Defensive excellence is spurring on Exeter

EXETER City’s desire and determination to keep the ball out the back of their net is driving them on to have a successful season, writes Stuart James.

The Grecians kept a 15th clean sheet in what was their 39th league game of the season in winning 1-0 at Newport County on Saturday, but the performance was built on yet another sound defensive display.

The back three of Pierce Sweeney, Sam Stubbs and Alex Hartridge were again superb, but the win owed much to do with their team-mates as well. The outstanding Archie Collins made a crucial first half block to deny Finn Azaz when clean through on goal and the equally-impressive Jack Sparkes also showed great desire to deny Dom Telford.

When Newport did get their shots on target, on-loan Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Cameron Dawson was there to make the save and such defensive excellence is making fans believe that this could be Exeter’s year.

“Defensively we kept them out by hook or by crook, or last ditch defending, but there was a real desire to keep the ball out of the net, and to get the three points,” manager Matt Taylor, himself a former defender of some repute, said. “We defend with our lives. We didn’t get enough clean ball to hurt them but when we did we looked like we could hurt them.

“We keep finding a way to be successful and got ahead. Scoring from set pieces is what we have started to do. We have looked a real threat from them and Tim done what he has done all season.”

Not only was Exeter’s win at Newport courtesy of a set piece – Tim Dieng nodding in from Sparkes’ free kick – but the win against Stevenage was as well with Stubbs notching both goals from Jevani Brown corner kicks.

“It hit him on the side of the head,” Taylor said of the Dieng goal. “It has not hit his beautiful forehead, but he put his head in there. The moments we got the ball in with quality, we got there first, and have to do more of it.”