Three goals from three players against Eastleigh gave City a confident victory to head into the season with at St James Park.
Brentford loanee Tristan Crama opened the scoring with a pinpoint header before Reece Cole doubled City’s advantage before half-time from the penalty spot. Josh Magennis added a third after the break before the Grecians comfortably controlled the rest of the match, containing their opponents to little threat.
After explaining there were still players that needed minutes in their legs earlier in the week, Gary Caldwell named loanees Crama and Johnly Yfeko in the starting lineup for the Grecians’ final friendly, while Millenic Alli led the line upfront.
The game began with City on top, with Reece Cole coming closest during the opening exchanges with a diving header that never looked to trouble Joe McDonnell in the Spitfires’ net.
However, the positive start for the Grecians was dampened just ten minutes in, when Yanic Wildschut went down on the edge of the box with what looked like a nasty knee injury. The Suriname international had to be stretchered off but left the field to applause from supporters from both sides.
Wildschut’s injury resulted in a lengthy break in play, but that didn’t stop the Grecians' early momentum. On his first appearance in front of the SJP crowd, goalkeeper Joe Whitworth looked at times to be playing at centre-back such was the extent he was stepping out of his box, and his long ball up to Alli won a corner in the 18th minute.
A well-worked set-piece routine saw Cole’s cross land on Crama’s head at the back post, and he planted the ball into the back of the net for his first goal in his first Grecian game.
After dominating early possession, City did find themselves without the ball at times as Eastleigh tried to play their way out the back. But missing their talisman Paul McCallum upfront meant the Spitfires fashioned very little in terms of chances, their closest opportunity coming from a misplaced Crama pass, but the shot was deflected wide.
Just as the match’s intensity and momentum appeared to be dropping, a well-worked move saw the ball played into Jack Aitchison inside the box. An arm across Aitchison’s body from an Eastleigh player brought City’s number 10 down, giving City the chance to extend their lead from the spot.
An interesting rock, paper, scissors match was used to decide who took the penalty between Cole and Alli, and City’s number 12 stepped up and calmly slotted the ball to the keeper’s right to give City a halftime lead of 2-0.
Half-time brought three planned changes onto the pitch, and it was two of those who combined to extend City’s lead 10 minutes after the break.
A lovely ball from Cole found Caleb Watts down the right, and after advancing, the former Southampton man whipped a low ball into the box. Waiting at the other end was Josh Magennis, whose first-time shot found the back of the net in front of the Big Bank, giving City a three-goal advantage.
Watts forced the next chance too after play restarted, as this time he chose to cut inside and aim his run towards goal and was brought down around 30 yards out in a central position. With Ryan Woods and Ed Francis stood over the ball, it was the latter who struck, but his curling effort hit the advertising hoardings behind the goal.
Eastleigh rarely threatened from that point onwards, with City dominating play in a progressive manner – always looking for the pass forward and the next attacking option. Unfortunately, no more goals came of that, but the Grecians’ positive play also limited the Spitfires’ chances at the other end, with their closest coming from a last-minute free-kick put wide.
The full-time whistle marked the end of Exeter’s pre-season, and now all eyes turn to Rotherham United, as the Millers travel to SJP next Saturday for a 5:30pm kick-off to mark the season’s opener. Be there to back the boys, tickets available now.
Exeter City: Whitworth, Niskanen (Watts), Sweeney (c), Crama (Diabate), Yfeko (Purrington), Wildschut (Harper, Fitzwater), McMillan (Francis), Woods, Aitchison (Cummins), Cole (Borges), Alli (Magennis) Substitutes: MacDonald, Purrington, Fitzwater, Diabate, Francis, Borges, Watts, Harper, Cummins, Magennis.
Eastleigh: McDonnell, Brindley (Hodson), Vokins, Fernandez (Humphries), Francillette, Maguire (Sotona), Taylor (Waruih), Shade, Nwabuokei, Panter, Quigley (Dotse) Substitutes: Scott, Humphries, Sotona, Hodson, Waruih, Webber, Rogers, Dotse.
Attendance: 2399 (111 away)