Exeter City 2 Leyton Orient 6 - Grecians thrashed as winless run continues
Exeter City were booed off as their winless League One run was extended to seven after being thrashed at St James Park by Leyton Orient. 4-0 down at half-time, the Grecians were embarrassed on home turf, and despite a second half fightback, the in-form visitors came away with a convincing 6-2 victory.
The Grecians were stunned by a triple salvo of goals inside the opening 13 minutes. Azeem Abdulai got the first two with five and seven minutes on the clock, both with sweeping finishes after being given far too much space to shoot.
Sean Clare made it three on 13 minutes when his curling strike flew into the top corner of the net. City were all over the place and defensively a mess. And when Dilan Markanday was again left with an absurd amount of space to clip home a fourth inside 34 minutes, it was going from bad to worse to shambles.
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Millenic Alli pulled one back two minutes into the second half, heading home from close range. The Irishman then got a second ten minutes later, heading in from a corner, as the comeback was very much on.
But soon it was off, as Abdulai completed his hat-trick to seal the win for the visitors. Jamie Donley made it six late on when his shot took a wicked deflection and looped in. Orient, who now have six wins in seven, rose to sixth in the table after their win.
For Exeter, it was now just two wins in 15 in League One, and one point from the last 21 available. While they stayed 17th, the gap to the relegation places is now down to just eight points - and with Burton and Crawley both winning, City might now be looking over their shoulder.
After the 3-1 home defeat to Blackpool on Saturday, Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell made five changes to the starting line-up. Ilmari Niskanen, Ryan Woods and Jack Aitchison were given recalls, while Caleb Watts, fresh off his new contract, was fit to start. The fifth change saw Cheick Diabate start for the first time in the league this season.
Pat Jones, Demetri Mitchell and Joel Colwill all dropped down to the bench, while Kevin McDonald and Jack Fitzwater missed out with injury. Ed James was preferred to Ben Purrington as a substitute.
On a very blustering night at St James Park, the opening stages were scrappy. But with five minutes on the clock, Orient had the lead. The ball was worked nicely down the right to Markanday. He pulled the ball back to Abdulai, who sweetly struck the ball first-time, and it squeezed into the net off the post, for his first goal for the O’s in only his second appearance. It was the 17th successive game City had conceded in.
Seconds later, it was two. Almost straight from kick-off Richie Wellens’ won the ball back, and it was worked to Jamie Donley on the right. He played a ball inside to Abdulai, who somehow was on the edge of the area in about 20 yards of space with no defender near him. The 22-year-old composed himself, and coolly slotted past Joe Whitworth to make it 2-0 after only seven minutes.
The deficit should have been halved moments later. Woods swung in a cross, Niskanen met it six yards out, but his effort was weak and Josh Keeley made the save. As he did when Aitchison broke into the area but fired straight at him.
But in the 13th minute, there was another goal, and it was a third for the visitors. Clare had time and space 25 yards from goal, and he curled a beautiful pin-point strike that beat the dive of Whitworth and went into the top corner off the post. City were stunned and 3-0 down and looking all over the place.
It could have been four inside 20 minutes. Charlie Kelman let fly on the volley, and Whitworth at full stretch had to tip it wide. From the resulting corner, Ethan Galbraith’s shot only just went over the crossbar.
But with 35 minutes gone, it was four, and again all too preventable. Whitworth gave the ball away with a terrible clearance. Donley on the left floated the ball into the box, Markanday was somehow totally unmarked with no-one around, and he clipped the ball all over the goalkeeper to make it 4-0 to the rampant visitors. City were unsurprisingly booed off at the break, but even the booing was half hearted.
Caldwell made two changes at the break. Tony Yogane and Colwill replaced Aitchison and Jake Richards. And within two minutes, City had pulled one back. Yogane danced down the left and whipped in a teasing cross which Alli at the far post met to head home to make it 4-1. It was third in three games and an 11th of the season.
Orient though should have made it five. A long ball saw Kelman get the better of Diabate too easily, but his shot was saved. Donley put the follow-up wide. At the other end, Jack Currie had to head a dipping Yogane cross off the line and behind as Alli was lurking. But from the corner, it was 4-2. Ed Francis swung it in, Alli rose highest, and his header went in off the crossbar. It was game on.
Keeley was booked for timewasting as Orient were rocked and the unlikeliest of comebacks could have been on. But with 64 minutes played, the O’s made it 5-2 as Abdulai completed his hat-trick. They swiftly broke with pace, Currie drilled in a low cross, as the new signing stuck out of a boot to divert the cross into the far corner, and he celebrated in front of the away fans.
Jordan Brown nearly made it six after getting on the end of a long throw. Alli forced Keeley into a good save at the other end as both teams were still going for it. And in the 79th minute, Orient got a sixth. Donley let fly on the half-volley from 25 yards, it took a wicked deflection, and looped over Whitworth and in. It was the first time since 2008 City had conceded six at home in a league game. It was the first time since 1954 the O’s had scored six away from home.
Seven minutes of stoppage-time were added-on, about the only time City this season didn’t want an extended period of additional time when losing, as the rain was pouring down, and fans were streaming out. Those who stayed booed at full-time.
Exeter City are back in action on Saturday when they travel to Stevenage for a 12.30pm kick-off.
Exeter City: Joe Whitworth, Jack McMillan, Cheick Diabate, Ed Francis, Ilmari Niskanen, Ryan Woods, Jake Richards (Joel Colwill, 45), Caleb Watts (Demetri Mitchell, 68), Jack Aitchison (Tony Yogane, 45), Millenic Alli, Josh Magennis (Jay Bird, 82)
Subs: Shaun MacDonald, Ed James, Pat Jones,
