Three goals in the opening 25 minutes left the Grecians empty-handed after a 3-1 defeat away at Crawley Town.
The hosts raced into a three-goal lead inside the opening 25 minutes, with Rushian Hepburn-Murphy twice on target either side of a breakaway strike from Panutche Camara. Caleb Watts' flicked header gave City hope with a response just seconds after the Red Devils' third, but Crawley sat and defended their lead well, with City unable to break them down.
Gary Caldwell made three changes from his team that drew 0-0 against Burton Albion just three days earlier. Jack Fitzwater returned into defence and retook the armband, while Andrew Oluwabori was included from the start for the first time in City colours. The other change was Joel Colwill, who was included from the start, while the recently recalled Tom Dean was named on the bench.
First half
With just 40 seconds on the clock, City registered the game’s first shot towards goal. First-time starter Oluwabori drove forward down the inside left channel and slipped in Sonny Cox up front, but his low effort dragged wide of the target.
The hosts responded three minutes later with their first shot on target, forcing Joe Whitworth into an excellent save. A cross from the left picked out Panutche Camara inside the box, and the midfielder lashed a first-time effort towards goal. However, the Palace loanee was equal to it, getting down smartly before the Grecians’ defence blocked Gavin Holohan’s follow-up.
That was to serve only as a warning, though, as Crawley took the lead after just seven minutes. Another cross from the left wasn’t dealt with by City, and although Whitworth produced a great save from the initial Town effort, there was nothing he could do to stop Rushian Hepburn-Murphy lashing home at the back post.
One quickly became two, as Town doubled their lead just two minutes later, punishing City on the break. Colwill had laid off for Watts inside the Town box, but his shot was blocked and the defence cleared their lines.
On the halfway line, Camara played a one-two with Hepburn-Murphy as they surged into the Grecians’ half, before Camara broke into the box and curled a clinical finish into the top corner.
Some supporters at the Broadfield Stadium thought their side had scored a third just before the 20th minute, when Jeremy Kelly cut inside and unleashed a shot from the edge of the box. His effort rolled just wide of the post and around the back of the net, fooling a few into early celebration.
But that third did arrive only moments later, and it was Kelly at the heart of it. In the 23rd minute, the Crawley winger rounded Whitworth, but his shot was blocked on the line by Alex Hartridge. Unfortunately for City, the ball fell kindly for Hepburn-Murphy, who reacted quickest to poke home from close range for his second of the afternoon.
However, City and Crawley don’t tend to do run-of-the-mill games, and almost straight from the restart the Grecians carved out an opening to claw their way back into the match.
Cox released Niskanen down the right, who cut the ball back for Ed Francis, before the midfielder chipped a clever cross into the box. Cox was there to meet it, flicking the ball over the onrushing keeper and into the net to reduce the deficit.
The game calmed down somewhat from that frantic start after there, with Colwill having an effort go just wide, before Holohan header over for Crawley from close range seconds before the break.
Second half
Crawley started the second half strongly, with Jack Roles firing a free-kick into the base of the City wall, but the Grecians gradually began to build a foothold in the game.
One of three half-time changes, Tony Yogane, came close 25 minutes from time after being picked out by Colwill, but his shot flew wide of the target. Soon after, McMillan tried his luck, but his effort was comfortably gathered by the keeper.
Gary Caldwell had used all five of his substitutes by the 70th minute, looking to shift the game’s momentum from the bench. Among the changes was a proud moment for Dean, who was handed his EFL debut, but a resilient Town defence stood firm to keep City at bay.
The Grecians’ task became even harder late on, as Ed Francis was shown a second yellow card for dissent, reducing City to 10 men for the closing stages as Crawley held out for all three points.
City now have two games remaining this season, starting with their final home match at St James Park against Huddersfield Town this Saturday.
Crawley Town: Steward, Kelly, Barker, Conroy (C), Radcliffe, Roles, Anderson, Fraser, Camara (Doyle, 70'), Holohan, Hepburn-Murphy.
Substitutes not used: Doyle, Showunmi, Papadopoulos, John-Jules, Armando, Tanimu.
Goals: Hepburn-Murphy 7', 23', Camara 9',
Yellow cards: Radcliffe 40', Kelly 54'
Exeter City: Whitworth, Turns (Woods, 46'), Fitzwater (C) (Cole, 70'), Hartridge, McMillan, Francis, Colwill, Niskanen (Dean, 70'), Watts (Yogane, 46'), Oluwabori (Harper, 46'), Cox.
Substitutes not used: A. MacDonald, Richards.
Goal: Watts 25'
Yellow cards: Watts 26', Colwill 34', Francis 54', Hartridge 63'
Red card: Francis 89'
Attendance: 4441 (703 away)