For just the fifth time in City's history, the under-18s made it to the FA Youth Cup fourth round with a fantastic 1-0 win on the road against Stevenage.
In a tightly contested game at the Lamex Stadium, it was an own goal forced by a combination of Theo Cutler, George Birch and Kieran Wilson on the hour mark that split the two sides and sent the Grecians through against a side who have lost just one game in the league this season.
For this third round tie, Andy Struthers made two changes from last week's defeat against Cheltenham. Kye Cooper and Kieran Wilson returned to the eleven, with the former making his first start since early November since recently returning from injury. After scoring in the first two rounds, under-16 striker Harry Appleton was named on the bench, as well as his age group teammate Sam Down, who backed up Dylan Shanahan in goal.
First half
The hosts began the brighter of the two sides, winning the game’s first corner within the opening minute, though the resulting header sailed harmlessly over the crossbar.
From that goal-kick, City crafted their first chance with a sequence of free-flowing football. Harry Crees found Kieran Wilson on the right, who drilled a low, first-time cross into the penalty area. Cutting inside to meet it, George Birch's impressive effort was denied by an excellent reaction save from the goalkeeper before Stevenage cleared the rebound.
City continued to exploit space down Wilson’s flank, and the Scotsman soon found himself driving into the box. Opting to go alone this time, his low shot flashed into the side netting, narrowly missing the target.
Stevenage, however, remained dangerous from set-pieces and came close in the 20th minute. After Jacca Cavendish blocked a shot on the edge of the box, the resulting corner saw a powerful header just skim over the bar, keeping the scoreline level.
Buoyed by this near-miss, the hosts grew in confidence and began to exert pressure. A quick overlap down Exeter’s left led to a low cross into the penalty area, where a series of sharp touches ended with a Stevenage attacker striking towards goal. A vital block from a City defender, however, deflected the ball out for a corner, which was safely cleared.
The Grecians continued to create openings, although without a decisive finish. Just past the half-hour mark, Stevenage were presented with a golden opportunity after pouncing on a defensive mishap in Exeter’s backline. Breaking into the box, the hosts cut the ball back toward the penalty spot, only for Kye Cooper to intervene with a brilliant block that sent the ball over the bar.
As the first half wound down, both teams exchanged half-chances but lacked the cutting edge to trouble either goalkeeper, leaving the match finely poised heading into the break.
Second half
Just two minutes into the second half, City were fortunate not to fall behind as Stevenage came close to opening the scoring.
Exploiting a pocket of space high on the right, the hosts whipped a low ball into the box. Their number nine showed great awareness to flick it goalwards from inside the six-yard area, but the ball clipped the outside of the post and rolled out of play.
In a mirror of the first half’s opening exchanges, City immediately responded by surging forward. Wilson broke through a gap in the Stevenage defence and delivered a dangerous low cross into the box, only for Cutler to narrowly miss connecting for what would have been a certain goal.
The Grecians maintained their attacking momentum, forcing the Boro goalkeeper into a superb save moments before finally breaking the deadlock on the hour mark.
Countering with pace and precision, City played the ball out wide to Wilson, who found space near the top corner of the box. His driven ball across the face of goal sparked chaos in the six-yard area as Birch and Cutler both pressured the defence. Amid the scramble, the ball deflected off a Stevenage player and past the stranded goalkeeper, handing City a 1-0 lead and igniting jubilant celebrations from the visitors.
The young Grecians pushed for a second goal immediately after taking the lead. Birch tested the goalkeeper with a near-post effort, while Cutler was flagged offside following a perfectly weighted through ball from Santino Ohanaka.
As the match wore on, the tension ramped up, and with 15 minutes remaining, Stevenage’s task became even more difficult. A heated off-ball incident resulted in a second yellow card for one of their forwards, leaving the hosts with 10 men.
City seized control of the ball following the red card, playing with renewed confidence and Ohanaka then created a golden chance from the left. Liam Oakes picked him out with a superb cross-field pass, and City’s number 10 drove toward the edge of the Stevenage box before cutting inside and firing at goal. The home keeper reacted quickly to push the shot away, with his defenders scrambling to clear the danger.
Emotions continued to boil over on the touchline, leading to City Lead Coach Andy Struthers being sent to the stands as the intensity of the game reached its peak.
With seven minutes of added time signaled, the Grecians dug deep to preserve their lead. A dramatic final push from Stevenage saw their goalkeeper venture forward for a corner, resulting in a goalmouth scramble. City’s defense heroically blocked an effort on the line before Shanahan produced a brilliant diving save to deny the hosts and secure the victory.
A resilient and battling performance saw City advance to the fourth round, and they now have the opportunity to make history and go further than any under-18 side ever have.
The under-18s will now face Fulham in the fourth round, with details of that match to be confirmed!
Exeter City under-18s: Shanahan, Cooper, Cavendish (C), Cartwright, Ohanaka, Cayless, Oakes, Crees, Birch, Wilson, Cutler.
Substitutes: Down (GK), Anthony, Graham, Hodgetts, Appleton.
Goal: Own goal 60'