Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell hailed the performance of his players as they came from behind to win a thrilling Westcountry derby against Bristol Rovers 3-1 at St James Park. It turned out to be a happy Christmas for the Grecians as they claimed all three points and jumped into the top half of the League One table.

After being the better team in the first half, but missing a number of chances, Exeter fell behind when Promise Omochere scored a tap-in, but three goals in the final 18 minutes from Jack Fitzwater, Millenic Alli and Academy starlet Jake Richards saw Exeter turn things around.

“It’s always better when you win on Boxing Day,” Caldwell said. “I always give them Christmas Day off – this is my third Boxing Day game – and they have always come up trumps, drawing with Portsmouth, beating Wycombe last year and they have delivered again today.

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“I thought their commitment, the togetherness and personality of the group was there for all to see in a really difficult game against a team that has a new manager.

“It was not the game we probably wanted in the second half. We should have been leading half time, controlled the game first half and if they are goals then the game is totally different.

“The second half became a game of basketball and that doesn’t suit us, but I said to the players in terms of character and personality to go a goal down and come back deserve a lot of credit. We have a lot of tired bodies in there as we had to dig deep but a fantastic three points. I am delighted for the players and we roll onto Sunday.

“We kept going, our finishers came off the bench and changed the game in our favour and I have said all along it is a squad game and we will need everybody to be successful this year and they have delivered today.”

Caldwell made two changes from the side which won 2-1 at Burton Albion on Saturday. Out dropped the injured duo of Tristan Crama and Jack Aitchison, both of whom went off during the victory. In came Jack Fitzwater and Caleb Watts, while Jay Bird and Sonny Cox were on the bench. Rovers made five changes for Dave Horseman’s final game in temporary charge after Inigo Calderon was appointed as the manager on the morning of the game.

The Grecians had the early chances. Ilmari Niskanen was left unmarked and got his head to a brilliantly teasing Alli cross, but headed into the side netting. Watts then found Alli, his shot beat goalkeeper Josh Griffiths, but not James Wilson, who did wonderfully well to clear it off the line.

City were on top and in the 20 ^th minute were inches away from taking the lead when Ed Francis let fly from 25 yards, but his effort hit the post. Then from a goalmouth scramble from a corner, Jack McMillan, Alli, Francis and Niskanen all had efforts which were somehow all kept out.

Rovers improved after the break and in the 59 ^th minute, they thought they had taken the lead. Shaq Forde broke into the box after a well-worked move, the ball was fizzed across, and Isaac Hutchinson headed home from close range to send the players and fans wild. The celebrations were short-lived though when eventually the assistant raised the offside flag and referee Tom Reeves ruled it out.

Two minutes later, they did have the lead, and this time it counted. Forde cut in from the right, and his stinging shot was palmed away by Joe Whitworth, but only into the path of Omochere, who tapped in from close range to make it 1-0.

Suddenly it was all Rovers. Forde had time and space to run forward, and Whitworth had to be at full stretch to tip it over. As he was again from the resulting corner, tipping Clinton Mola’s volley behind. Kamari Doyle and Jake Richards then replaced Demi Mitchell and Kevin McDonald.

Fitzwater had to make a vital interception as otherwise Forde would have been clean through as the Gas were totally on top now. And that proved vital as moments later, City were level, and it was the centre back. Francis’ corner was deep, Fitzwater was unmarked at the back post, and he powered the downward header in for first City goal, and a first in more than two years.

Omochere had the ball in the back of the net again, but again the offside flag came to City’s rescue, more dubiously this time. Scott Sinclair, on off the bench, then blazed over from six yards out with his first touch.

It seemed certain it wouldn’t finish 1-1, and in the 78 ^th minute, City turned it around to lead. Richards did brilliantly as the teenager drove forward and into the box. He fizzed in a cross, Alli took a touch, and then placed home a sweet finish to make it 2-1 with his seventh goal of the season.

Rovers now pushed for an equaliser, and came close when after a scramble in the box, the ball broke to Gatlin O’Donkor who looked certain to score. Somehow though, Whitworth got a hand to it and pushed it wide. It was celebrated like a goal.

Six minutes of stoppage-time were added-on. And in the fifth of them, City sealed it. Doyle broke and while his effort was saved, Richards arrived to follow up and smash home a first league goal for the teenager to cue wild celebrations in the Big Bank.

City held on for the victory which saw them rise to 12 ^th and into the top half of the table. Rovers stayed 19 ^th with defeat and are now winless in six.

“We had the Big Bank with us and they will suck the ball in the net,” Caldwell added. “To come back with two victories is pretty emphatic. We have to go Sunday against Crawley in what will be a difficult game, they give you problems. But we are in a fantastic position and the second half of the season can be exciting and so much to look forward to.”