Exmouth Town will be looking to maintain their 100% home league record when they welcome Larkhall Athletic to their Complete Infrastructure Stadium on Saturday and then Willand Rovers next Wednesday.
Last Wednesday they maintained their record of not conceding at home in the league with a workmanlike performance giving them a 2-0 victory over Cribbs FC. The Bristol based side defended in depth in the first half and Town were unable to find a breakthrough in open play.
With the away side more adventurous at the start of the second half Frankie Phillips was forced to make two good stops at his near post but the breakthrough Town needed finally came when Louis Morison headed home a Joe Belsten corner. With Town now in control Morison made it a personal double heading home a Jake Llewellyn corner allowing Town to cruise to victory.
The only downside to the victory were the injuries sustained to Morgan Williams and Aarron Denny. Williams missed the game at Falmouth last Saturday and whilst Denny started he was clearly not match fit and was replaced after twenty four minutes. The first half was mainly contested in midfield with Tom Bath having Town’s best chance but headed wide from close range.
A strong run and calm finish saw Town concede five minutes into the second half but Falmouth then had a player sent off and Callum Shipton took full advantage to lash home a loose ball for the equaliser.
There then came two moments of controversy with the decisions both going the way of the home side. A Mike Landricombe challenge was deemed a penalty although the attacker had clearly gotten his shot away which he then duly converted. As Town pressed with two minutes remaining Tom Bath had the ball in the net and a goal was given. With the referee and Town players lining up for the kick off the Falmouth players then surrounded the assistant forcing, we believed, the referee to go over and intervene. After probably a minute the assistant then raised his flag and the referee pointed for a free kick presumably for offside with perhaps Shipton having a touch on the cross before Bath side footed the ball home.
Whilst Town didn’t show enough quality in the final third of the pitch to deserve victory they would have rightly felt hard done by not going home with a point. The win against Cribbs had seen Town climb to second in the table and with other sides playing in the FA Trophy they have maintained that position having played five of their matches on the road.
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