Manager pleased as side comes back from two goals down against Blackpool
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale admitted he was pleased with a point as his side battle back from two goals down to draw with Blackpool at home, but he doesn’t think his side played to their best of their ability.
City, in swirling conditions at St James Park, went two goals down in the first half as Blackpool’s Colin Daniel and Brad Potts found the back of the net.
However, a great bit of play from Jack Stacey allowed Ollie Watkins to volley home just before the interval and then Reuben Reid nodded home in injury time to salvage a point that keeps City in the League Two play-off places.
“It was a really good point,” said Tis. “I don’t think we played our best, but there was a strong wind and it was a difficult first half. We didn’t really make the best of the second half. So, I would have liked to have seen us play a little bit better but we have come back from 2-0 down and a point keeps us going.”
City did indeed toil in the second half as the visitors slowed the game down and sat two banks of four in front of their 18-yard area, forcing the Grecians to hit long balls behind which, in the conditions, didn’t reap much reward.
Substitute Reid sparked City into life in the closing stages though testing Sam Slocombe with a couple of angled drives, before getting on the end of Ollie Watkins’ cross in stoppage time to level.
“I think we always believed we could get a goal and at 2-1 you have just got that one goal to get back into it,” said Tis.
“I thought if we had got that second goal early enough we would have been odds on to get a third. However, it was late and it wasn’t the perfect performance. There were parts of our game where we could and should have been a bit better but we were full of intent, determination and effort and the players deserved to get back into it.”
Tis also gave special mention to Robbie Simpson who was stretchered off with a suspected broken ankle after eight minutes. The striker appeared to land awkwardly as he tried to get on the end of a low cross from Ryan Harley. Tis said his absence is a huge blow to the team going into the final third of the season.
“We are pretty sure he has broken his ankle,” said Tis. “That really is a big loss for us today. Going into this final quarter of the season, he was going to be a big player for us.”
“He (Robbie) hasn’t had the best of luck this season,” added Tis. “He led the line for us through the first dozen or so games when we were depleted in players and did all the tough, dirty stuff for us in all those games.
“He has then been injured and comeback and done everything right and there was a big part for him to play until the end of the season, but it looks as though we will have to wait until next year. We will have to wait on the exact details, but it looks like he made need an operation.”