City must try to find consistency

LESSON FROM THE LEADERS

Report by Martyn Dean

THERE was a lesson to be learned at St. James's Park on Saturday and if it can be absorbed quickly enough there - might still be time for Exeter City to salvage something from a season which has been somewhat less than successful so far. Although City failed miserably in a searching 90 minute examination by the third division leaders the manner of Chesterfield's 3-0 victory did at least point the way for City's future studies.

If manager Brian Godfrey was to prepare a mid season report for his players right now, it might well say something like: "Must work harder to achieve the necessary standard of consistency." For it is consistency which has been the key to Chesterfield's surge to the top, a factor which Godfrey was the first to acknowledge after Saturday's game. "They have been more consistent than anyone else and that is why they are where they are," he said. Godfrey also had to admit that City's opponents had a sprinkling of ability as well. "They are the best team we have played all season, he said. The City manager has always argued that his own side have the necessary skill to beat anyone on their day. So one is left to conclude that those days are not coming around often enough. Saturday certainly was not one of them. "We should have done better than we did," admitted Godfrey. "We probably had more of the ball than they did, but the balls we played into the box were hopeful more than anything else "When you have people like Tony Kellow up front, you have to try to play to feet, but we kept hitting high balls in which were easy for their big defenders. With no competitive match for a fortnight, Godfrey does at least have a little bit of time to put things right. Although he appears to be in no rush to move into the transfer market, he must now be considering whether he needs another midfield player - particularly as Mike Lester looks set for an enforced rest from the game. Lester picked up yet another booking on Saturday, and if, as expected, it costs him another four disci- plinary points it will take him to 20 and qualify him for a two or three match suspension allowed his performances to be tempered by a suspect temperament.

There are other players who for other reasons have not produced their best every week course and that of leads to overall inconsistency. The fifth minute foul on Danny Wilson which earned Lester his latest booking proved to be doubly expensive for City. For it was from John Stirk's free kick that Chesterfield went ahead. Phil Walker, who was to prove a constant menace to the City defence, set up the opening with a brilliant back heel for Phil Bonnyman.

Bonnyman had the time and the space to pick his spot before planting the ball in the corner. The goal came as no great surprise as Chesterfield had started the game with all the confidence of a side at the top of the table. But as the half wore on City were allowed enough possession to turn the tide back in their favour. Had they made better use of the ball, it might have been a different story. As it was the nearest they came to equalising was a 25 yard drive from Phil Roberts which goalkeeper John Turner could not hold. The ball ran loose to Kellow, but he could not get any power behind his shot. Roberts had to leave the field a few minutes later with a recurrence of his calf injury. He was replaced by Nick Marker, who looked the most accomplished of the three central defenders City had on show. City stayed very much in the match until the 57th minute when Chesterfield delivered what is known in boxing circles as the old one-two. Central defender Bill Green delivered the first blow when he came up to head home an inswinging corner from David Win- dridge which City had failed to clear. Three minutes later Wilson made it 3-0 from another flowing Chesterfield move. Bonnyman sent Walker racing away on the right wing. His cross was cut out by Joe Cooke, but the ball went straight to Wilson, who hammered it into the roof of the net from about 15 yards out. There was no way that City were going to come back after that against a Chesterfield side, who on this form must be red hot favourites for promotion.