Exeter City recorded a rampant 5-0 against Taunton Town in their third pre-season match.
Ben Seymour and Sam Nombe both bagged braces, with Jevani Brown adding another as the Grecians put in a performance worthy of the five goals.
City started the contest brightly. Jake Caprice was linking well with the young midfield pairing of Veale and Kite and soon asserted his dominance over Taunton full back Ross Staley. With Caprice finding joy in wide areas, it would be from City’s productive right side that the opening goal would come. Pierce Sweeney’s long throw found the movement of Jevani Brown, he cut the ball back into the path of Jack Veale and the City midfielder’s shot across goal was diverted home by Ben Seymour.
Jevani Brown and Jake Caprice were now at the heart of City’s best attacking play. After Brown had just failed to beat Lloyd Irish following a short back pass, the summer signing cleverly played in Caprice whose low cross just required someone to tap home to double the lead.
For all the Grecian’s dominance, Taunton had a glorious chance to equalise. A short back pass was seized upon by Toby Holmes who rounded Scott Brown before hitting the post form a tight angle.
With a big scare survived, Callum Howe was beginning to show his threat on the City left. With a number of willing surges forward, he won a tackle in the Taunton penalty area before seeing the subsequent shot ripple the side netting.
The home side’s threat remained consistent enough to keep the City defence requiring full concentration, neat midfield play created a shooting chance for Jared Lewington and his strike narrowly cleared the cross bar.
The half ended the way it had begun. City causing a threat on their right side with Jake Caprice and Jevani Brown linking with success, this time creating a shooting chance for Callum Howe who failed to threaten Irish in the Peacock’s goal. A deserved lead for the visitors at the break.
The second half began with a familiar pattern. The Grecian’s right side probing with incisive play and creative movement. Ben Seymour found himself one on one with Lloyd Irish before the linesman flagged offside, but City’s Number nine was not to be denied moments later. Caprice delivered a low ball across the Taunton goal before Seymour latched onto the pass to slot home the second.
Seymour’s eager movement would again be denied by the linesman’s flag, before Jevani Brown added to the City lead with a deserved goal for the striker. A dangerous cross towards the centre of the penalty box was only half cleared and he controlled neatly before striking low into the bottom corner.
With over an hour played Matt Taylor rang the changes. The impact was immediate, Nombe reacted quickest to a contested long ball and his power and pace was too much for the home defence. After holding off the defender he slotted home his first City goal with a neat finish.
Nombe was now causing a constant threat. First, he shrugged off a defensive challenge to create a shooting chance that was struck wide. A high City press then created a further chance that was hit over, before more good play saw the new City Number Ten hit narrowly wide. Pace, power and a desire to play on the last line of defence, there was plenty to enthuse the City travelling support in Nombe’s cameo appearance.
Academy Keeper Andrew Sowden was given a debut, but it was City who were playing some of their most fluid football of Pre-Season. Collins, Randall and Nombe all had half chances before a Josh Key header flew wide from a corner.
City’s dominance was not to go unrewarded for much longer. Nombe receiving the ball on the edge of the Taunton area, holding off his marker before striking low into the bottom corner for number five.
Josh Key’s square pass was not converted, before a diving header from James Dodd failed to trouble the home keeper, as City finished strongly under the Somerset sunset.
A compressive performance from Matt Taylor’s side as they showed the tempo and quality that will be required as the head into the new season. From those players who are making a start to their City careers, there was a lot to feel excited about.
City XI: S.Brown, Rowe, Sweeney, Dyer, Diabate, Caprice, Veale, Kite, Jay, J.Brown, Seymour.
City 60 mins XI: S.Brown (Sowden), Sparkes, Hartridge, Ray, Johnson, Key, Lilley, Dodd, Collins, Randall, Nombe.