Exeter City suffer disappointing defeat after poor first half performance

Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell lamented his side’s first-half showing as the Grecians suffered their worst defeat of the season away to Wrexham. The Hollywood backed side owned by Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney ran out comfortable 3-0 winners in a disappointing day for City as Storm Bert battered the country.

Wrexham took an early lead as Max Cleworth was left unmarked to head home after a flurry of early corners. The lead was doubled midway through the first half when Ollie Palmer ended his goal drought when no-one picked up the big striker from a cross.

Caleb Watts controversially had a goal ruled out for offside just before half-time, and the Grecians were much improved after the break and threatened to stage a comeback. But those hopes were extinguished 20 minutes from time when again they were undone from a set piece as Oliver Rathbone headed in from a corner.

The victory for Wrexham ended a run of just one victory in six as the side with now the best defensive record in League One rose up to second in the table. Exeter, who have now won one of the last five in the league, drop down to 11 ^th .

“It’s always disappointing to lose the game and I’m disappointed to lose it in a way we showed the threat Wrexham have from corners and crosses,” Caldwell said.

“They scored from two corners and a cross so we knew the threat they had and we didn’t deal with it. I thought we started the game well but throughout the first half I felt we didn’t win enough duels, we weren’t aggressive enough, we didn’t run enough and I thought we were outmuscled in that initial period.

“We gave them goals that we knew they can score, they are very dangerous from those opportunities but we didn’t control the game as well as we would have liked and that is a bravery and understanding how we will dominate against a good team and we didn’t do that well enough.

“Second half we were better, dominated the game in the way we need to more at 0-0, but we didn’t have an attacking threat. If we score in that period and we are right back In the game but we didn’t do that and get done with a sucker punch from a corner to kill the game off.”

After the 0-0 draw with Lincoln City last weekend, Caldwell made three changes to his Exeter City side, with all three players who missed out while being on international duty returning. Ilmari Niskanen, Kamari Doyle and Josh Magennis were all back in the starting line-up

Millenic Alli was not in the squad after a late injury in the warm-up, while City were missing the suspended Ryan Woods after his red card last Saturday. Kevin McDonald was among the substitutes after re-joining the Grecians last week.

On a miserable day in Wales as Storm Bert hit, with both sides having to contend with wind and rain, it was inside the first 30 seconds when City had the first chance when they stole the ball straight from kick-off, but Jack Aitchison’s effort was blocked.

But it was Wrexham who took an early lead after pressure from a series of corners eventually told. From the fourth in quick succession, Cleworth was left unmarked at the near post to head home what was his fifth goal of the season which broke the deadlock.

From another corner, the Red Dragons thought they had doubled the lead. James McLean’s corner was swung in and caused chaos, Elliot Lee headed the ball back across goal and Rathbone from a yard out poked the ball into the net. The celebrations though were cut short by the offside flag – as City got away with one as the ball would have gone in anyway had he not touched it.

The second goal though did come shortly after in the 25 ^th minute. A cross was swung in from deep by Ryan Barnett and Ollie Palmer rose highest, getting between Tristan Crama and Pierce Sweeney who left the striker to each other, and from six yards out, he headed home his third of the season to end a 12-game goal drought.

Just before the break, City thought they had one back. Ed Francis slotted Watts through on goal and he clipped home a beautiful finish, only for the Australian’s celebrations to be cut short by the offside flag being raised. It looked tight.

“We scored a brilliant goal just before half-time that for some reason the linesman gives it offside,” Caldwell added. “I heard a statement I’ve never heard in my life where the referee didn’t know, so he gave them the decision and when you’re here at this stadium, you’re going to need big decisions to go your way and they didn’t in that first half.

“It is too easy for the referee to give it with bigger clubs and bigger stadiums to say only Exeter and they get away with it. It needs to be looked at and assessed that he had got that wrong, and it happens too many times. We were second best but that decision could be a big turning point.”

Caldwell made one change at the break and switched things up as defender Ben Purrington was replaced by Sonny Cox, as City went two-up top. With his first involvement, the sub saw a shot deflected behind for a corner. Palmer almost then diverted a corner into his own net as the Grecians were much improved, with Aitchison forcing a brilliant save out of Callum Burton, before he then denied Magennis from the set piece.

But with Wrexham’s first real foray forward in the second half, in the 72 ^nd minute, they secured the win. McLean’s corner was whipped into the near post, Rathbone rose highest, and powered the header home to make it 3-0 and end the game as a contest.

“We didn’t stop the threat and stop the crosses,” Caldwell added. “We know the threat, we have to stop it, and as a team, we have to be better in the physical aspects and duels and compete better than we did in the first half. No excuses, it is not how we want to be as a team, and we have to be honest with each other, find solutions to the issues we have, and second half, credit to keep going but we need to be better in the final third and score in that period.

Exeter City are back in action on Tuesday night when they host Birmingham City.