Halifax 1-0 Exeter City 

by NICK BEER at THE SHAY

EXETER City were again made to pay for their lack of a cutting edge when Mark Bradshaw grabbed a late winner for Halifax. No goals and no points from four games tells its own story. And with the Grecians having failed to keep a clean sheet in 12 outings, they are now rooted in the bottom half of the Division 3 table. City boss Peter Fox sprang a surprise by pushing midfield marauder Kofi Nyamah into the frontline. Nyamah was asked to fill the role following the departure of strikers Shayne Bradley and Darran Rowbotham, while leading scorer Gary Alexander is still sidelined recovering from a groin injury. It was Halifax, though, who did all the early attacking at a mist-shrouded Shay. Chris Curran intercepted a dangerous Mark Jules cross before Halifax marksman Rodney Rowe shot limply into the arms of Grecians glovesman Stuart Naylor. City had to wait until the 10th minute for their first effort, Steve Flack scuffing the ball at keeper Lee Butler. Highly-rated Halifax playmaker Jamie Paterson was ruling the roost in midfield. And with Jules giving City captain John Richardson a torrid time down the left, the hosts continued to dominate. A skidding Robbie Painter effort was well claimed by Naylor and centre back Paul Stoneman failed to get enough power into his header when well-placed. Then, with half-an-hour gone, City suddenly started forcing the issue. Nyamah sliced wide after robbing Lee Butler and Flack directed a header at the Halifax keeper. The clearest chance fell to Halifax when a Curran clearance fell for Rowe, Naylor reacting instantly to push away a stinging shot. Curran almost made amends, volleying goalwards from 10 yards only for the ball to ricochet off a defender. Bradshaw on for a limping Jules thumped a shot. into Naylor's chest from 35 yards. But after the break it was City who emerged the hungrier and enjoyed their most productive spell. Nyamah broke free on the left and his goalbound effort was beaten away by Lee But- ler at full-stretch. Graham Mitchell was forced to head a teasing Jason Rees cross over his own bar. On 51 minutes City's luck in front of goal again deserted them, Curran striking the post following a nailbiting goalmouth scramble. With the crowd stunned into silence, Nyamah mugged Lee Butler only to send his cross sailing over Holloway's head. But then the pendulum swung back the other way. Halifax forced five consecutive corners and City seemed to have weathered the storm before the decisive 76th-minute strike. Two Paterson shots gener- ated panic in the away defence. Naylor dived to his left but succeeded only in pawing the ball to Bradshaw, who prodded it past him to score. With new new signing Lee Boylan now on in place of Nyamah, City carried the fight back to Halifax again. Boylan screwed a long- range effort wide after Flack's knockdown. And in the last minute Boylan only just failed to con- nect with a Rees cross before the final whistle signalled another blank day for City.