Exeter City fell to a 4-1 defeat to Mansfield Town at St James Park in Sky Bet League Two.
by Josh Brown 

Two goals from CJ Hamilton and Tyler Walker did the damage on the day with Matt Jay netting City's only goal of the game in the first half.

Grecians’ boss Matt Taylor made two changes to the side that won in injury time last week against Notts County, with Dara O’Shea replacing Troy Brown and Donovan Wilson coming in for the suspended Ryan Bowman.

The visitors started the brighter of the two sides, confident in possession, and first tested Christy Pym with seven minutes on the clock, as CJ Hamilton broke onto a long ball before Craig Woodman and fired a shot off - but City’s number one was equal to the effort, palming it wide.

But it would be Woodman who nearly had a pivotal role for City going forward – a superb pass from the left-back found Donovan Wilson bursting through on goal, but the striker couldn’t get the ball under control before Mansfield’s Conrad Logan pounced on the loose ball.

The opening 10 minutes presented chances for both sides; Hamilton forced Pym into another save from close range just after.

For all the visitors’ early good play, their opening goal was largely of Exeter’s own making. The Grecians conceded possession in their half before a through ball escaped the control of O’Shea, leaving Hamilton to round the onrushing Pym and roll into an open goal.

But the lead lasted less than a minute – City broke down the right through Donovan Wilson, and his cross rebounded in the Mansfield area, and resulted in Jay’s energy rewarded with a goal as the Exeter man bundled the ball over the line.

Mansfield’s shape was causing City a multitude of problems with Hamilton a constant threat, and City were forced to concede possession of the ball in favour of a more defensive style. But it wouldn’t protect them – Pym slipped taking a free-kick, and Mansfield regained possession quickly before releasing Hamilton beyond Dean Moxey, who fired into the City goal from close range.

Into the second half, and a wayward goalkick from Logan nearly gave City a chance to get back on level terms as Jay crossed for Law, but his effort was blocked and City couldn’t make the most of the loose ball.

A spectacular hit from Walker in the 56th minute, however, doubled the visitors’ lead and ultimately put the game to bed. Walker picked up the ball from a throw-in on the Mansfield left, escaped the two City men on him and fired beyond Pym from distance.

City were then unlucky to see a penalty awarded against them, as Woodman was penalised for using his body to block Walker’s run. The Mansfield man got up to smash the penalty past Pym on 74 minutes.

The penalty would prove to be the last action of note in a disappointing game for Exeter.

Attendance: 5,017 (356 away)

EXETER CITY: Pym, Woodman, O’Shea, Law, Holmes (L Martin 68), Jay, D Wilson (Brown 78), K Wilson, Moxey, Taylor ©, Boateng (Williams 58).
Subs not used: Hamon, Sweeney, Forte, Collins, Brown.
Booked: Taylor, D Wilson, Woodman, Jay

MANSFIELD TOWN: Logan, Benning, Preston, Pearce ©, Bishop (Mellis 72), MacDonald, Tomlinson, Walker, Jones, Hamilton (Hakeem 90+2), Turner.
Subs not used: Smith, Khan, Atkinson, Rose, Knowles.
Booked: