Bristol Rovers v Exeter City 
12th April 2025

Match Report:
Bristol Rovers 1 Exeter City 2

For the first time since 1931, Exeter City completed the double against Bristol Rovers with a fantastic 2-1 win at the Memorial Stadium.

Caleb Watts opened the scoring with a fantastic first time finish 11 minutes in before Reece Cole doubled that lead with a fantastic volley off the top of the bar just before the break. The hosts halved that deficit midway through the second 45 but the Grecians held on with a resilient defence performance to seal all three points on the road.

For City's shortest away trip of the League One season, Gary Caldwell made four changes from Tuesday's draw against Wigan. Now donning a mask due to his facial injury, Ed Turns returned to the eleven, slotting into the right of the back three, while Jack Fitzwater moved inside to the centre. Josh Magennis was absent with a hip knock, and so Fitzwater took the armband, while Tony Yogane and Kevin McDoanld also came into the side.

First half

A slow start from the Grecians may have had some in the away end worrying, with Rovers dominating much of the early ball, but that didn’t matter when City went ahead with their first attack of the game.

In the 10th minute, Ilmari Niskanen drove forward down the right, beating his full-back and sending a cross in. A defending, tussling with Sonny Cox, half-cleared the ball to the edge of the box, where Caleb Watts strode in and fired home first time for 1-0!

Rovers responded with a great chance of their own, but Whitworth denied them with a fantastic save. Finding room down their right, Romaine Sawyers drilled a low ball across the box for Ruel Sotiriou who shot first time, but the Palace loanee was equal to it, blocking the ball out for a corner.

Niskanen appeared to be getting back to his best throughout the game, and brought a great direct pass from McDonald down eight minutes before half-time on the edge of the box. From there, the Finn cut back, taking a defender out of the game before playing in Reece Cole, but his shot was held by the keeper.

City’s number 12 would get another chance before the half was done though, and this time there was no chance of the keeper getting on the end of it. Niskanen again found joy on the right and sent a ball in, which Cole met with a delightful volley, clipping off the crossbar and in for 2-0 minutes before the break!

11th April 2025

Football League Youth Alliance


Exeter U-18's 3-2 Milton Keynes 

Report 

Exeter City under-18s recorded a fourth league victory of the season at the Cliff Hill Training Ground on Friday afternoon as they beat MK Dons 3-2.

Kieran Wilson, Santino Ohanaka and Tobias Alsop were all on the score-sheet in the searing heat, as they fought off a resurgent Dons side who had fought back from two goals down.

First Half

The Grecians saw their first sight of goal as Harry Crees fed Callum Graham on the left hand side, with Graham’s cross to the near post being diverted behind for a corner. 

Lewis Sandford of the visitors was the first to test the goalkeeper though, as he stung the palms of Dan Layer who made a strong save. Layer then distributed the ball to set up the opening goal of the contest.

Crees – starting his first game since January – found Wilson with a weighted through ball, allowing the Scotsman to race through on goal and tuck the ball into the bottom left hand corner as he fired across Ryan Kelly in the Dons goal.

City could have had a second when Wilson held up the ball for a cross field pass to Tobias Alsop, who lay the ball down the left for Santino Ohanaka with a weighted left footed pass. Ohanaka cut inside and tested Kelly at the near to force a corner. From the set-piece, Crees was unlucky not to convert with a back post effort. 

Wilson then struck the lower right hand post as he used his strength before racing to the edge of the area, unlucky not to double his – and the Grecians’ - tally.

It was two however just a few minutes before the break as Graham provided the ball for Ohanaka, who struck a brilliant left footed volley into the inner side netting to double City’s lead. It was a just reward for an excellent first half performance. 

Against the run of play though, MK Dons found a way back into the game on the stroke of half time. Rian Silver picked up the ball midway inside the City half before playing through Zach White inside the area, who placed an effort low past Layer into the bottom corner. 

Second Half

Dons came out of the traps fastest in the second half and had two efforts to level the scores inside five minutes. The first was blocked was half-time substitute Baker, before the second was blazed over from the edge of the box by Silver.

It wasn’t long before Silver did level the scores though, as he connected to a powerful cross from the right to send a looping header into the top right hand corner. 

Wilson should have bagged his second of the game as he rattled the woodwork for a second time. He reacted to latch onto a lofted ball from defence and hit it first time on the bounce just inside the box, but his effort crashed against the crossbar, before Liam Cartwright’s follow up was blocked.

Wilson was then denied again just moments later as Kelly turned his right footed angled effort round the post. 

City would retake the lead from the corner. Graham delivered an excellent whipped ball to the edge of the six yard box, where Alsop rose highest to send a bullet header over the line.

Graham and Wilson the combined at another corner with Graham’s lofted delivery finding Alsop inside the area who volleyed over he used showed great strength.

As most of the attacking threat continued through Wilson, he was just inches away from a sublime solo goal as he beat his man just past half way, dummied his defender on the edge of the six-yard box and then narrowly sent an effort just over the bar.

Substitute Jack Bellotti then volleyed over from 30 yards as City went on the hunt for a fourth goal.

MK were still looking for a leveller as Jack Burke fired high and wide as he connected a Dons corner, but in truth the Grecians were good value for their lead. Wilson thought he’d made it four when he appeared to beat the offside trap, and the goalkeeper, but the linesman raised his flag as he rounded Kelly.

City XI: Layer (GK), Cartwright, Alsop (Rickhuss), Cayless, Anthony (Baker), Aston, Lang (May), Crees (Bellotti), Wilson ©, Graham, Ohanaka.

Subs: Shanahan (GK).

Goals: Wilson 12’, Ohanaka 37’, Alsop 62’

MK Dons XI: Kelly (GK), Spalanzino, Boateng, Sandford, Flanagan, Burke, Nash, Goddard, Osborne, Silver ©, White.

Subs: Bardhan-Correia, Lupinski, Fry, Dobson, O’Keeffe.

Goals: White 43’, Silver 52’