Chris Davies made 8 changes to the side that saw off Barnsley over the weekend to take on Exeter for the 2nd time in 2 weeks, this time in the Vertu Trophy Round of 32.
Peacock-Farrell, Sanderson, Leonard, Gardner-Hickman, Yokoyama, Anderson and Jutkiewicz all joined Lee Buchanan on his return from injury to start away to Exeter.
Blues started our first knockout round of the competition brightly, the press working wonders against Exeter’s play from the back. Keshi Anderson intercepted a pass early and should’ve buried his chance, instead firing over the bar from inside the box.
Exeter looked dangerous on the counter though when they did break through the press, but couldn’t fashion any meaningful chances.
Then on the 22nd minute mark, the Blues high press worked again and the ball fell to Luke Harris in space in the middle of the box, who took a neat touch and buried his chance with a side footed finish off the post, as we put ourselves deservedly ahead. Good to see the young man on the scoresheet after receiving plenty of criticism recently.
Exeter had renewed energy after falling behind and fought to get back into the game, yet Blues stood strong, until the 32nd minute. A corner ball whipped in by Sweeney evaded everybody in the box, including Peacock-Farrell who ended up in a heap on the floor, and went directly in to equalise.
Frustrated at being pegged back, we continued our control of the game for the rest of the half but without creating any further chances of note.
Half time: Exeter 1-1 Blues (Harris)
No changes at the half-time break for either side saw a continuation of the pattern we saw in the first half, although Exeter appeared less eager to play out the back after conceding and opted for a more direct approach.
This nearly paid dividends around 60 minutes in. A looping cross from the right hand side to the far post fell to Jay Bird in the 6 yard box, who’s first shot was blocked off the line by Davies yet fell straight back to Bird, who couldn’t find the back of the net this time either, blocked again by Peacock-Farrell and Blues scrambled it away.
Exeter will feel like they should’ve taken the lead, but Blues continued our ascendency and dominated the rest of the half. Keshi Anderson finished the ball well after latching onto a deflected Gardner-Hickman pass, however the offside flag denied him a goal on this occasion. Alfie May also had the ball in the back of the net after coming on as a sub for Jutkiewicz, but he was clearly offside after seizing on a rebound following a save by the Exeter goalkeeper.
The winning goal came in the 78th minute, as the exciting youngster Ayumu Yokoyama, looking promising all game, cut inside and delivered a whipped ball into the box. Keshi Anderson got ahead of his man and finished instinctively, sweeping home on the first touch with his left boot – a quality goal.
Blues saw the remainder of the game out, going close a couple of times through Alfie May, but defended well for the most part and denied Exeter any further clear chances to seal our passage into the Round of 16.
Full time: Exeter 1-2 Blues (Harris, Anderson)
Ratings
Starting XI
Bailey Peacock-Farrell: 6
Peacock-Farrell has assumed his position as backup goalkeeper after losing his starting XI place to Ryan Allsop, and he reminded us tonight why that decision had been made. Not strong enough to deal with pressure from Exeter from the corner, he really should've been there to claim the whipped ball into the box. Apart from a great clearance off the line in the second half, somewhat redeeming his mistake in the first, he was otherwise rarely tested, but did what was asked of him when called upon.
Ethan Laird: 6
Ethan resumed his usual right back role as part of a back 4 after switching to left wing back early on in the Barnsley game. He struggled to contain his winger, and Exeter enjoyed the freedom of their left flank throughout the first half. He played slightly more reserved in the second, and ended up putting in a solid performance.
Dion Sanderson: 5
Dion returned to the starting lineup as part of our significant rotation, and didn't impress again. He has struggled after having a very strong pre-season, losing his place to Klarer early on after getting sent off away to Charlton in the league cup. Sanderson looked rusty, perhaps due to a lack of playing time. He wasn't helped by his marauding full back, especially in the first half, but this certainly wasn't a great display from last season's captain.
Ben Davies: 7
Assured as always, Davies put in a solid performance at the back. Never looked in too much danger, and prevented a goal in the second half when Bird had his two stabs at goal.
Lee Buchanan: 6
It was fantastic to see Buchanan back playing after a tough start to the season with injuries. Perhaps perfect timing with Cochrane's injury, he put in a strong 60 minutes and didn't look as rusty as others despite just returning from a long injury lay-off. He inverted into midfield alongside Leonard in possession and played the role well. With Cochrane out, I assume we'll see him again in the starting lineup against Bristol Rovers.
Marc Leonard: 8
Leonard put in a really strong performance, dictating the play throughout the game and being centric to Blues' possession. Played with plenty of energy and didn't slow down, even past the 90th minute. He's been unlucky to not get more game time, but performances like this will certainly give Davies food for thought in league fixtures.
Taylor Gardner-Hickman: 7
TGH began the game in midfield alongside Leonard, and switched to left back after Buchanan's withdrawal in the second half. He arguably had more of an impact from his latter role, but didn't look out of place in either. A true swiss-army knife of a player, his versatility will continue to be an asset to Davies throughout the season and hopefully beyond.
Keshi Anderson: 8 - Man of the Match
Keshi will have wished he tucked his early chance away and really should've done better with it, but looked threatening throughout the game and took his goal really well on the volley with his left foot.
Luke Harris: 7
It was great to see Harris on the scoresheet, and he showed good composure to take a touch and tuck his chance away. Otherwise, he played some neat passes and moved well but never looked overly dangerous.
Ayumu Yokoyama: 7
Ayumu is an exciting but raw young player. He always looks likely to do something with his pace, dribbling and direct approach. I noticed how much better he tracked back today, something Chris Davies will be very pleased about, and his cross into Keshi for our winning goal was of high quality. Great performance from the young man - I think he'll be a big player for us in the future.
Lukas Jutkiewicz: 6
Juke was unable to make the same impact he made against Barnsley, as Blues were able to gain far more control over the game and didn't have to go direct as often. He wasn't given any real service and was withdrawn for Alfie May on the 60th minute.
Subs
Alfie May: 6
Alfie offered us something different up front to the Juke and caused the Exeter defence headaches with his workrate, on and off the ball. Could've made better decisions on a few occasions in the closing stages when he found himself on the ball in the transitions, but put on a solid display.
Paik Seung-Ho: 6
Paik came on for Lee Buchanan and found himself in the wide left hand side of the pitch frequently, offering his qualities in possession and working hard to deny Exeter when called upon defensively.
Krystian Bielik: 6
Bielik came on for the last 10 minutes for Laird, and offered more defensive solidity as Blues saw out the victory.
