Shrewsbury Town 0 Exeter City 1.

Saturday 1 December 2001.

ANOTHER clean sheet, five games unbeaten and a deserved win against Division Three's surprise promotion-chasers kept up Exeter's revival.New Exeter boss John Cornforth is making life at the helm of one of the league's perennial strugglers seem remarkably simple - and expensive!

He has promised his side £50 for every clean sheet, and this made it four in a row.

"The wife's getting worried and the kids' pocket money's starting to go down a bit," he joked.

In truth, they should have won by more than the solitary goal from the unlikeliest of match winners, Graeme Power.

Only Shrews goalkeeper Ian Dunbavin, prevented top scorer Christian Roberts and Graeme Tomlinson making it more.

Afterwards Cornforth was still a happy man, declaring his team "magnificent".

His opposite number Kevin Ratcliffe was frank in his appraisal, saying: "They've done an excellent job on us, were well organised, and they've improved a hell of a lot. It'll be hard task for any team to beat them."

For all their territorial possession in the opening 20 minutes, Shrewsbury never seriously tested goalkeeper Arjan van Heusden.

It was against the run of play when Exeter took the lead. Roberts collected the ball from a throw in and neatly lifted the ball over two defenders for Power to fire a shot past Dunbavin into the corner. It was the left-back's first goal in just under a year.

Minutes later it may well have been two, but a Roberts screamer from 20-yards was tipped round the post by Dunbavin, before a late intervention from big defender Matt Redmile denied the ex-Swansea striker when he was through on goal.

City continued to carve out chances, with Tomlinson powering a header wide. Just before the break, Roberts sped past Greg Rioch, found himself one-on-one with Dunbavin, but fired wide.

All Shrewsbury could muster was a half-hearted penalty appeal when Mark Atkins appeared to have been fouled by Alex Watson.

Little was seen of Shrewsbury's potent strike force, with Nigel Jemson and the terrior-like teenager Luke Rodgers, 23 goals between them this season, frustrated figures up front.

Indeed, most of Shrewsbury's attacking prowess came from set plays, with Jemson and Rioch both sending long range free-kicks wide of goal.

Rodgers came closest though, 13 minutes from time, with a rasping effort which whistled past the far post.

Two stoppage time corners caused some concerns in a nervy last ten minutes, but a Shrewsbury equaliser would have been harsh. Exeter fully merited their win.

SHREWSBURY: I Dunbavin, I Jenkins, M Heathcote, M Redmile, G Rioch, D Moss, J Tolley, M Atkins, S Aiston, N Jemson, L Rodgers.

Substitutes: T Hart, A Tretton (for Heathcote, 75 mins), R Lowe (Jenkins, 65), K Murray, C Murphy.

EXETER: A Van Heusden, B McConnell, A Watson, C Curran, G Power, P Buckle, K Ampadu, M Barlow, A Roscoe, G Tomlinson, C Roberts.

Substitutes: S Fraser, J Campbell (Watson, 83), G Cronin, G Breslan (Roscoe, 89), S Flack.

Goals: Graeme Power 20 (0-1)

Booked: Rodgers, Jemson, Heathcote (Shrewsbury), Roberts, Buckle, Power (Exeter).

Shots on target: Shrewsbury 5, Exeter 4

Corners: Shrewsbury 4, Exeter 3

Offsides: Shrewsbury 2, Exeter 7

Fouls: Shrewsbury 14, Exeter 21

Attendance 3,565

Referee: Richard Beeby (Northampton)