Exeter City grab a 2 for Tuesday!

Match report: Cambridge 1 Exeter City 2

Alex Nicholls’ first goal in almost two years was the match-winner for Exeter City away at Cambridge United on Tuesday evening.

The game took a disappointing turn at the start for Exeter when Ryan Bird was on hand to stroke in from close range as the ball ricocheted around the six-yard box, but a second goal in two games from Graham Cummins got the Grecians level less than ten minutes later.

City twice came within the width of the woodwork from taking the lead – David Wheeler and Matt Grimes both striking the upright – but Nicholls eventually gave the Grecians a lead midway through the second period, with a fine goal that turned out to be the match-winner.

Grecians boss Paul Tisdale named an almost unchanged starting XI from the weekend’s draw at home to Oxford United for the game at Cambridge United – midfielder Arron Davies was the only new inclusion in the squad, with Christian Ribeiro taking place on the bench and Pat Baldwin again missing out on the matchday 18 with injury.

The hosts started brightly and Matt Oakley, again playing in a centre-back position, did well to track a run of Bird and make a sliding interception to deny him a route to goal. Moments earlier Bird had taken a swing at thin air when a blocked shot by Kwesi Appiah had fallen into his path.

But with less than ten minutes played, the U’s did have their first goal – a low ball in from the right was touched on by Harrison Dunk – more by luck than judgement – and found Bird, who was tasked with the simple job of slotting past the exposed Christy Pym.

The Grecians gathered themselves well and soon fashioned an equaliser of sheer quality. A good dissecting ball through the midfield from Matt Grimes played in Alex Nicholls – he followed up with a perfectly-weighted slipped pass into the path of Cummins who controlled and hammered beyond Chris Dunn.

City continued to threaten and a cross from Cummins, who had drifted out to the left, was met on the volley by David Wheeler – the shot from eight yards cannoned away off the meat of the near post.

The very same piece of woodwork then denied Grimes a goal – after Nicholls had been bundled to the ground on the edge of the D, the midfielder curled a left-footed effort around the post but it bounced clear off the inside of the post.

Exeter kept the tempo high throughout the first period and continued to pump balls into the danger-zone from the flanks, giving the U’s defence plenty to worry about.

Nicholls was the latest to test goalkeeper Dunn, but his shot from a central position outside the area as he drove goalwards lacked the power to beat the stopper.

Half-time: Cambridge United 1 Exeter City 1