Morecambe started the second period with the first chance as Steven Old headed a corner from Liam Mandeville only just wide in the forty-seventh minute. The player who took the corner found himself well-placed on the right of the Grecians’ Penalty Area after fifty minutes but his attempt at a shot was so woeful that it ended-up running aimlessly parallel to the goal line beyond the opposition target. Zak Mills then tried his luck with a long-range shot from the Morecambe right after being fed by Ellison: the effort flew over the bar. With fifty-four minutes played, the Shrimps’ official Man Of The Match Aaron Wildig was taken off. Aaron had taken the ball in the face at point-blank range as Exeter Captain Jake Taylor attempted to hoof it away at the beginning of the second half. He was probably still seeing twenty-two City players on the pitch at the time he left the field.
The opposition had a purple patch after this and – roared on by their noisy contingent in the Main Stand – went further ahead after 65 minutes when Jayden Stockley headed a routine goal from an accurate Sweeney cross far too easily for comfort. Jim Bentley shuffled his pack after that and the Shrimps probably played better as a unit after going two-down than they did at any other period of the game. Pym produced a truly miraculous save after sixty-nine minutes at full stretch to his left to somehow keep out a header from Mandeville and Rhys Oates in particular looked like he could play a bit – youngster Lamine Jagne also impressed. To be fair, newcomer Josef Yarney also acquitted himself well despite a couple of mistakes in the second half – the Premiership club class was obvious.
Overall, however, Exeter deserved to win. Jim Bentley was – typically – optimistic in defeat today. There were signs of improvement and if the lads simply work harder, their disappointing start to the season can be put behind them. They need to work hard and basically pick up the pieces. And that was what I walked out of the ground listening to at the end – Average White Band’s classic funky tune from Way Back When. Was this subliminal – or wot?
Morecambe remain rock bottom of the EFL. Exeter are right at the opposite end of the table right at the pinnacle of League Two.
Morecambe : 1 Barry Roche (C); 2 Zak Mills; 4 Alex Kenyon (20 Lamine Jagne 76 mins); 5 Steven Old; 8 Andy Fleming; 9 Vadaine Oliver; 11 Kevin Ellison (18 Rhys Oates 76 mins); 14 Josef Yarney; 15 Aaron Wildig (28 A-Jay Leitch-Smith 65 mins); 17 Liam Mandeville; 27 Jordan Cranston.
Subs not used : 21 Mark Halstead; 3 Luke Conlan; 12 Jason Oswell; 25 Ben Hadley.
Exeter City: 1 Christy Pym; 2 Pierce Sweeney; 5 Aaron Martin; 8 Nicky Law (6 Jordan Tillson 36 mins); 10 Lee Holmes (7 Lee Martin 72 minutes): 11 Jayden Stockley; 14 Jonathan Forte (19 Tristan Abrahams 83 mins); 21 Dean Moxey; 25 Jake Taylor (C ); 39 Troy Brown; 44 Hiram Boateng.
Subs not used: 13 James Hamon; 27 Matt Jay; 18 Jimmy Oates.
Ref: Thomas Bramall.
Att: 1654.
