Praise for Jordan Tillson after 4-0 victory
Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale felt the spine of the team all performed terrifically well as the Grecians beat Leyton Orient 4-0 on Monday.
The Grecians won the match thanks to two goals from Ryan Harley, a backheel flick from David Wheeler and a late strike from Liam McAlinden. However, it was the performances of Jordan Moore-Taylor and Troy Brown, at the centre of the defence, Lloyd James and Jordan Tillson, in the middle of the park, and Reuben Reid and Ollie Watkins, up front, that came in for special praise at the full-time whistle.
“The goals are a product of the performance and the positional play and the robust nature in which we played,” said Tis.
“We did the same against Newport two days ago and it was the same against Mansfield a couple of weeks ago. It has been the case over the last month and that is no surprise when you get your squad back together again.
“Yes, we have got one or two out but we have got a strong squad. Our bench looks strong and the spine of the team looked good. We didn’t chase four goals, the goals came to us because of our discipline and our team work.”
Tillson came in for special mention from the manager. The 23-year-old defensive midfielder was starting his first game since returning from a broken ankle that had kept him out of the team for three months.
“He (Jordan Tillson) has got a specific skill set and it gives the team some bit and speed to the ball, which balances the players like (Ryan) Harley and (Ollie) Watkins,” said Tis. “It gives them a platform. He (Jordan) was a real miss for us in those September, October, November months when we suffering, with a lot of injuries, but he was fantastic today. Jake Taylor, who missed out, has probably been our most consistent player of the season so far.
“It was really good for me to be able to give Jake a rest and Jordan comes in and is, possibly, man of the match. It gives you some idea of the way the squad is building just as we thought it would do.
“I’m not chopping and changing too much through necessity and the players are playing a simple game very well.
“The good bits of play have a platform and that is what we did today. We had a threat with us and our strikers were always looking likely to break down their defence. Our two centre-backs were very strong and our two central midfielders had good games. So the spine of the team was very good.”