City beat Argyle in Devon derby

Match Report: Exeter City 2-0 Plymouth Argyle

Devon turns red as Exeter City win an enthralling local derby against Plymouth Argyle at St James Park, in League One.

After two and a half years of no Devon-derby, one of the fiercest rivalries in English football returned on a chilly Thursday night in October. 

Tensions were high, fans from Exeter and Plymouth in full voice for what was one of the biggest matches of the season for both sides. 

The tempo to start was second to none, both sides were ferocious. Plymouth Argyle fans thought their side took the lead earlier on as forward Brendan Wiredu tapped the ball in at the left post. However, the linesman’s flag was up and the goal was called offside.

Just minutes later the Grecians hit the post from a corner, which saw Ilmari Niskanen’s effort was thwarted by the woodwork. The pace in the first 15 minutes was difficult to keep up and the atmosphere from both sets of fans was electric. 

City drew first blood within 20 minutes, and St James Park erupted as Exeter forward Reece Cole slotted the ball into the back of the net following some clumsy play by Plymouth’s goalkeeper Connor Hazard. 

Following the opener for Exeter, the blistering tempo began to subside, and the rhythm slowed down, and little mistakes crept into play. 

Exeter City defender Danny Andrew received a yellow card following a slight altercation with Pilgrim attacker Joe Edwards as tensions continued to rise throughout the first half; but what would a Devon derby be without a little ruffle? 

Plymouth looked sharp before the break, creating chances and forcing multiple corner kicks; Exeter seemed to have a response to everything in the first half though. 

And at the halfway stage the score was Exeter one, Plymouth nil. 

It was a quieter second half to the start of the first but Exeter was stronger, creating more chances and exploiting spaces. The home side just seemed more comfortable than Argyle. 

And with the growing tempo for the hosts at St James Park, just 12 minutes into the second half, Exeter City doubled their lead with a beautiful goal from striker Akeel Higgins. The 20-year-old found himself in a one-vs-one with the Argyle keeper and tipped the ball over him. 

The game slowed down and Exeter had a firm grip on the match for the rest of the second half. City fans were in full voice, and Argyle supporters were frustrated with what they were witnessing on the pitch. 

The Big Bank chanted: “is there a fire drill” as Pilgrims fans left the stadium before the final whistle.

The full-time score was Exeter City two, Plymouth Argyle nil.

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell was delighted with the result: “We turned up tonight and really stood up and played with a real winning mentality.
“We set the tone in the game, I thought we had real clarity in how we were going to win the game.

"The whole team were exceptional, and even the finishers coming on, everything went to plan and when that happens in a big game it shows the potential you have as a team and the momentum we have to take from this moving forward."

Plymouth Argyle boss, Tom Cleverley wasn’t overly pleased with their performance: “We weren't dominant in any phase of the game.

"I could maybe give you a 10-minute period before half-time that I could cling on to from that performance, but I'd be clutching at straws for anything else."