Exeter City rout League leaders

EXETER CITY put four past League 2 leaders Leyton Orient at St James Park to end the visitors' one hundred per cent record at the top of Sky Bet League 2.

Two Tom Nichols penalties joined goals from Alex Nicholls and David Wheeler as City put in their most convincing display so far this season.

In the absence of Joel Grant (international duty) and Will Hoskins (knock), Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale welcomed Tom Nichols and Christian Ribeiro back from thier respective injuries with places in the starting line-up for the visit of table-topping Leyton Orient. Alex Nicholls also came in to the league line-up having scored in the 2-0 Johnstone's Paint Trophy win over Portsmouth in midweek.

And Tom Nichols was at the heart of the action right from the off. Fouled in the box by debutant Orient goalkeeper Charlie Grainger, he picked himself up to smash the ball into the net for a fifth-minute opener from the spot.

Orient gained the ascendancy for the better part of the first half, with half-hearted penalty appeals when Bradley Pritchard almost took a tumble and Jordan Tillson and Troy Brown on hand to block efforts from Dean Cox and Paul McCallum.

But City were two to the good with just under ten minutes of the period to go. Ryan Harley seized possession of a loose ball shortly after an Exeter City corner, and he teed up Alex Nicholls on the edge of the box to double the Grecians' lead.

HALF-TIME: EXETER CITY 2-0 LEYTON ORIENT