TAYLOR SLAMS ‘NAIVE’ GRECIANS
HIGH-FLYING Exeter caused their own downfall at Cambridge by being “far too open”, said frustrated boss Matt Taylor.
The Grecians’ hosts had won once at home all season before hammering Taylor’s side thanks to goals from Luke Hannant, Jack Roles, George Taft and Andrew Dallas.
“The scoreline is dramatic in the end. At 1-0 at half-time we probably believed too much that we were going to get back in the game straight away and we just opened ourselves up,” Taylor said.
“You’ve still got to play your positions, do the basics really well and hold a little bit of shape. We didn’t do that from half-time onwards.
“We looked like a threatening team for 10, 15 minutes, but then it just went out the window. That was a lack of discipline in terms of structure and personnel.
“The fact we started (the second half) so well probably made the mindset think ‘we’re going to get back in the game and go on to win’. We were just too open, far too open.”
Hannant made the breakthrough seven minutes before half-time when his shot took an enormous deflection, sending the ball looping over helpless goalkeeper Jonny Maxted and into the net.
Exeter looked set to equalise after 52 minutes when Lee Martin ran through on goal, only to be denied by a superb tackle by Elliott Ward.
Seconds later at the other end, Hannant dragged a shot wide after being played in by Kyle Knoyle.
Cambridge doubled their lead after 57 minutes when Sam Smith rolled the ball back for Roles, whose shot from the edge of the box went in via a post.
The home side continued to pile forward and with half an hour to go, Paul Lewis hit the bar. Moments later the pressure told when George Taft made it 3-0 after 72 minutes, volleying home after Maxted had saved from Ward.
Four minutes from time, Maxted could only palm away Hannant’s looping shot, and when the ball fell to substitute Dallas, he made no mistake, turning it in for his first goal for the club. Cambridge boss Colin Calderwood was quick to acknowledge how hard his team had to work despite the scoreline, but praised how his side got into scoring positions. “What we’ve got to remember is how hard we’ve had to work for that victory,” he said. “Of course it looks convincing and easy, but it was far from that. I’m really pleased that we deservedly kept a clean sheet, that helps everyone, but it’s nice to have as much attacking threat as we had. “I’m delighted with the result, delighted that we’ve been able to win a game against a team who are really hard to beat.”