Leyton Orient 0 Exeter City 1 - Grecians grind out battling away win
Amani Richards was Exeter City’s Fox in the box as the Grecians came away from their trip to Leyton Orient with all three points. The Leicester City loanee’s strike just before half-time was the difference as City earned a 1-0 win.
A tight first half saw few chances for either side, but the Grecians just before the break took their first real opening. Josh Magennis’ header back across goal was met by Amani Richards and the teenager poked home from close range to open the scoring.
Orient missed a hatful of chances in the second half to draw level, the best of them seeing Brandon Cooper seeing a header from close range kept out by Joe Whitworth, who then made an incredible save from Charlie Kelman as the hosts pushed for an equalizer. Caleb Watts was sent off in stoppage-time, but Exeter just held on.
READ MORE:Joe Whitworth stars again as Exeter City loanees prove vital
READ MORE:Exeter Chiefs player ratings from Northampton Saints defeat - 'Overshadowed'
City with the win climb to tenth in the League One table, and are now unbeaten in four, and have kept five clean sheets in eight in the league. Orient are now without a win in three, and dropped down to 20th in the table.
Following the 0-0 draw away to Wigan Athletic on Saturday, Gary Caldwell made just the one change to his Exeter City side, and it was an enforced one. Jack Aitchison who went off injured at the weekend didn’t recover in time, and so was replaced by Ed Francis, with Ben Purrington returning to the bench.
It was Orient who had the first chance with his three minutes on the clock. Dan Agyei got the better of Johnly Yfeko as he strode down the right and cut the ball back to Kelman. The striker was only eight yards out at best, but his effort was kept out by a combination of Tristan Crama and Whitworth when he looked likely to score.
City hadn’t made the most explosive of starts but twice Richards couldn’t get his touch on the break right, before at the third time of asking, he was brought down on the edge of the box. Francis’ free-kick, from an almost identical spot where he scored from at Blackpool, was headed away by the defence.
Crama headed over from a teasing Imari Niskanen cross as the Grecians were slowly growing into what was a scrappy first half short of significant goalmouth action. Kamari Doyle then flashed a shot across goal, but Magennis couldn’t quite turn it goalbound. Agyei at the other end fired over from the edge of the box, before Kelman was inches away from getting a touch on the winger’s cross to which if he had it would surely have been 1-0.
Shortly after though it was 1-0, but to Caldwell’s men. Niskanen on the left-hand side checked inside and whipped in a cross to the far post. Magennis rose highest to head it back across goal when Richards was unmarked and able to poke home from two yards into an empty net. It was a first goal for the Grecians for the 19-year-old – and his second of the season – having scored for parent club Leicester City U21s in the EFL Trophy before the loan move to Devon.
Orient should have level immediately though. Agyei skipped past a diving Ryan Woods challenge and they had a three-on-one. The ball found Jack Currie, but his touch was heavy and the chance went begging, with Ethan Galbraith also lurking unmarked behind him, perhaps who was the intended target. Lewis Warrington then drew a smart save from Whitworth in stoppage-time, but City went in ahead.
Neither side made a change at half-time. Jordan Brown had the first chance of the second 45 when he let fly from distance, but it was straight at Whitworth. City wasted a golden chance to double their lead when Doyle intercepted a clearance, but his ball to Richards was slightly behind the loanee, and he dragged the strike just wide.
Richie Wellens’ men still had a threat about then and after Galbraith skipped past Jack McMillan, Crama diverted the cross inches wide of his own post. Currie then blazed over from the resulting corner.
Millenic Alli replaced Richards on the hour as Caldwell’s first change. But almost immediately Orient should have levelled with the best chance of the match. Brown whipped in a free-kick, Brandon Cooper escaped the marking of Yfeko, but from point-blank range, his header was kept out by Whitworth.
The O’s were on top though and creating the chances. Kelman slipped in Currie, but his first touch was heavy, and his second was an air shot, while under pressure from Crama, and the chance went begging.
City though had a great chance to double the lead and seal it. Alli broke down the right and pulled the cross back to Niskanen who had two bites of the cherry, but saw them both blocked. Doyle with the acrobatics kept it alive and Zach Hemming, who had barely had a save to make all night, tipped it over the crossbar. It was his last action before being replaced by Watts, before Mustapha Carayol and Sonny Cox also came on for some fresh legs.
And just as he was on Saturday, Whitworth continued to be City’s hero in goal. The Crystal Palace loanee made an incredible save to tip a Kelman header onto the top when it seemed to be dropping into the far corner. Jamie Donley then lashed the follow-up wide as the hosts were piling on the pressure.
Donley had half a shout for a penalty waved away as six minutes of stoppage-time were added-on, while there were half-hearted handball appeals from the home fans. And in the third minute of stoppage-time Watts was given a straight red card for a late lunge on Sean Clare as he broke, referee Ruebyn Ricardo judging the challenge to be dangerous.
But City survived the final moments with ten men to hold on for victory to the delight of the travelling fans. Exeter City are back in action on Saturday when they host Cambridge United at St James Park.
Exeter City: (3-4-3) Joe Whitworth, Pierce Sweeney, Tristan Crama, Johnly Yfeko, Jack McMillan, Ryan Woods, Ed Francis (Mustapha Carayol, 83), Ilmari Niskanen, Amani Richards (Millenic Alli, 60), Kamari Doyle (Caleb Watts, 73), Josh Magennis (Sonny Cox, 83)
Subs: Shaun MacDonald, Jack Fitzwater, Ben Purrington,
Booking: Niskanen, McMillan, Sweeney
Sending Off: Watts