Rollercoaster ride of emotions

GET BACK: Exeter City’s Richard Duffy (third, left) and Athletic midfielder Dean Furman have a difference of opinion.

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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