Yahoo Sport 
Exeter City 1 Barnsley 2 - Grecians suffer another defeat after letting lead slip
Exeter City saw their recent struggles continue as they were beaten at St James Park by Barnsley. The Grecians are now winless in six in League One after they failed to hold onto their first half lead.
Having come close to scoring after 17 seconds, the Grecians went ahead in the 13th minute when Josh Magennis’ free-kick from the edge of the box was powered home, albeit with the aid of a deflection. City were on top and chances to further extend what was a deserved lead.
Those misses seemed costly when Kelechi Nwakali drilled home a thunderous strike moments into the second half after City failed to clear their lines. And just before the hour, Barnsley turned it around and took the lead when Davis Keillor-Dunn got on the end of a cross to poke home from close range to make it 2-1.
READ MORE: Exeter City 'must be better' after throwing away game in Barnsley loss
READ MORE: Exeter City 'harsh words' thrown around with 'honest conversations' needed
Exeter pushed for an equaliser, but the efforts were in vain as they slipped to defeat and dropped down to 15th in the League One table, with it just one win in eight in all competitions. Barnsley’s win ended a six game run for them without one as they rose to seventh.
Gary Caldwell made just the one change from the starting line-up that were beaten 2-0 at Stockport County last Saturday. Magennis was recalled to the side, with Vincent Harper dropping to the bench. Reece Cole and Demi Mitchell were on the bench as they regained full fitness, while with players returning, Kamari Doyle, Ben Purrington, Kevin McDonald, Amani Richards, Sonny Cox and Mustapha Carayol while fit didn’t make the 18.
With 17 seconds on the clock, City came inches away from taking the lead. Straight from the kick-off the ball was played to Ilmari Niskanen. The Finn broke down the right, he found Jack Aitchison, and the Scot’s effort beat the dive of Ben Killip, but went narrowly wide.
Stephen Humphreys came close for Barnsley with their first chance, slicing his effort from close range. Jonathan Russell then pounced on a defensive error, but his touch was too heavy and it allowed Joe Whitworth to smother the attempt.
But with 13 minutes on the clock, the Grecians took the lead. After Caleb Watts was clipped right on the edge of the box, City had a free-kick. A whole raft of players stood over it, Magennis stepped up, and drilled it low. It took a deflection off the wall, wrong-footed the keeper, and went in, as City were 1-0 up. It was the striker’s sixth goal of the season.
Exeter were on top and came close to a second. Millenic Alli flicked-on a header, Magennis looked like he was through, but two defenders and the goalkeeper just managed to crowd him out before he could get on the end of it. A similar outcome happened when Whitworth launched a long ball to Niskanen, but the Tykes’ defence did just enough.
Alli forced Killip into a smart save after a quick counter-attack. But at the other end, Barnsley should have levelled. Keillor-Dunn looked offside when Russell found him but the flag stayed down. He was clean through on goal, but Whitworth made a brilliant save with an outstretched foot to deny him.
Watts fired over from the edge of the box, almost another good City move, while Magennis was just unable to get a touch after Donovan Pines fluffed his lines trying to clear a cross. City were more than good value for their one goal lead at the break.
Caldwell made one change at the break, with Cole replacing Watts. But Darrell Clarke’s men drew level in the 49th minute. Georgie Gent put a cross in which the City backline tried and failed on numerous occasions to clear. The ball broke to Nwakali on the edge of the box, and on his debut, he lashed home a thunderous strike from 25 yards to make it 1-1.
The visitors were suddenly in the ascendency, and had Keillor-Dunn controlled a quickly taken throw-in, he would have been through. Pines then saw a header from a corner blocked. And just before the hour, they took the lead. The ball was slid down the right to Humphrys, he fired in the cross, and Keillor-Dunn was unmarked to knee the ball home from three yards to atone for his early misses and complete the turnaround.
Gent then forced Whitworth into a save and Nwakali from a similar position to his goal dragged wide as it was all Barnsley. Caldwell made a quadruple change to try and regain some control with Mitchell, Harper, Jay Bird and Jake Richards coming on for Alli, Aitchison, Magennis and Ryan Woods.
Caldwell was booked by referee Scott Tallis for complaining about the timewasting of the visitors. Cole wasted the opportunity to shoot from the edge of the box when he took one touch too many as City were now the team pushing for a goal, Harper slashing into the side netting, although from an offside position, and then heading wide.
Four minutes of stoppage-time were added-on. Cole saw a free-kick blocked in the first of them, but in the fourth, City had the chance. A long ball was launched forward, Ed Francis nodded it down to Bird, but from eight yards, he fired straight at Killip. And that was that as Exeter were beaten for the third successive outing.
Exeter City are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Burton Albion.
Exeter City: (3-4-3) – Shaun MacDonald, Pierce Sweeney, Tristan Crama, Ed Francis, Jack McMillan, Ryan Woods (Jake Richards, 66), Caleb Watts (Reece Cole, 45), Ilmari Niskanen, Jack Aitchison (Vincent Harper, 66), Millenic Alli (Demetri Mitchell, 66), Josh Magennis (Jay Bird, 66)
Subs: Shaun MacDonald, Jack Fitzwater,
Booking: Caldwell
