Manager gives match reaction to defeat at Shrewsbury
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale conceded that Saturday’s hosts Shrewsbury Town were good value for their win against the Grecians at Greenhous Meadow.The Shrews ultimately claimed a 4-0 win thanks to a brace by Jean-Louis Akpa Akpro and a goal apiece from James Collins and Tyrone Barnett, and they controlled large parts of the game as well.
The result ended a run of unbeaten games that had reached eight and had propelled Exeter to within sniffing distance of the play-offs.
And while the City manager accepted that the result reflected the balance of play, he refused to give up hope on his team with four games to go and just three points lying between Exeter and a place in the play-offs.
“We were beaten by a very good side,” said Tis. “The better side won and we just didn’t seem to have the energy or spark today that we’ve had in previous games. It’s disappointing to lose the game.
“We can talk about this one for a long time, but the answer is that they are a very, very good side and they beat us soundly today and we move on. But that doesn’t mean I am conceding our chances of making the play-offs.
“It’s a game that we move on from. I still have faith in the players and we have to do better on Tuesday.
“I’m sure between now and May 2nd, there will be a day where we think that we’ve blown it and there may be a day where we think we’re there. Either one won’t be true.
“It’s going to go to the wire, I’m sure. Today we have missed out on points but we’ve got another game on Tuesday.
“It didn’t go to plan today and we were beaten by the better side on the day. I have no grumbles and we have to move on.”
City’s chances were dealt a blow when centre-half Jordan Moore-Taylor was confirmed as an absentee on the morning of the game, and breaking up a settled defensive unit.
And then shortly before kick-off, Tis was forced into another late change – Craig Woodman’s name had been on the teamsheet but it was Danny Butterfield that emerged from the tunnel after the left-back sustained an injury during the pre-match run-out.
“We made a change this morning with Jordan Moore-Taylor dropping out, and then Craig Woodman dropped out a ten minutes to three with a calf pull during the warm-up,” Paul explained.
“Tom McCready broke down in training yesterday as well so having three injuries going into the game wasn’t ideal. We had to make changes. That’s life – we still could have played better.
“I have to say that Scot Bennett came in today and did really, really well today. I’ve got no complaints about him or Danny Butterfield coming into the side or how they played at all, but we just didn’t function.
“It’s not worth worrying about now that it has gone, but that process of planning for the game didn’t go smoothly.”