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Rollercoaster ride of emotions
Reporter: MATTHEW CHAMBERS
Date online: 08 March 2010
Exeter City 1, Athletic 1
NO POINTS, a point, three points.
All the possibilities were at one stage probabilities for Athletic as a subdued relegation tussle burst into life in its closing stages.
FRUSTRATION: With only nine minutes left at St James’ Park, Dave Penney’s men were staring down the barrel at yet another 1-0 defeat in a game openly described by Athletic in the build-up as a “six-pointer”.
RELIEF: Then captain fantastic Sean Gregan stepped up to fire home a deflected volleyed equaliser off a corner — the commanding centre-back’s first goal since his debut for the club in 2006 — to apparently ensure the spoils were shared.
DISASTER: Reuben Hazell conceded his second penalty of the match in the final minute of normal time to give Ryan Harley the chance to win the game for the Grecians and plunge Athletic deep into the relegation mire.
SURELY NOT: But Dean Brill saved a tame spot-kick from Harley — and as Athletic broke downfield in added time, Pawel Abbott misdirected his header when presented with a glorious opportunity to claim victory from a Chris Taylor cross.
Making sense of all that is like trying to complete a maddening 500-piece jigsaw puzzle of a bunch of identical-looking cats — more trouble than it’s worth.
So let’s just settle for a draw being a fair enough outcome. And, in fairness, one that suits Athletic more than it does Exeter.
Despite the frantic late action, lifted straight from an old Tiger cartoon strip, this was far from a classic.
Athletic set up to try to take the game to Exeter, of that there is no doubt.
Loan striker Daniel Nardiello started as part of a three-pronged strike force also featuring Pawel Abbott and Jason Price, with midfielder Joe Colbeck missing out.
With Chris Taylor also in the line-up, Athletic were out to get at an Exeter team with only one win to their name in 2010.
Despite the noble intent, though, it was Exeter who just about had the better of the opening period as their five-man midfield regularly exposed the visitors’ lack of width.
Not that Paul Tisdale’s team, even more goal-shy lately than Athletic —it was five hours and 11 minutes since they had scored as the game kicked off, compared to the visitors’ four hours and 42 minutes — managed to fashion many real chances.
What they did accomplish was to force Penney’s hand as he tinkered with the structure of his team.
The first half was very forgettable with Exeter getting plenty of crosses in without producing much from them. Scott Golbourne probably came closet, his back-post volley hitting the chest of Brill before the goalkeeper scooped up the rebound.
At the other end, the lively Nardiello apart, the strikers had a real off-day and it was only when Price was withdrawn for Colbeck that Athletic began to pose real questions of the home team.
By then, they were a goal down.
Referee Simon Hooper won’t get on the Christmas card list of any of the 393 visiting fans who trekked south in support of their side after awarding two penalties.
The first of them came about on the hour as Hazell and Marcus Haber tangled in the area.
Gregan had deflected Liam Sercombe’s cross up into the air with his head and as the ball slowly dropped, Hazell became entangled with the Grecians striker, who fell to the floor after what seemed an age.
Usually such incidents end up as free-kicks to the defending side. Not here though, and Harley confidently sent the ball to the left of Brill, who dived the wrong way.
Dean Furman was booked for complaining about the award but his remonstrations were surely tinged with the fact that — Price’s poor control from a very presentable Abbott pull-back in the first half apart — Athletic hadn’t really created a chance up to that point.
It took until 74 minutes in before the first shot on target by Penney’s men. Even that, from Danny Whitaker, was diverted from goal by Abbott’s boot as he tried to steer the ball home.
But only a minute later, Taylor could and should have done better with a back-post header from Kieran Lee’s cross which went straight at goalkeeper Paul Jones.
The tide was turning by the time Gregan lashed home with the aid of a deflection after Dale Stephens’ corner was plucked out from under the crossbar by Jones.
Both teams then had penalty claims — Marcus Stewart going down too easily when brushing past Joe Jacobson and Taylor having a decent shout in a Hazell-esque wrestling match with Richard Duffy — before Exeter’s second spot-kick of the game was given.
Then came, and went, Abbott’s chance of glory. For now, a point will do for Athletic. Sooner or later though — preferably sooner — those chances will have to start going in.
Away-day draw satisfies Penney
DAVE PENNEY was happy to depart with a point from Exeter after a madcap final few minutes at St James’ Park.
Sean Gregan struck an equalising volley with nine minutes remaining to level the scores after Ryan Harley had put the home team ahead with a disputed penalty on the hour.
