City conceded three goals in League One for the first time this season as they fell to a 3-0 defeat against Wrexham in North Wales.
A trio of headers - two in the first half and a third 20 minutes before the full-time whistle, condemned the Grecians to a long journey home empty handed.
Max Cleworth opened the scoring just seven minutes in, flicking home a corner, before Ollie Palmer met a deep cross to double the lead. While City grew into the game in the second half and had several chances, the hosts killed the game off with a third header from Ollie Rathbone to secure three points.
Gary Caldwell included all three players who missed last week's 0-0 stalemate with Lincoln due to being away on international duty in his starting eleven at STōK Cae Ras. Josh Magennis, Kamari Doyle and Ilmari Niskanen returned to the lineup, while Ryan Woods dropped out of the squad completely following his red card. Kevin McDonald was also included in a City first team squad for the first time since returning to the club.
Millenic Alli was initially named on the bench but picked up a knock during the warmup, and was replaced late on by Vincent Harper.
First half
It took just 20 seconds for City to register the game’s first shot. A loose pass gifted possession to Jack Aitchison, and he drove forward and found Ilmari Niskanen, but his effort was blocked.
That move led to a series of corners that didn’t come off for City, before the hosts went up the other end and had several chances of their own, with one corner forcing Tristan Crama to do well in blocking a goal bound shot.
Corners kept coming for Wrexham, and they took advantage of one in the seventh minute to take the lead. Rising highest at the front post, Max Cleworth flicked home a set piece to give the home side the lead.
Chances kept coming for the home side, and Elliott Lee had a header ruled out for a foul after a corner. That would prove to just be a warning though for the Grecians, as Wrexham soon doubled their lead.
In the 24th minute, Ryan Barnett sent a cross from deep on the right wing into the box, and Ollie Palmer met it in the middle, heading past Whitworth for 2-0.
Wrexham’s appeals for a penalty just past the half-hour mark were waved away, despite claims that James McClean’s shot had struck Niskanen’s arm inside the box.
As City began to find more space in Wrexham’s half, they thought they had pulled one back. Doyle delivered a fantastic ball that seemed to find Caleb Watts in behind the defense, but after the number 17 slotted past the keeper, the assistant referee raised his flag for offside.
The game lost some of its spark as the first half drew to a close, with neither side managing to carve out significant chances after the disallowed goal.
Second half
At the break, Caldwell made a tactical adjustment, bringing on Sonny Cox in place of Ben Purrington and shifting Ed Francis to the left side of the back three.
The changes seemed to breathe new life into City, who came close to pulling one back early in the half. Tanner’s attempted header back to his keeper almost ended up in his own net, causing panic in the Wrexham defense. Moments later, Watts surged forward just before the hour mark, slicing through the defense to set up Aitchison, whose low drive was pushed behind for a corner.
Watts’ final contribution came just before he was replaced by Demetri Mitchell, but despite enjoying the lion’s share of possession, the Grecians struggled to break through Wrexham's disciplined defense.
The next chance fell to the hosts, with Ollie Rathbone finding space to shoot, only for Doyle to make a crucial block. However, from the resulting corner, Wrexham secured the three points. McClean’s pinpoint delivery from the right found Rathbone unmarked in the center, and his header flew past Whitworth for their third goal.
Wrexham nearly added a fourth moments later when Palmer’s curling strike narrowly missed the target, grazing past the post to keep the scoreline unchanged.
On as a substitute for his second City debut, Kevin McDonald was at his best to slide and deny Paul Mullin space to shoot as the hosts went in hunt of a fourth, and few further notable chances followed as the game finished 3-0 to Wrexham.
It's a quick turnaround for the Grecians, as they return to St James Park looking to bounce back on Tuesday evening when they face Birmingham City. Limited tickets remain, so get yours now!
Wrexham: Burton, Brunt, Cleworth, O'Connell, McClean (C), Palmer (Böðvarsson, 78'), Dobson, Rathbone (O'Connor, 78'), Barnett, James, Lee (Mullin, 70').
Substitutes not used: Howard (GK), Faal, Revan, Scarr.
Goals: Cleworth 7', Palmer 24', Rathbone 72'
Yellow cards: Rathbone 4'
Exeter City: Whitworth, Watts (Mitchell, 59'), Sweeney, Crama, Purrington (Cox, 46'), Niskanen, McMillan, Francis, Doyle (McDonald, 77'), Aitchison (Bird, 77'), Magennis (Harper, 85').
Substitutes not used: MacDonald (GK), Fitzwater.
Yellow cards: Watts 40', Aitchison 51'
Attendance: 12484 (1,270 away)