REID SEES OFF ‘NEARLY MEN’
DANNY Cowley admitted it was hard to stomach watching his side suffer their first League defeat since March as the Lincoln bubble burst at Exeter.
Having stormed to the National League title last season, the Imps launched their first season back in the Football League with back-to-back draws.
But Reuben Reid blasted home a 42nd-minute winner to move last season’s play-off finalists into second place in the table.
Imps manager Cowley labelled his players a ‘nearly side’ as he vowed to learn lessons from a rare setback during his time as Lincoln manager.
He said: “I am not interested in being a nearly man and we look a nearly team at the moment.
“We are winners, we are used to winning and we like winning. We have never accepted second best and we have a no excuse mentality.
“We had enough territory and got into enough good areas to have scored.
“We controlled the first half and I thought we dominated the game. But they scored a great goal and that was the difference.
“It is about scrutinising the performance and making sure we learn from this.
“No one wants to listen to me giving them hard-luck stories, so I am not about to start now.”
Exeter midfielder Jake Taylor had the clearest sight of goal in the opening half an hour, blasting a fierce effort a fraction over the crossbar.
At the other end Grecians keeper Christy Pym was quick off his line to shovel the ball to safety at the feet of Jordan Maguire-Drew.
The one moment of genuine quality in the first half led to Exeter grabbing the breakthrough thanks to a clinical finish.
Reid and Liam McAlinden swapped passes before the former rifled the ball into the top corner for his second goal of the season.
Matt Green came closest to snatching an equaliser with a rasping drive which was smartly tipped over by Pym.
McAlinden wasted a chance to put the gloss on the win when he lifted an effort over the bar after spinning sharply in the box.
Exeter boss Paul Tisdale hailed his injury-hit squad for digging out a second 1-0 home win in succession.
He said: “I’m really pleased because it was a really tough game and we have come away with a win.
“We were not at our best by a long, long way in terms of selection and the rhythm of the game, but in terms of the result, I am delighted.
“We are a very different team to the one at the end of May. We have lost one or two, we have players out, and there were too many changes for us to be at our fluent best.
“But we played a very pragmatic game and picked a team to neutralise their threat and we did that.”