City boss reacts to late Hartlepool win
EXETER CITY boss Paul Tisdale insisted his side were in control of the game after having watched Christian Ribeiro's late winner seal three points against Hartlepool United at St James Park.Bobby Olejnik had earlier saved a penalty from Rakish Bingham, and Tis was glowing about both the defensive and attacking sides of his team.
"We were in control of our game," he said. "Had it finished 0-0, I wouldn't have been upset. We missed good opportunities in the first half, and by that I don't mean shots on goal, I mean that we had the chance to create good shots on goal, which we didn't quite take. We played our game, and I'm delighted that we kept our composure and looked a disciplined team.
"We kept our composure today against a team that were intent on being incredibly well-disciplined, especially in defence. Clinton Morrison made a huge difference around their box when he came on, and both of the other players who came on also added value. We left it very late, but there we are. We wanted a win, and we got there in the end."
Defender Jordan Tillson was a man singled out for particular praise, with the 22-year-old making the centre-back position his own.
"Every week, Jordan Tillson is improving his status in the team," Tis said. "He was outstanding today, and made a really good tackle today in the first half after we'd made a mistake and we let them in. It was a wonderful recovery tackle. He snuffs out danger, and he does it extremely well. We've got Jordan Moore-Taylor, who was arguably our best defender last year, back from injury, but he's going to have to wait his turn, because Jordan Tillson and Troy Brown are playing particularly well. We don't seem to be stretched too often.
"It's still early days, so let's just enjoy it. We've got the Under-21 Premier League Cup game on Monday against Southend United, and that'll be an opportunity for other players to stake their claim. It's all good, but it's early days."