SLOPPY STANLEY IRK BOSS COLEMAN
ACCRINGTON Stanley boss John Coleman was fuming with his side’s late defending despite running out comfortable winners against Exeter City.
Josh Windass scored two goals in as many first-half minutes before Piero Mingoia added breathing space on the hour mark.
Billy Kee then fired in a fourth from closerange as the Stanley juggernaut shifted into cruise control. But late goals from Lee Holmes and substitute Joel Grant had the Stanley boss bitterly disappointed with the overall performance – despite rising to sixth in the table.
“We have got to learn to see out games better than that,” he said.“It was attack versus defence for the last 20 minutes. We got battered.
“We let them do what they wanted and we declared at four-nil in a game where we thought we could go and get six or seven.
“We have got to set our standards higher and the goal we conceded – the second one – has stopped us going up to fifth and that’s the margins and that’s how important every goal is.
“We’ve played better than that this season than we have here but the ball has just gone in the net for us.”
The deadlock was broken on the 33rd minute when Mingoia drilled in a cross from the right and Windass turned the ball home from close range.
And 80 seconds later the lead was doubled. A lapse in concentration from goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik played the ball straight to the feet of Windass and he duly placed the ball into the empty net.
Stanley started the second half as they ended the first and they went further ahead on the hour mark. Mingoia burst down the right, played a one-two with Matty Crooks, and fired into the bottom corner.
The Grecians fell further behind two minutes later when Windass sent Kee through on goal and the forward blasted the ball past the helpless Olejnik.
Exeter grew into life after the fourth goal and substitute Manny Oyeleke curled an effort wide of the post from distance. Moments later Christian Ribeiro and Tom Nichols both tested Mooney from the edge of the box.
And the pressure paid dividends on the 75th minute when Holmes turned the ball over the line following a scramble in the penalty area.
Grant come off the bench to fire in another consolation in the 90th minute but Stanley already had the three points wrapped up. And although happy with his side’s performance, Exeter manager Paul Tisdale would rather see them churn out results.
“Ultimately it is about the result and the amount of goals that you score and concede and that probably says it all,” he said.
“The fact of the matter is we lost 4-2 and large parts of our game were excellent but the opposition scored four. It’s a long season and we have to make sure we win a lot more than we lose.
“The performance is overshadowed by the scoreboard. It’s a hard game to break down.We looked a very good football side without being a team that won the game.”