Exeter City 0 Cardiff City 2.

Match Report by Ted Davenport

Saturday 20 March 1999.

EXETER's play-off pretensions were exposed cruelly as they lost to a table topping side for the second time in two weeks. Fox's side matched Cardiff in most areas but the clinical finishing of former Plymouth striker Kevin Nugent was the difference between the sides. Exeter created a heap of chances but rarely looked like putting them away, while Cardiff showed they are at the top of the pile with two superbly taken goals from Nugent either side of the break. Fox shocked fans by leaving top scorer Steve Flack on the bench and starting the game with loan signings Brian Quailey and Peter Tosh as his strike duo. The move prompted suspicions that the 15-goal for- ward could be on the move before next Thursday's transfer deadline although officially his absence was attributed to lack of form and goals in recent games. Veterans Darran Rowbotham and Jon Gittens were both suspended and club skipper Jon Richardson was still injured so former Cardiff player Lee Baddeley played in the heart of defence with Chris Curran. Geoff Breslan returned to join Jason Rees, Chris Holloway and Jimmy Gardner in midfield. Exeter dominated the first half but went in a goal down thanks to one lapse of concentration in defence. Rising midfield star Geoff Breslan came within inches of giving the home side the perfect start on three minutes after an exquisite pass from Paul Tosh but his first time drive flew just inches past the post. Within three minutes Tosh himself had a great chance. He found space from a Shaun Gale corner but his volley soared well over the bar. The on-loan Scottish striker had another shot blocked by a defender before Exeter were gifted a golden chance by referee Barry Knight after a Cardiff defender was penalised for having a foot up as he tackled Lee Baddeley inside the penalty area. The referee awarded an indirect free kick instead of a penalty and then moved the Cardiff wall back almost to the goal line. Graeme Power's fierce shot rebounded off a defender to Brian Quailey but his effort blocked. At this stage Exeter were shading a tight but scrappy game in which neither side could find room or time to put together any coherent movement. Right back Shaun Gale and Quailey both tried long range shots which went closer to the corner flag than the goal while a Chris Holloway's effort from inside the area flew well wide. Cardiff  turned the game upside down in the 30th minute when Nugent put the table-toppers ahead. The Bluebirds had barely threatened before midfielder Mark Bonner launched his soaring cross from the right wing which found Jason Bowen's head. He nodded down towards goal and Baddeley looked favourite to clear until Nugent dived in to slam it past the stranded Ashley Bayes. The goal inspired Cardiff who were unlucky not to go. two up in first half injury time when Graham Mitchell's pass dissected the Exeter defence and let in Bowen whose clever chip slipped just past the post with Bayes beaten. Nugent made the game safe for Cardiff 13 minutes into the second half when he scored against the run of play with a brave diving header as he leapt between Lee Baddeley and Chris Curran to leave Bayes no chance as he met Danny Hill's left wing cross. The goal came just moments after Exeter had their best chances of the game with a sustained at- tack in which Tosh and Quailey both had goal- bound shots blocked before the ball fell to Quailey who bobbled the ball wide of the open net. The incident followed 10 minutes of sustained pres- sure in which Quailey and Tosh both had chances but put them either straight at keeper Jon Hallworth or wide of the target. Exeter looked sharper after Steve Flack came off the bench on 55 minutes, but their finishing still let them down as Flack's effort from a right wing cross went straight to the keeper and Tosh's header did not have enough power to beat Nugent's goal line clearance. Exeter continued to press without posing a real threat and their best chance came when Chris Curran's close range shot. was brilliantly saved on 65 minutes and Flack's volley went into the side netting just moments later. The keeper had to be sharp again to deny Tosh's header from a long Curran throw and the striker put another effort wide three minutes before the end. At the other end Cardiff looked lethal on the break as substitute John Williams twice ran clear of his former Exeter team-mates but could not beat Ashley Bayes.

Exeter City 
Bayes Gale Power Baddeley Curran Breslan Quailey Rees Tosh Holloway Gardner Substitutes: Flack (for Breslan, 54 mins) Wilkinson (for Quailey, 72), Blake (not used).

Cardiff City:
Hallworth, O'Sullivan, Legg. Mitchell, Eckhardt, Carpenter, Bonner, Young, Bowen, Nugent, Hill. Substitues: Middleton (for O'Sullivan, 67), Thomas (for Hill, 85), Williams (for Bowen, 73).

Scorers:
Cardiff - Nugent 39, 60.

Bookings:
Exeter - Curran, 90 mins:
Cardiff - Hill, 61 mins

Referee: Barry Knight (Orpington)

Attendance: 3,653.