Exeter City ran out comfortable winners on Thursday evening at Treyew Road as the majority of the first team squad were given their first taste of pre-season action this summer
Following on from Tuesday night's 3-1 win over Bideford - which involved a mixture of the club's under-23 and academy players - Matt Taylor named a strong starting XI for the game against Truro City.
New signing Aaron Martin was given his first run out in a City shirt, alongside Luke Croll, Dean Moxey and a trialist in defence. Archie Collins, Jack Sparkes, Hiram Boateng and Jordan Tillson made up the midfield four, with Matt Jay and loan signing Tristan Abrahams starting up front.
It took City until the 27th minute to open the scoring as Boateng picked up the ball 10 yards inside the Truro half, skipped past the challenge of one defender before firing a shot across the keeper and into the bottom corner. After a cagey opening 25 minutes, that goal opened the floodgates.
Next on the scoresheet was Sparkes as he profited from Abrahams' shot, which had rebounded off the post, to score from close range. Sparkes then turned provider as he spotted the movement of Jay in the box and picked him out with a superb cross and City's No. 17 finished with a cushioned header back across goal.
Sparkes then turned provider as he spotted the movement of Jay in the box and picked him out with a superb cross and City's No. 17 finished with a cushioned header back across goal.
City then named a completely different XI for the second half with James Hamon in goal; a back four of Pierce Sweeney, Troy Brown, Alex Hartridge and Craig Woodman; a midfield of Jake Taylor, new signing Nicky Law, Max Smallcombe and Lee Holmes and Jayden Stockley partnering summer signing Jonathan Forte up front.
It took only five minutes of the second half for two of the new signings to make it 4-0. After Stockley's shot was blocked in the area, Law picked up the ball and got to the byline before pulling a pass back for Forte to send a first-time finish into the roof of the net.
Then on 60 minutes came the pick of the goals as Sweeney did well to win the ball back in an advanced area and swung the ball into the box for Stockley, who produced an acrobatic volley to leave the Truro keeper stranded.
A good night's work was then completed in the 68th minute as Sweeney got down the right again and delivered a low cross that Forte guided home with the inside of his foot for his second of the night.
Exeter City XI, first half: Pym; A Trialist, Martin, Croll, Moxey; Collins, Boateng, Tillson, Sparkes; Jay, Abrahams. Second half: Hamon; Sweeney, Hartridge, Brown, Woodman; Taylor, Smallcombe, Law, Holmes; Stockley, Forte.