Grecians boss reacts to Orient success
EXETER CITY manager Paul Tisdale reflected on two very different halves after the Grecians returned to winning ways in Sky Bet League 2 with a 3-1 win at Leyton Orient on Saturday.A Jayden Stockley double came either side of a Tom Nichols goal as City recovered from a first-minute Orient goal in the first half, before the hosts misses two penalties in the second.
"They were two very different halves, but they were never both going to be the same. We conceded early, but maybe sometimes you can score too early. We responded very well, though - we had a very attacking and purposeful first half, and arguably we could have got a fourth. They changed their setup at half-time, and made some adjustments that got them back into the game. It became very clear that the second half was going to be about us shuffling and holding space, and maybe getting them on the break.
"I couldn't have predicted two penalty misses, but generally we defended well. We hadn't won for a while in the league, and we'd come too close in those games for those to be judged as bad form. Ultimately, we didn't get the points that we merited and deserved, so this was much-needed for us. I made the decision after the first ten minutes of the second half that we were going to hold our position, and despite the two penalties, I thought that we did that very well.
"It's easy to look at Jayden's three goals, but what was more, but what was more productive for our team was that he occupied their defenders. He's a mobile, all-action centre-forward, and his contribution to the team's fluidity in the first half was crucial. He had a very good game.
"As a manager you know that, when you're away from home, one goal can quickly become two. If it isn't a two-goal lead, you're not safe, so it was very important that we kept the ball out of the net. The first penalty hit the post, and the second was Bobby giving a big contribution to us. I have no complaints at all with the referees giving the penalties - that's not to say that they were right or wrong, I just couldn't see from my position.
"There are some bags of ice in the dressing room, but no more than normal. Christian Ribeiro came through his first ninety minutes in a while, so well done him, while Lee Holmes, David Noble and Danny Butterfield are others who put a shift in after coming back today. Having those players back will do us no harm on Wednesday."