory. That is their longest winless run in all competitions in over a quarter of a century.
Speaking after the game against the Bluebirds, Taylor commented on the differences in performance in their two matches this week.
“We have to be honest. We couldn’t even chase the game because we didn’t get enough pressure on the ball. The spaces were too big today from our back line to our top line and the width of the pitch, we had no control in any area of the pitch.
“Lincoln I thought we were competitive in terms of the scoreline and the way the game was. Today we weren’t. It was men against boys today and we have to put our hands up today and say today wasn’t competitive enough.”
Can Exeter Stumble Over The Finish Line?
Undeterred by their thrashing by Manchester City in the FA Cup 3rd Round, Exeter were in the top half and closer to the play-off places than the relegation zone in the weeks that followed. However, yesterday’s loss was the third time they’ve shipped four or more goals in a game in the last six weeks. Heavy home losses against Rotherham and Bolton have left supporters of the Devon outfit feeling short-changed, if not for goalmouth action.
Fortunately for the Grecians, no side in the bottom four picked up three points yesterday, meaning they’ve maintained their four-point buffer to safety. However, the four teams immediately below them all won, meaning they are close to being the side most at risk of falling into the drop zone. Fixtures this month against the two sides keeping them out of the bottom four, Wigan Athletic and Leyton Orient, will be pivotal in determining which league Exeter play in next season.