Taylor delighted as City respond in style to errors
EXETER City boss Matt Taylor felt his side’s 3-2 win over Bradford City should have been more comfortable than the scoreline suggests - but the comefrom-behind nature will give them huge confidence.
The Grecians twice fell behind with Charles Vernam and Olly Crankshaw both scoring on their debuts and capitalising on some calamitous Exeter defending in the first half, with a Pierce Sweeney header from a corner levelling up in between.
Ryan Bowman, midway through the second half, made it 2-2 with a header before Matt Jay secured the win ten minutes from time from the penalty spot after Bowman was brought down by Bantams keeper Sam Hornby.
The win ended the visitors’ eightmatch unbeaten run and saw City rise to fifth in the table, just two points off the automatic promotion spots.
After the match, Taylor said that his side fully deserved the win, and that they learnt a positive lesson in the way they came from behind to do so.
“We definitely deserved it but I find it hard to describe parts of that game, ie our defending,” Taylor said. “I was so pleased with the first half but we were getting beaten, but we were excellent today and the scoreline doesn’t reflect that we should have been more comfortable than we were. But that’s a confidence boost as we came from behind twice against a good team who were in outstanding form in the league.”
Vernam gave Bradford the lead on 17 minutes, tapping in after a shot from Callum Cooke was blocked, but on 41 minutes, Sweeney’s first goal of the season, heading home a Jack Sparkes corner, levelled it up.
However Sweeney and Sparkes went from heroes to villains after a defensive mix-up, where the leftback bizarrely stepped over a bacward pass from Sweeney, which allowed Olly Crankshaw to nip in and round Jokull Andresson on the stroke of half-time to put the Bantams ahead.
“We were so dominant at the start of the game and then they score from a counter-attack when we are thinking about scoring, and then we get back in the game with another good set piece, but then there is the calamitous second goal,” Taylor said.
“Players make mistakes and I have no problem with that but we played backwards and sidewards too often in dangerous areas in that first half and I was screaminged play the ball forward and we need to get the ball away from the mess.
“We were behind at half time and the players didn’t feel they deserved it, but in football you get what you deserve and certainly if we make mistakes like that, we deserve to be behind. Jack held his hands up for the second - he thought Jokull was closer.
“You can pass and move the ball but sometimes there is value in putting it in Row Z and I made half a career out of it, as the can’t score from it and you can set up again, but we learnt a good lesson in that first half but learnt even more and more positive lesson in how we came back to win it.”
He added: “At half-time I said we have had enough experience of being behind and being too desperate, too soon, but in the second half we were so responsible in terms of our approach and what was needed.
“We were never open for the counter-attack and then wore them down with a bit of quality with Robbie’s ball for the second goal and then Ryan wins a foot race for the penalty for the third. There were some positive performances in the second half and the response was great.”
The equaliser came on 61 minutes when Robbie Willmott’s first time cross was headed home by Bowman, and Taylor said that he was delighted that the striker got his goal as a reward for the hard work in leading the line, particularly in light of a potential deadline day move for him falling through.
“I was delighted for Ryan as he worked so hard at the top of the pitch and he was outstanding on Tuesday and again today, and he wants to get his rewards which are goals. You are always worried about distractions but there are no signs of that. He led the line with pace and power and he has been crying out for the quality for the goal and I was delighted with that moment. To score three goals again shows we are good enough in front of goal.”
The winner, which came 10 minutes from time, came after Bowman chased a long ball and was fouled by Hornby. Up stepped Jay who calmly rolled the penalty down the middle, which the keeper got a stud to but couldn’t keep out.
Taylor said that he didn’t want to see what his heart-rate was when Jay took the spot-kick, but that he keeps backing his way of taking penalties.
“MJ has to back his way and that’s his way of taking a penalty, but when the keeper stands there for as long as he did and gets a stud on it .... But it’s another goal for him and improves that tally, and he has to keep backing his way. It makes you nervous, but it went in. I don’t want to see my heart rate but it was successful and I can’t talk about his technique as I can’t take a penalty.”
Up next for City is a long trip to Barrow, with the Grecians looking to win three successive league games for the first time this season, and Taylor added: “That’s the challenge and we will go and try and win again. I will have to change the team and freshen up, and it will be a hell of a journey, but that was more like we were early in the season, a good performance and we deserved the three points.”