But with a minute of normal time remaining, Reuben Hazell, who conceded the first spot-kick, brought down substitute Neil Saunders to give Harley the chance to win a vital three points for the Grecians.
Dean Brill saved, clinging on to a weak effort to his left — and when Athletic broke up the other end, Pawel Abbott headed a glorious chance over and wide from Chris Taylor’s in-swinging cross.
The drama didn’t end there either, with the initial post-match interview with the Athletic manager on the running track cut short by Exeter officials on ‘health and safety’ grounds in a deserted stadium.
“It is tough when you can’t even do the post-match press conference,” Penney said.
“It was always going to be difficult here at a ground on which they beat Leeds 2-0.
“We are both down there fighting for points.
“They played a different system to what was said in our reports and we had to change things a couple of times to stop them playing and to get a foothold in the game.
“We didn’t play particularly well in the first half but were much better in the second once we had changed our shape.
“The pressure on us in the first half came about because we gave the ball away too cheaply. Once we started keeping it we were a lot better.
“And we had to contend with two penalties which made it difficult for us.
“Brillo saved a penalty for us and then we went down the other end and had a good chance.
“So the game could probably have gone either way.
“Under the circumstances, having a couple of penalties given against us, we were happy to pick up a point.”
Assistant boss Martin Gray revealed after the game that Hazell had admitted to hauling down Saunders for Exeter’s second spot-kick but Penney felt that the first penalty — as Athletic’s centre-half jostled for a high ball with Marcus Haber — was a touch harsh on his team.
“We weren’t particularly happy about the first where we felt it was six of one and half a dozen of the other,” he added.
“He was pulling Reuben and Reuben was grappling with him.
“There were a lot of bodies around for the second one, but Brillo made the save and got us a point out of the game.
“I am a long way from them but you could see the reaction of our players.
“With the second penalty being at the death I don’t think we would have come back from that had they scored.
“But we went down to the other end and Pawel had a great chance to score himself.
“It was quite an end-to-end game and a point each was fair.”
Athletic now have a run of five home matches in the next six fixtures and Penney is keen to cash in, starting with Leyton Orient at Boundary Park tomorrow night and the visit of Wycombe on Saturday.
“We will make sure the players recover properly,” he said. “We have two home games this week now so the onus is on us to take the game to the opposition and make sure we pick up some points.”
Latics’ next game: Tomorrow, Leyton Orient (H), Coca-Cola League One
Comments
Sick to death of hearing excusses. We need a change of management now before this guy drags us into league 2. Gray said that this game was a must win, and anything less than that was not acceptable. Now all of a sudden the players are hero's for getting a draw, and DP is pleased with a point. If nothing less than 3 points was acceptable well you didn't get them so do the decent thing and resign!!
So Penney is pleased with a point, what a negative creature this man is, get real! A point at Exeter is disgusting, and cupping you ear to the Latics fans is funny is it? What a laugh you are! PENNEY OUT!
Leyton Orient will be a more difficult examination than Exeter as they have a more composed set-up than either Exeter, or more sadly, Athletic. It would appear that neither Abbott or Price(how surprising)were able to trouble the Exeter keeper with Price having two very good chances to get on the scoresheet. So many things are wrong with the tactics and makeup of the team I fear the worst unless Penney and Co. can do something we have'nt done all season, score goals!!!! Hartlepool loanee 3 goals!
The owners will be as much to blame as DP if we end up going down. The man is a incompetent fool who has taken us so far backwards since his appointment it will take the next man years to put it right. Any manager who considers a 1-1 draw at Exeter really isnt worth is salt anyway and certainly not worth me parting with hard earned cash to buy a season ticket again.
So Penney is pleased with a point, what a negative creature this man is, get real! A point at Exeter is disgusting, and cupping you ear to the Latics fans is funny is it? What a laugh you are! PENNEY OUT!
5 of the next 6 at b.p. lets pull together, instead of none stop moaning" the team needs the fans support now, not division. our we will be down!
Many phrases can be used to describe this game but a 'good result' is not one of them. This was a very very winnable game, and we were in desperate need of three points. To play on the back foot for the best part of an hour, having 2 or 3 shots on goal over 90 minutes, and scraping a point by the skin of our teeth against a team below us in the league is not my interpretation of a good result or taking the game to a team.
nothing is going to change is it. same old excuses happy with a point.
i will settle for a point because its the best i can hope for from this average lot.
thank god for deflections.
roll on march madness
considering leeds lost there and we are cack, a point is not a bad result especially as both penalty decisions where an embarrassment to refereeing. tommoro is the must win test in my opinion.
