“In the second half, we had complete control, but we didn’t create or penetrate enough, leaving us open to counterattacks, and Oxford punished us.”
The 3-0 loss at Oxford United, which caused Exeter City to fall to sixth place in the League One standings, was a lesson that manager Gary Caldwell claimed his team will take to heart. The Yellows earned all three points in the top-of-the-table match thanks to an early goal and two late penalties, which allowed them to surpass the Grecians and move into the top two.
With only eight minutes left in the game, Ruben Rodrigues gave the home team the lead with a header. In the opening frame, Oxford had opportunities to increase their advantage, but Yanic Wildschut came dangerously close to tying the score when he struck the post.
After the break, City improved and appeared to have what it took to get a goal-deserving equalizer, but 10 minutes from time, Oxford put an end to the contest. Will Aimson, the captain, shoved Rodrigues, resulting in a penalty that Cameron Brannagan successfully converted. With his second penalty, Brannagan increased the score to three late in stoppage time.
Caldwell expressed his disappointment at the outcome. “It was a dreadful start; we handed away a pretty awful goal, which made it hard. We had the first half under control without giving ourselves many chances.
“Even though we had complete possession in the second half, we didn’t penetrate or create enough. We were penalized by Oxford for leaving ourselves open to counterattacks. We need to draw lessons from this game, but we didn’t expect it would end in a 3-0 victory. Despite this, we must pick ourselves up and try again.
They are a practical squad that sat behind the ball. We anticipated their move but nevertheless fell for the trap. It is instructive. We must comprehend the errors we made in this game that cost us since we are a team that is still learning.
“I can’t criticise what we attempted to accomplish, but we lacked the ferocity to convert it into goals in the final third. I believed that at 1-0, if we had scored, we would have been ahead, but they scored two penalties on two counterattacks. We exposed the pitch’s centre and paid the price for it.
Caldwell only made one change to his Exeter City lineup from the 1-0 victory against Cheltenham Town on Saturday. After suffering a knee injury, Harry Kite made his season debut, moving Sonny Cox to the bench. Once more, Vincent Harper was able to participate in the team.
Even though they had a much-revised and inexperienced lineup, City had lost to Reading by a record nine goals at home in the EFL Trophy midweek. And the Grecians let up another goal eight minutes later. Kyle Edwards, a former loanee, outran his opponent and whipped in a cross that Rodrigues, unmarked, was able to head in from close range to score the game’s first goal.
Brannagan then struck the outside of the post for Liam Manning’s team, proving once more that City were the ones who made themselves irrelevant by turning the ball over. But just as City thought to have a chance, the Grecians conceded a penalty after Aimson tripped over Rodrigues with 10 minutes remaining in the game. Brannagan stepped up, and although though Sinisalo correctly predicted the outcome, the penalty had too much speed for him to convert, making the score 2-0.
Tuesday night’s Carabao Cup match between City and Premier League Luton Town marks their return to play. However, Caldwell claimed that his team believes they can win that match and is up for the task.
We anticipate winning, but there is pressure on Tuesday, he remarked. “We bounce back and prepare for an exciting match against a Premier League squad. We need to start playing again soon. Given how we lost the game, a midweek game might be preferable. At St. James Park, we are prepared for a hard test from a Premier League squad.
Leave a Reply