Exeter City 3 Rotherham 1

By Ross Reid 

EXETER-born striker Barry McConnell scored City's third goal from a penalty four minutes into in- jury time to maintain the Grecians' unbeaten League start. McConnell got his chance when Millers' Paul Dillon hauled down target man Steve Flack as he tried turning on a through ball from the inspirational Jason Rees. McConnell, 22, was coolness personified at sun-bathed St James Park, sidefooting his spot kick wide of Mike Pollitt's dive and into the corner of the goal at the Big Bank end. City were already home and dry by the time Flack was felled, thanks to teenage midfielder Chris Holloway, who crowned an impressive all-round dis- play by smashing the Grecians' 41st minute second goal. The 19-year-old Wales under-21 international started a move down the right, knocked the ball into full-back Shaun Gale, then gleefully volleyed in from close range after Rob Scott's header to clear the cross went awry. Credit is due to Holloway for following up a seemingly lost cause; and to keeper Stuart Naylor's excellent 85th minute save to keep the score at 2-1. The ball dropped for Rotherham forward Paul Warne inside the City box, but out- stretched Naylor got enough glove on the drive to tip it to safety off the face of the bar. As the match wore on City boss Peter Fox introduced assistant manager Noel Blake as replacement for debutant Gary Alexander, the 20- year-old loan signing from West Ham United. Alexander made a solid start, winning plenty of aerial ball and one of the first things he did resulted in City's fifth-minute first goal. He started a good move and the ball had to be cleared hastily by central defender Brian Wilsterman. From the resulting corner Rees crossed, Wilsterman headed out and Rob Dewhurst was 16 yards out to send a header over Pollitt for his first Exeter goal in only his fourth appearance. It was a great start for City's young-looking side, but Rotherham, who have conceded three goals at St James Park on their last three visits, responded as best they could. They looked like levelling on 70 minutes, when Andy Turner broke down the left. His first strike hit Naylor's leg; his follow-up, with the keeper floored, was cleared off the line by Dewhurst and Graeme Power. Turner said later: 'I could not believe how they kept it out. The first one ricochetted off the keeper, but I was still in and kept my shot low, hard and on target and somehow their defenders cleared it off the line. It wasn't our day.' In the 23rd minute,Turner said later: 'I could not believe how they kept it out. The first one ricochetted off the keeper, but I was still in and kept my shot low, hard and on target and somehow their defenders cleared it off the line. It wasn't our day.' In the 23rd minute, Rotherham's Devon-born midfield Darren Garner went on a mazy solo run before squeezing the ball past Naylor to make it 1-1