What Penney actually said was "under the circumstances, with 2 penalties against us, we were happy with a point".Fair enough. Now, with 5 home games on the trot, it should be a doddle? Not so with these negative, moaning Latics fans.Get behind the manager for gods sake, he is all we've got!
No more of this mediocrity penny must go bring back ritchie
According to the stats we had three attempts on goal absolute bloody disgrace. seems to be OK for a footballer and a manager to do a bad job and get paid when the rest of us would get the sack.
Other managers have been sacked for less.
Good old shez gots Chesterfield in a promotion slot in Div2
goes to show nobody knows what they are doing at BP
we deserve better than this!!!!
Mainstander - I agree with you about the owners but have to say that we were taken so far backwards before Penney arrived. "All these players have left, Dave. Build a new team for us. For free."
They are happy to get a point because they should have lost. 2 more appearances and no goals for the loanee strikers! We'll stay up, but it won't solve the underlying malaise at the club. Same thing next season, whoever is the manager.
Settling for a point is Pathetic, does he not notice how the teams above us have also played difficult games and have got a lot more out of them than we have. Mr Penney goals win games just ask a certain man named Joe about how our club became famous
You lot can slate DP as much as you like but as Ammypammy points out hes built this team for free, what do you lot expect and want from a team built with nothing and very little help from the owners, who are more interested in building houses!. In this game the buck stops with the directors not the manager as he does not pay the finances. Before theytook over this was a decent mediocre div 1 club playing very well, they have since brought us down to a mediocre pub side.
with a three sided ground, no asperations and the new ground with its size says it all no ambition! I wonder how well most of you could do with no support from the directors as he has had. and to prove even further these directors are clueless all the loanees are quality signings its like putting a cart horse in a class 1 horse race.
DP is as much to blame as anyone. He must have known what he could/couldn't spend BUT he's brought in the loanees (giving them much more credit than they are due) and he's chosen them ahead of many other loaness out there who must be better than what we have. Simple as that.
Put together a team for free? He has spent 60 grand on Colbeck and approx another 50 grand on Furman. Thats 110k more than Sheridan spent last season.And his annual wage budget is exactly the same as what Sheridans was. This has been confirmed by SC in the MEN.
Given the teams in this league this season I don't think people expected us to be in the promotion race, but we didnt expect to be in a relegation dogfight either. Only Gregan Hazel and Taylor were regulars last season, the rest of the regular first teamers are Penneys signings. The buck stops with him as far as I am concerned.
superlatic your right the buck stops with penney.
the owners have made available whats available to them. they still have aspirations of a new stadium for us but all they get is objections.
there are lots of free transfers out there on low wages doing great things at lower league. look at bury and rochdale.
these are penneys signings his choices not the directors
ammypam oldhamscotland do you wany us to go into administation do you want to bleed the 3Amigos dry so they throw the towel in
I am at a loss to understand how this Manager remains in post, lowest goals for in the division and if you check the tables a team in div2 is on a par! Which team is that? Coincedently, Darlington! Now who was the previous manager who no doubt fashioned them in his own style? Oh, thats right Mr DP. That my Lord is the case for the prosecution.
Guilty as charged get him out or on the way down, Shezz is likely to pass OAFC on the way up.
Superlatics give it a rest lol, thats a 110k in five nearly six years not as you would say breaking the bank seeing that since then they have raked in over 1million in fees going out, and also seeing that most clubs in the lower leagues have only have 1 millionaire on their board of directors and we have five and we cannot manage to run a club of this size? who is pulling who's chain here?.
Also superlatics i said before the start of the season we would struggle and people laugh at me for that too, they are not laughing now are they?, and they said i do not know what i am talking about, i know who is laughing the loudest now!, me! as for building a new stadium, there was no objections at boundary park, the objections was to the fact that people was having flats built over looking their houses not the fact of the new ground.
Funkster people have already quoted on here that in real terms the three amigos have put ziltch into the club with the purchase of the land along with tranfer income in, get real bleed them dry, five millionaires on the board and cannot run a club this size ha ha ha stick to bloody monopoly is what i would say to them, that way they do not have to dip their hands into their own pocket. people do not buy crap products likewise watching crap football hence crowds down over a 1000 and dropping.
Have Your Say
It's a point more on the season's meagre total but why is DP happy just to settle for that? Surely more emphasis should be placed on the fact that the team's forwards, once again,failed to get the ball in the net and for the fact that they couldn't beat Exeter? He should be more than disappointed with the outcome. He should also do what most supporters are asking and that's to leave as soon as possible.
By dramasingapore @ 08/03/2010 12:15:57