Exeter City made it two home wins on the spin after a comfortable victory over Mansfield Town under the lights in EX4.
Demetri Mitchell’s second goal in four days put the Grecians on the way to eight points from four matches in March, before Angus MacDonald nodded home his first goal in red and white in front of the Big Bank to seal the deal and ensure the Grecians now sit ten points above the drop zone in Sky Bet League One.
It was also a third consecutive clean sheet for City, who offered up another tenacious and determined defensive performance.
Gary Caldwell made one change from Saturday’s 2-0 win over Shrewsbury Town with Caleb Watts – a scorer in that match – being replaced by Jack McMillan who returned from concussion protocols to regain his place at wingback.
Former Grecian Hiram Boateng returned to SJP in the line-up for the visitors, who came into the match winless in 12 league matches.
First Half
City started on the front foot with Pat Jones looking lively on the left hand side moving forward, embroiled in a battle with George Williams and Deji Oshilaja as he looked to deliver the ball into a congested 18-yard box.
Following two assists in two matches for Alex Hartridge, the on-loan defender who play a vital role in City taking the lead inside just eight minutes of the contest. Delivering a long throw into the area, the ball was initially cleared by the Mansfield defence, but Jones was alert to pump the ball back into danger where Angus MacDonald headed the ball into the six yard box. Reacting to a spill for Stags stopper Scott Flinders, Demetri Mitchell was there to lash home the ball to gift City a deserved early lead.
Credit to captain Josh Magennis, who opted to leave the ball for the Grecians no.7 instead of attempting a difficult angled effort.
Buoyed by the early goal, Caldwell side continued to press their opponents in hunt of a second goal, and Ryan Trevitt’s corner could have proved difficult for Flinders as the Brentford loanee pinned his set-piece right under the bar. He claimed coolly under pressure from a mass of bodies.
City’s next chance came as Magennis did his trademark hold-up play to tee up Jones out wide. The Welshman drove forward and dropped the shoulder aimed low towards Flinders, with the keeper holding his effort this time.
Mansfield’s first chance of the game came through a promising counter attack as they put the Grecians back-line under pressure. The ball fell nicely at an acute angle to Boateng, who lashed an effort wide.
A majority of the St James Park crowd were left stunned from the next attack as Mitchell was seemingly brought down by Flinders inside the area having taken the ball past the keeper, only for the referee and assistant to remain unmoved and deny what looked to be a certain spot kick.
Undeterred by that, Mitchell was determined to push City into a firmer lead and came to close to teeing up Trevitt at the near post as he sent the ball through the defender’s legs on the by-line before delivering in a fine ball that Flinders just about beat him to.
Jordan Bowery, a first half change for the visitors, was the next of Jones’ victims on the left hand side as he was booked for a tussle with the City man, who continued to cause havoc in the wide areas.
Second Half
Caldwell made one switch at the interval, replacing Jones with Watts in a like-for-like change, and it wasn’t long before City doubled their lead. It took just three and a half minutes for the Grecians to score their second on Saturday, and in a case of déjà vu, as the clock struck 49 minutes, Angus MacDonald powered in a header at the back post after a perfectly aimed Ed Francis corner.
Watts was somehow denied ‘impact sub’ status by a sublime goal-line clearance just five minutes later. Trevitt stepped out from a defensive position and drove forward to find Magennis on the overlap in yards of space. The Northern Irishman saw his shot smothered by Flinders but managed to flick the rebound back into danger where Watts’ goal-bound poke somehow stayed out.
Mitchell was given a standing ovation as he left the pitch alongside Francis in a double switch, as Tony Yogane and Joel Colwill were introduced to the action.
Yogane could have scored just a few minutes after stepping onto the pitch, as Watts flicked the ball into his path from a move triggered by a brave dribble from Ed Turns. Caldwell’s subs were exciting the Big Bank faithful, who were almost celebrating again when Watts rattled the crossbar with a ferocious effort from the edge of the box – Yogane doing his best to connect to the speedy rebound under pressure from plenty of yellow shirts.
Ryan Woods was introduced to the action to replace McMillan, as Caldwell altered the look of the side sending Watts to right wing back. Such was the endeavour of City’s number 17, Watts lost a shinpad as he stuck his leg into a hefty defensive tackle in the closing minutes.
Such was the quality of City’s work in defence throughout the 90 minutes, it took until four minutes from time to register a real meaningful chance on goal, as Aden Flint lashed an effort just centimetres wide of Joe Whitworth’s right post from the edge of the area.
That was as close as the Stags would come to troubling those in red and white, who saw out five minutes of stoppage time with ease to secure another win in fine fashion.
The Grecians are next in action on Saturday as they travel to Rotherham United in a 3pm kick off.
Exeter City XI: Whitworth (GK), McMillan (Woods 75’), Purrington, Hartridge, Mitchell (Yogane 61’), Francis (Colwill 61’), Jones (Watts 46’), Turns, Trevitt, MacDonald, Magennis (Cole 85’)
Subs: Aitchison, Cox,
Goals: Mitchell 8’
Yellow cards: Francis 37’
Mansfield XI: Flinders (GK), Williams, McLaughlin (Bowery 37’), Cargill (Flint 50’), Akins (Dywer), Lewis, Evans, Oshilaja, Reed © (Quinn 61’), Vickers (Rhodes), Boateng.
Subs: Kilgour, Mason.
Yellow cards: Bowery 38’
Attendance: 5,214 (259 away)
Referee: Paul Howard