Exeter City 1
Wycombe Wanderers 0

The Anthony Moxey Report 

Easter Monday, 13th April 2009
Coca Cola League Two

On a bright and sunny afternoon at the Park, a stand-busting 8,183 supporters saw Exeter City guarantee themselves at least a play-off spot with a wonderful 1-0 win over promotion rivals Wycombe Wanderers and move up from fourth to second in the table with only three games remaining. With City still celebrating a superb point at league leaders, Brentford, two days earlier, it was a good job Paul Jones was wide awake to make a superb double save onto the post inside the opening sixty seconds. For the next 26 minutes however, the two sides were well matched with neither side really threatening the other's goal. If anything, it was the visitors who had the better of the exchanges, but they couldn't make it tell and never properly tested Jones during that period. In fact it wasn't until near the half hour mark that City had their first real effort on goal-a clearance only finding Matt Gill some 30-yards out, but his low drive lacked the punch to trouble the keeper. A minute later it was a different matter though when Jones' huge punt saw Stuart Fleetwood give chase where he burst through a couple of defenders, before firing in a stinging drive that the keeper smothered at the second attemptafter allowing the ball to squirm through his legs With ten minutes of the half remaining Dean Moxey and Gill worked a smart corner routine that saw Troy Archibald-Henville head back across goal where Steve Basham looped a header towards the top comer that rebounded off the bar where it was cleared to safety. Five minutes later Bertie Cozic sent through a delicious defence splitter inviting Fleetwood to give chase, but it was hit half an inch too firmly and the keeper was out sharpish to smother before Fleetwood could pounce. But it wasn't enough for manager Paul Tisdale as he remained on the pitch with his subs during the interval giving instructions, and sure enough as the second half commenced, Richard Logan and Craig McAllister had replaced Liam Sercombe and Basham, as City reverted from a 3-5-2 to a 4-3-3 formation. Mosey dropped back into a more conventional full back role- but still with license to join the midfield and make it 3-4-3, and Logan and McAllisterplaying up front either side of Fleetwood. This almost paid immediate dividends when Cozic sent Moxey down the left flank in the first minute where his cross was met by Logan, but his thumping header was blocked at source and cleared. A minute later a throw on the left was collected by fellow substitute McAllister, but his low drive was dragged wide of the near post from the comer of the box

Two minutes later in a frenetic start to the half Ryan Harley sent Fleetwood scampering and from an impossibly tight angle he smashed the ball onto the bar and over. But it wasn't all City though, and while we all drew breath Wycombe broke and earned themselves a corner which wasn't dealt with property until Harley headed off the line with Jones nowhere for onceThis livened Wycombe up somewhat, and once again the two teams cancelled each other out, until Gill had other ideas in the 18th minute. Harley's superb deep cross from the half way line evaded both Logan and a defender, but fell kindly to Gill almost right on the goal line on the edge of the six yard box. In one mesmeric movement, Gill smashed the ball first time across the face of the goal and in at the far post from an impossibly tight angle to send the place into delirium with a goal the equal of the three goal of the season contenders from Fleetwood in the previous two matches. City's tails were visibly lifted, and they pressed on for a second in a
mad couple of minutes where it was hard to find the time to draw breath. Fleetwood and Logan exchanged a couple of smart passes before freeing Harley on the left corner of the box, but his sumptuous dipping swerving volley was expertly tipped over for a comer.

Moxey fired the comer in, but McAllister could only look on in disbelief as his near post header smashed against the bar before being clearedThe clearance wasn't good though, and eventually the ball fell to Rob Edwards some 25-yards out and he again was forced to look on in horror as his arrow straight Exocet was once again tipped away for a comer by the seriously overworked Wycombe keeper.

But yet again Wycombe refused to lie down and play second fiddle to a rampant City, and Jones had to be at his very best to tip a fierce 25- yard drive round the post from a rare Wycombe break. With the visitors creeping back into the game, McAllister was withdrawn with five minutes to go to enable Manny Panther to enter the fray and help shore up a hard working midfield. The plan worked perfectly as although Wycombe enjoyed marginally the better of the remaining minutes, City defended stoutly and never gave them much of a look in as they recorded a famous win and continued opposition manager Peter Taylor's miserable record at the Park.

And what a cracking win it was too. Under the cash for much of the first half, City showed tremendous character and resilience to battle back take the game to a very big and strong Wycombe sideEveryone battled as though their lives depended on it, and in the end the win was fully deserved - not just for the quality of the strike, but also for the three times they hit the bar too. Who would have thought that 12 months ago when we were losing at Weymouth? No-one I guess, and I doubt we even dreamt it, let alone though it, yet here we are with three games to sat in second place in the division and guaranteed a play-off spot at the very worst. Unbelievable eh? Well, no actually, this is as real as it gets, and with the utterly fantastic support you've given the lads 1,700 travelled to

Brentford on Saturday and over 8,000 here for the visit of Wycombe of late, then there's no reason to believe we can't be the twelfth man that pushes the team to a second successive promotion for the first time in the club's history

BBC match summary and information 

Exeter moved back into the automatic promotion places as Matt Gill's goal gave them a deserved victory. Gill volleyed home at the back post after Richard Logan had flicked on Ryan Harley's deep cross. Exeter had earlier gone close when Steve Basham headed against the crossbar from a well worked corner. The closest Wycombe came to a goal was when John Akinde was denied by a fine save by keeper Paul Jones, who also saved from Chris Zebroski.

Exeter: Jones, Tully, Archibald-Henville, Edwards, Sercombe (McAllister 45), Gill, Harley, Cozic, Moxey, Fleetwood, Basham (Logan 45), McAllister (Panther 86).

Subs Not Used: Marriott, Seaborne.

Booked: Fleetwood.

Goals: Gill 64.

Wycombe: Young, Hunt, McCracken, Sinclair, Woodman, Phillips, Sawyer (Beavon 68), Holt, Doherty (Oliver 81), Zebroski (Pittman 34), Akinde.
Subs Not Used: Jones, Bloomfield.

Att: 8,183
Att: 8183 with 663 away fans.

Referee Steven Cook (Sheffield).