EXETER CITY. 2
Alan Crawford, Jim McNichol
ALDERSHOT 0

Match Report by Trina Lake

TOUGH-TACKLING John Impey is battling to be fit for the game he has waited nearly four months to play in. The big central defender, cornerstone of Exeter City's fourth consecutive win on Satur- day, injured his thigh in a tackle against Aldershot and admitted after the game that he was pretty stiff and sore. But he is keener than most to be fit for the Boxing Day clash with Torquay United, the club he gave such good service to but reluctantly turned his back on after a series of contract wrangles this summer. Impey is licking his lips at the prospect of Torquay's visit to St James's Park on Thursday and reckoned: "There will be a few sparks flying in that one." "Their young strikers Mario Walsh and Mark Lo- ram have threatened to give me a bit of a roasting but we'll see about that. I'm really looking forward to the game. I know Torquay took a hammering at Rochdale but derby games are always a bit different. They lack a bit of experience but they create a lot of chances. I want to be there to make sure they don't get too many," he said. Impey was one of four changes to the City side that was thrashed 4-0 at Aldershot back in August, but what a different proposition Colin Appleton's outfit are now. They are far more composed in defence, quicker and more creative in midfield, and more positive in attack. Alan Crawford's third-minute goal and a superb strike in the 80th minute from Jim McNichol were enough to beat Aldershot and the winning margin could have been bigger. Martin Ling missed the first penalty he has ever taken for the club in the first half and after the break Ray Pratt hit the post twice. Although he enjoyed the result, Appleton felt that was probably City's worst team performance for three weeks. "Our teamwork has been a lot better than that but we were still a totally different side to what we were at Aldershot early Today's result season. has put everybody in the right frame of mind for Christmas and it's nice to keep the run go- ing," he said. City's success was founded on their dominance in midfield. The constructive Danny Keough improves with every game and Gary Jackson and Steve Harrower beaver away so tirelessly alongside him that City always look a compact unit. The young midfield trio, with Ling dropping back to help out too, are hustling opponents all the time, winning possession and setting attacks in motion. However, they sometimes have a tendency to overhit forward passes in their eagerness for quick penetration. Several times on Saturday promis- ing breaks petered out through over-eagerness or a frustrating frequency of off-sides. But in general City's passing and movement off the ball was sharp in the conditions. Wind and rain lashed from St James's Road end, right down through the pitch from first to last whistle. City adapted best and were rewarded with three more points to move them closer to the mid-table cluster of clubs. They scored with their first attack against Aldershot with former City defender Phil Coleman's mi- stake letting them in with just 2½ minutes gone. He head a Harrower cross straight up into the air and allowed Crawford to get there first when the ball dropped. The City skipper beat out-of-position goalkeeper David Coles with the cheekiest of lob volleys from the edge of the six yard box. After that super start City promised much but produced little. Pratt was denied a 23rd-minute shot by a great saving tackle from Phil Ferns and sent a diving header just wide from Harrower's cross five minutes later. City's best chance to increase their lead came in the 37th minute with Crawford, relishing his roving striker's role, in the thick of it once more. Ian McDonald handled his shot at the near post- although to be fair to the Aldershot skipper, he didn't have much chance of avoiding the ball. But Birmingham referee Alan Seville waved away the protests and stuck to his penalty decision. Ling claimed responsibility for taking it but side-footed the ball wide of keeper Coles' right-hand post. That threw Ling off his game for a good half hour but City covered up well. With the wind at their backs in the second half City always looked dangerous. Coles made a superb save from Pratt in the 53rd minute, the Welshman hit the post eight minutes later and was denied by the woodwork again after beating the keeper in a one-on- one duel in the 73rd minute. McNichol also tested Coles in the 66th minute when he hoisted the ball for- ward from 40 yards and it caught on the wind, forcing the keeper to scramble back just in time to tip it just over the bar. Shaw, too, made a couple of fine stops to deny Colin Fielder and Mark McNeil before McNichol finally wrapped it up for City 10 minutes from time and - what a peach of a goal it was. City were awarded a free kick on the left side of Aldershot's penalty area. As three players made decoy runs McNichol was left un- marked in the middle and thundered Keough's pass into the bottom corner of the net from 20 yards. That took what little wind was left out of Aldershot's sails. They didn't really deserve to dent City's proud record of four straight wins with only one goal conceded

Exeter City: Shaw, Harrower, Viney, McNichol, Impey, McCaffery, Ling, Jackson, Pratt, Keough, Crawford. Sub Kellow (on for Pratt 77 minutes).

Aldershot: Coles, Blankley, Ferns, Fielder, Coleman, Mazzon, Staff, Johnson, Massey, McNeil, McDonald. Sub Duncan.

Attendance: 1,954.