Match-winning midfielder gives verdict on win at Victoria Road
402 Exeter City supporters were packed into the away at Victoria Road to see Arron Davies power in a 94th-minute header to secure a dramatic win against hosts Dagenham & Redbridge on Friday evening.The midfielder – who played a variety of positions throughout the evening – got on the end of a cross from fellow Welshman Christian Ribeiro midway through the seven minutes of stoppage time, turning one point into three and securing a fourth straight 2-1 win for the Grecians.
The City supporters – featuring no shortage of London Exiles – were vocal all night, even when City were trailing to a goal by former Grecian Jamie Cureton.
But their support was rewarded when Jimmy Keohane converted a late penalty, won by Alex Nicholls – which preceded the even later header from Davies – and the midfielder was delighted to have given the supporters a cause to loose themselves for a moment deep into added time.
“It was a difficult start to the season and everyone knows that, and we didn’t really get going for a while,” said Arron.
“But we’re confident and after the game the fans were going berserk. They bought into it as well and they were right behind us, and that’s massive for us as well.
“The timing of the goal – in the fifth minute of added time and in front of the away fans – makes it all worthwhile.
“There were some happy faces at the end there when we were celebrating in front of them. It never gets old to see fully-grown men going off their rocker! They’re the things you remember as a player.”
It is not the first time that Davies has scored a spectacular goal in Exeter colours – his thumping finish opening the scoring in a 3-1 Devon Derby win at the Park against Plymouth last season, and he also netted the fans-voted Goal of the Year for 2013/14 for a stunning 40-yard strike away at Scunthorpe.
He was pleased to get another emphatic goal – a late, late one which nestled into the top corner – and it was Ribeiro’s tireless work down the right all evening that set it up.
“It was a goal made in Wales – it was a great cross by Ribs [Christian Ribeiro] and I was coming in off the left-hand flank, and just attacked the ball and it just came off my head!
“It was a good header and flew in the top corner so I was absolutely buzzing. Obviously the timing was massive too.
“Funnily enough I’m not that prolific in the air – I scored one for Wales Under-21s quite a while back, away in Estonia – if you can get the footage for that!
“So I don’t get too many like that which makes it nice, as did the timing of the goal. I felt we deserved it tonight.”
Dagenham had been on top for much of the first period and made it difficult for Exeter to really play their football. Nicholls’ deflected strike in first-half stoppage time was the closest that City came to levelling Cureton’s tenth-minute strike.
But the Grecians stepped into another gear in the second period and threatened Mark Cousins’ goal with regularity before finally breaching it twice in the final ten minutes of play.
Davies felt that it was no less than the team deserved for their performance after the break.
“I thought in the second half we were brilliant,” he continued. “In the first half we were a little bit off it but we stayed in the game and then in the second half we really pushed on. I thought to a man we were brilliant and massively deserved the win.
“We knew we could all up it by a couple of percent, and we did. Everyone came to the table and upped their game, and we got the result and a performance as well.
“We’re up and running now – we’re on a good run of form and we’ve set a standard for ourselves with the way we’ve performed as a team.
“The subs came on and made a difference as well so as a squad everyone is playing their part, and that’s massive for us.
“We’re demanding a bit more of each other – we’re more vocal as a team now and we’re showing a bit of knowhow. Even the younger lads are talking now and demanding from each other.”