Exeter City 5 Barnet 3 - Grecians win FA Cup classic at the death

Exeter City edged an FA Cup classic at St James Park to reach round two with a pulsating 5-3 win over gallant national League high-fliers Barnet.

Despite a hat-trick from Josh Magennis, the Grecians looked to be heading to extra-time with the scores locked at 3-3, but substitutes Jay Bird and Kamari Doyle struck in stoppage time to win the tie for the Grecians.

There can’t have been many FA Cup games like this at the Park over the years. For the first 15 minutes, the Grecians found things almost too easy, but allowed a 1-0 lead slip and Barnet to go 2-1 ahead.

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When Magennis made it 2-2, there appeared to be one winner, but Barnet went in front again before the Northern Irishman scored the second of two penalties to set up a grand finale.

The Grecians fashioned the first chance of the game with Jack Aitchison sending Ilmari Niskanen clear on the left. He crossed to the back post towards Millenic Alli, but Myles Kenlock got back in the nick of time to prevent an almost certain goal.

Alli then teed up Aitchison after breaking the Barnet offside trap, but the Scot’s shot was blocked and Exeter ’s early pressure eventually told on 13 minutes when Aitchison ran at the defence and slipped a perfect pass to Magennis. He took the ball under control and slipped it effortlessly past Nick Hayes.

If anything, the goal seemed to work against Exeter, who seemed to retreat somewhat and weren’t as dominant as they had been. Attacks broke down too easily, which gave Barnet some hope, although you always felt the Grecians could step things up significantly if they wanted to.

The flip side, of course, was that Barnet were very much in the game and on 39 minutes, they drew level. An Exeter attack was snuffed out leaving Jack McMillan high up the pitch and as the Bees countered, the ball was fed wide to Ryan Glover. He made significant ground along the left wing, cut inside onto his right foot and curled a delightful effort into the far bottom corner of Joe Whitworth’s goal.

City continued in the same vein after the break. Slow and ponderous, they paid the price on 59 minutes when they lost the ball in midfield and Barnet broke quickly once more. The ball was shifted to Zak Brunt and his shot found its way past Whitworth and inside the upright.

To be fair, the levels of urgency increased immediately. McMillan was denied by the legs of Hayes and Alli saw a shot deflect into the side netting., Caldwell had seen enough, though, with Reece Cole and Aitchison replaced by Ed Francis and Kamari Doyle.

Magennis glanced a header wide from Doyle’s cross before further changes saw Demi Mitchell and Jay Bird enter the fray for Ben Purrington and Alli. Barnet were doing all they could to kill time, much to the annoyance of the majority inside St James Park.

Mitchell’s involvement was instant. He outpaced Danny Collinge and was hauled down by the defender leading to a clear penalty. Magennis held his nerve to beat Hayes from 12 yards, although the Bees glovesman went the right way.

However, with 12 minutes remaining, Barnet went back in front as Kabamba was played through and he made no mistake in beating Whitworth from 18 yards.

It was turning into a Cup thriller. Bird headed a great chance over the bar from point blank range after an excellent cross from Mitchell and then Niskanen was brought down in the box leading to a second Grecians penalty. Magennis went the same way – Hayes didn’t – and that was 3-3 and the hat-trick for the Irishman.

It was all City now and Bird should have won it, connecting with Magennis’ perfect cross, but he was denied by a superb save by Hayes. However, in the 96 ^th minute, the Grecians won an epic clash when through to Bird. Incredibly, he fell over, but somehow managed to get the ball past Hayes and into the net.

Barnet went all out for an equaliser and with goalkeeper Hayes in the penalty box as well, City won the ball and fed Doyle, who ran from inside his own half before finishing from 30 yards to put the seal on a Cup classic at the Park.