Gillingham 0 – Exeter City 0
It was a really disappointing game for both sides. Gillingham hit the post once but that was their only real chance. Jake Sinclair was extremely close to putting Exeter City into the lead but he just couldn’t get the ball into the net...
Barnsley 0 – Exeter City 4
Appiah sprints down the left and knocks a great ball into Albian Ajeti who controls the ball and slots it into the far corner.
Eastmond drifts to the left wing, cuts inside and then crosses the ball into the box. The ball drops perfectly for Ajeti who blocks the defender and hits it on the volley with his weaker foot. It’s hit with so much ferocity and power that the goalkeeper cannot reach it even though it is at his near corner. Amazing finish!
As soon as the game started, it had it written all over it. Ajeti has his first hat-trick for his new club. Sinclair delivers a low ball in from the right which takes a deflection. The ball goes past Ajeti but hits Barnsley defender, Reece Brown, which makes the ball fall back to Ajeti. He heads the ball over the rushing goalkeeper and into the net.
Ajeti takes a quick throw-in from the left to Jamie Reid. He takes a touch and uses his pace to cut into the middle and then into the box. The Barnsley defence opens up for him to just slot the ball into the bottom corner. Exeter City have gone into the quarter finals to face Tranmere Rovers.
Our Best Performer: Albian Ajeti
Exeter City 1 – Bradford City 0
Jamie Reid bursts down the left and crosses the ball into the back post where Albian Ajeti manages to head the ball back across the keeper and into the far corner.
Our Best Performer: Jamie Reid
S****horpe 0 – Exeter City 3
And he scores again! Ajeti receives the ball from the right by Jake Sinclair to the back post where he just has to tap it in the net.
Pretty much identical to Ajeti’s goal except that the cross was from the left and delivered by Jamie Reid.
Surprisingly, S****horpe have fallen for it again! A cross into the back post by Jamie Reid and a simple tap in for Sinclair.
Annoyingly, Albian Ajeti was forced off after fifty-two minutes of play. It’s a massive shame based on his recent performances. (Replaced for Cowan-Hall)
Dr Peter Riou (Senior Physiotherapist):
“Albian Ajeti is out for 4 weeks with a Hyper Extended Knee.” (Will be replaced by Jamie Reid and Paris Cowan-Hall will be in Reid’s place.)
Our Best Performer: Jake Sinclair (Two goals, one assist which means he had a crucial part in all of the goals.)
Exeter City 2 – Chesterfield 1
The game has been pretty average until Darikwa receives the ball on the edge of the box and hits the ball into the corner. Glen Mabil really should have done better...
Because Ajeti is out, Reid assumes the striker position and scores only a couple of seconds after the restart. Ollie Watkins starts the game off and Jamie Reid turns and runs at the defenders. He skips past a challenge and slips the ball under the body of the Chesterfield goalkeeper, Aaron Chapman, who has been outstanding up until now.
Ribeiro gives the ball to Watkins who turns and sprints with blistering pace down the right. He puts the ball low into the box where Jamie Reid pokes the ball across the keeper’s chest and into the far corner.
Our Best Performer: Jamie Reid (It might have taken him a while to get going but for the last fifteen minutes he was amazing!)
Port Vale 1 – Exeter City 2
Exeter City look to continue their form and it’s really showing that the West Country team could even win the title! Jamie Reid lifts a sublime pass out onto the right wing where Paris Cowan-Hall chests it down and sends the ball to the back post where Sinclair puts the ball past the goalkeeper and into the net.
Unfortunately, Jake Flannigan had to come off with a shoulder injury in the sixth minute.
Ribeiro loses the ball and falls into the path of Chris Lines who squares the ball to Emile Sinclair who turns past Moore-Taylor and allows him to easily take the ball past Glen Mabil and into the lower right corner.
Port Vale have denied Exeter all the way until the last minute where Port Vale goalkeeper, Chris Neal, receives a pass from the defence. Neal takes a heavy touch allowing the pressing Ollie Watkins to slide and steal the ball from the goalkeeper. The ball rolls to Appiah who puts the ball into an empty goal.
