WILKO ENDS THE CITY DROUGHT

Grecians avoid taking place in history books

Exeter City 1 Leyton Orient 1.

BY ED HOGG AT ST JAMES'S PARK

Easter Monday 5 April 1999.

Referee: Eddie Wolstenholme

Att: 2764

TEEN starlet John Wilkinson finally hal- ted Exeter City's goal-famine - and spared the Grecians an undesirable place in St James's Park history. The rookie winger was handed only the third senior start of his fledgling career against high-flying Leyton Orient yesterday. And Wilkinson, Exeter born and raised, responded with the strike that ended City's five-week search for a goal. That prevented Peter Fox's men claiming a share of an unwanted club record. Exeter had failed to find the net in five pre- vious contests, a barren spell that has effect- ively wrecked their Division 3 play-off prospects. 

Only twice before in the 1923/24 and 1985/86 campaigns have City fans been forced to endure a drought spanning six Football League contests.

 Wilkinson's 24th minute effort boosted the confidence that had been visibly drained by successive impotent displays against Cambridge, Southend, Cardiff, Darlington and Scunthorpe. But it failed to end the winless sequence as Wim Wals- chaerts' opportunism snatched a 1-1 draw for the promotion-chasing O's.

And City's recent trouble were evident in a string of squandered chances. Wilkinson had been robbed of an opener inside the first two minutes. He was left muttering in frustration as Scott Barrett brilliantly finger tipped a blistering drive onto his crossbar following neat work by fellow rookie Geoff Breslan and Steve Flack's unselfish dummy. But, after Barrett had sprawled to his left to gather a Paul Tosh header, Wilkinson made the breakthrough. Tosh helped on Jon Richardson's right-wing cross and the 19- year-old coolly fired home via the base of Barrett's right-hand post. The goalkeeper then bravely denied Jon Gittens from a clever Jason Rees free-kick. And Tosh inadvertantly blocked a goal-bound Rees volley after enterprising spadework by home-grown trio Breslan. Chris Holloway and Wilkinson. Orient-clearly smarting from a trade-mark Tommy Taylor team-talk- began the second period with greater endeavour. Ashley Bayes, untested before the break, was soon scrambling to claw away David Morrison's speculative effort. Shaun Gale was forced to hack away Dean Smith's firm header with Bayes stranded. And the pint-sized Emmanuel Omoyimni -5ft 5in in stockinged feet was unable to nod home when left unchaperoned to meet Tony Richards' far-post cross. City responded with 15-goal leading marks- man Steve Flack just failing to direct a header from Breslan's precise centre. And the luckless Tosh then butted splendidly past Barrett's flailing left hand, only to find Flack had been flagged offside. That escape proved crucial when Orient promptly restored parity. City failed to deal with a corner from one-time St James's Park prodigy Martin Ling and Walschaerts instinctively back-heeled an equaliser from point-blank range the hosts vainly claiming that Bayes had been impeded. Then on it was all Exeter:

• Flack diving to head fractionally wide from Holloway's cross;
• Tosh swivelling smartly to test Barrett and then shrugging aside the statuesque Smith before unleashing a 20-yarder that grazed a post.
• Barrett's razor-sharp reflexes again denied Tosh from Barry Mc- Connell's 77th minute cross.
• Flack failed to get sufficient power be- hind an 81st minute header.
• Simon Clark managed to block the bust- ling frontrunner's 87th minute shot.

And Orient clung on for a precious point when Flack headed inches wide in stoppage time.

EXETER CITY
Bayes, Breslan (McConnell 73), Gale, Curran, Richardson, Gittens, Tosh (Speakman 88), Rees, Flack, Holloway, Wilkinson. Sub (not used): Smith.

ORIENT:
Barrett, Walschaerts, Lockwood, Smith, Ampadu (Morrison 28), Clark, Ling, M Joseph, Finney (Watts 46), Richards, Omoyimni. Sub (not used): R Joseph.

Match Facts

GOALS:
Wilkinson 24 (1-0),
Walschaerts 64 (1-1)

ATTENDANCE: 2,764

REFEREE:
Eddie Wolstenholme (Blackburn)

SHOTS ON TARGET:
Exeter 6, Orient 3
SHOTS OFF TARGET:
Exeter 8, Orient 1
CORNERS:
Exeter 8, Orient 4
FOULS:
Exeter 10, Orient 14