Exeter City 2 Aldershot 0
FA Cup 2nd Round

BY TED DAVENPORT

EXETER City earned themselves a chance of an FA Cup third round pay- day after two goals in three minutes killed off minnows Aldershot. The Grecians ended a goal drought which has seen them go four league games without a goal or a point which has coincided with injury to top scorer Gary Alexander. The West Ham loanee returned to fire Exeter into the lead after 32 minutes and FA Cup specialist Steve Flack doubled the tally three minutes later with a brilliant lob. 

The game had a false start when within 30 seconds of the kick off referee Clive Wilkes was forced to stop the action and delay the game for 35 minutes as Aldershot supporters packed into the St James' end spilled over the barrier onto the ground. At the same time a red flare was thrown by an Aldershot fan which was stamped out by a steward.

The players were brought off as around 1,500 fans tried to squeeze into the ground and Aldershot chairman Carl Prentice pleaded with his fans to move along and make space for those still queuing outside. Police moved from outside the stadium to usher the fans along and the police heli- copter hovered over- head to monitor the problem.

During the delay the fans were regaled with the song You'll Never Walk Alone, perhaps an unfortunate choice in the light of the crowd congestion. The capacity at St James Park is currently restricted to 6,100 because of work on the at the Big Bank end.

Exeter boss Peter Fox opted for attack by naming a three man front line in which giant striker Steve Flack was joined by former West Ham youth team mates Gary Alexander, on loan from the Hammers and new signing Lee Boylan. Boylan, 21, signed in midweek on a month long contract with a view to a permanent move after recently returning from a three month spell with Swedish First Division side Trelleborgs. Fox's adventurous formation almost paid instant dividends from the restart when Alexander flashed a header just wide from a Paul Buckle corner. Flack saw a long range header go wide before Alexander did well to turn Aldershot central defender Ollie Adedji, who was at full stretch as he tackled back to push the ball to 'keeper Andy Pape. The lively Alexander fired into the side netting on the half hour but put Exeter ahead two minutes later. He seized on a weak back pass and showed great coolness to takethe ball onto his right foot and a shot past Pape as the 'keeper dived despairingly at his feet. Flack's only other goal this season was also in the FA Cup and he kept up his excellent record with a superb strike on 35 minutes. He trapped Jason Rees' long ball on his chest and as the defence retreated he hit an exquisite left foot chip from 25 yards which always looked as if it was going over until it dipped under the bar. Aldershot dominated the second half, helped by the sending off of Exeter's Graeme Power in the 64th minute for elbowing Owen Coll, but failed to convert the chances created by man of the match Mark Bentley. Gary Abbott also sent two efforts wide and put a pointblank header straight at Stuart Naylor when unmarked. Jimmy Sugrue sent a lob wide and substitute Joe Nartey headed over from a yard out during injury time.

Exeter City 
Naylor. Richardson Power. Buckle Curran Gittens Rees Flack. Boylan. Alexander Robinson. Substitutes: Holloway (for Boylan, 67) Dewhurst (for Buckle, 78), Speakman (for Alexander 86) Not used: Matthews, Breslan.

Aldershot:
Pape, Coll, Chewins, Adedji, Pearce (Nartey 68), Fielder, Sugrue (Bell 72), Bentley, Abbott, Gell, Hathaway. Subs (not used): Harte, Champion, Bassey.

Scorers:
Exeter City Alexander, 32, Flack 35.

Referee: Clive Wilkes (Gloucester)

Attendance: 4,151

★Star Man: Gary Alexander - Always posed Aldershot problems