Our Best Performer: Kwabena Appiah
Sheffield Wednesday 1 – Exeter City 2
Exeter have amazingly made it into the last sixteen of the Capital One Cup and look like they’re going through based on the first two minutes of the game! Appiah steals the ball down the left and skips into the middle of the box where he shoots but his effort is saved easily. The rebound falls straight to Jake Sinclair who then just has to tap the ball into an empty net.
Kamil Zayatte clears the ball up field and it drops into the path of Caolan Lavery. Moore-Taylor tries to clear the ball but ends up allowing Lavery through on goal. He smashes the ball past Mabil and into the top right corner.
Finally someone scores! A one-two with Appiah in the middle allows Aaron Dawson to pick the all up behind the defenders and he just calmly puts it past the keeper. Exeter City are into the next round, where they will face the Premier League’s Newcastle United in the quarter finals.
Our Best Performer: Jake Sinclair
Exeter City 5 – Portsmouth 0
The treats start early in this Halloween game for Exeter City as Liam Sercombe bombs down the right on the counter attack. He picks out a great through-ball to Appiah who sprints in on goal. He stumbles from a sliding tackle by Jack Whatmough but stays standing and tries to chip the ball over the keeper. Adam Webster manages to get in the way of the chip but it ends up going past the keeper and rolling over the line.
He was asking for it. Glen Mabil boots the ball far up field over the defence and into the path of Ollie Watkins who takes a great touch to control the ball and then flick the ball over the head of the last defender and to Appiah who takes a touch and tricks the goalkeeper with a composed chipped shot and it’s a second for Exeter.
Jake Flannigan steals the ball in the midfield and runs to the edge of the penalty area where he fakies to the right and tries to bend the ball into the far corner. Instead of that, Jack Whatmough gets a massive deflection to make the ball roll past the already dedicated goalkeeper. I’m surprised that is still a Flannigan goal and not an own goal but it still counts.
Aaron Dawson steals the ball on the right and drifts into the middle where he lifts the ball over the defence and to the boot of Appiah who strikes it on the volley and with his weaker foot. The ball fizzes past the goalkeeper and into the bottom of the near corner.
Jake Sinclair slides in and wins the ball off of Jack Whatmough and sprints through on goal. He nudges the ball to the right before simply smashing the ball past the keeper and into the net.
Our Best Performer: Glen Mabil (He really kept us in the game in the early stages and he kept making amazing saves all the way to the final whistle. Credit to Kwabena for nearly getting a hat-trick and Aaron Dawson for winning the ball numerous times in difficult situations.)
Exeter City’s Player of the Month:
Kwabena Appiah
1. Exeter City - 47 points
2. Sheffield Utd - 38 points
3. Brentford - 38 points
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4. Peterborough - 35 points
5. Blackpool - 33 points
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8. Chesterfield - 27 points
9. MK Dons - 26 points
10. Portsmouth- 26 points
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21. Oldham Athletic – 15 points
22. Rochdale – 15 points
23. Port Vale – 6 points
24. Oxford United – 6 points
Q: We’ve heard that you’ve received a managerial offer from the prestigious PSV in the Netherlands...
A: I’m very flattered that a team as good as PSV would want me as their manager but I am totally dedicated to Exeter City. No matter how much money they offer me or how many trophies they have won, I am not going to leave Exeter any time soon.
Q: You’re still in amazing form and you’re nine points ahead over everyone else. How does it feel to be in such a comfortable position in the table?
A: Obviously there is a feeling of reassurance that we have a nine point cushion but we seriously can’t slack around and become complacent. It’s only mid-season and there are still so many more points to get before the end.
Q: Albian Ajeti was in great form before becoming injured only earlier this month. When will he be coming back?
A: Hopefully in the next game or two. It’ll be great to see his quality in the team once again.
Career Record (W: D :L): 53-14-6