Exeter City still only 3 points off top spot despite home defeat

Report: Exeter City 0 Hartlepool 3

Exeter City were on the receiving end of a 3-0 defeat, as rampant Hartlepool registered their third away win in a week.

Both sides went in on the back of two wins, but it was the visitors that left happiest on their 350-mile journey back to the north-east.

City came under a lot of pressure in the first half and Pools went into the break a goal ahead, thanks to a Jack Baldwin header.

The game was put out of sight by Pools after the interval, as Luke James and Jack Compton both finished smartly to put City to the sword.

The starting XI remained the same for the Grecians after last weekend’s win against Plymouth, with Bennett beginning the game as a centre-forward with Alan Gow in tow.

Matt Oakley’s omission from the bench due to an ankle injury meant a seat amongst the subs for Tom Nichols. John O’Flynn, on returning from injury, was named amongst the subs. Sam Parkin, however, missed out as expected.

Any impressions that it was going to be a quiet afternoon were quickly dispelled as Luke James latched onto a loose ball within seconds of kick-off and flashed a shot just wide of Artur Krysiak’s post.

City quickly responded and had a couple of half-chances within quick succession, both times through makeshift striker Bennett feeding Arron Davies. The first, a flick towards goal, was caught comfortably by Scott Flinders but the second – a strike from range – had the goalkeeper scrambling before flying wide.

Pools were putting on the kind of pressure that might be expected of a team that had won twice on the road within a week – and eventually were rewarded with a goal on the 20-minute mark.

It was a pair of Jacks that came up trumps for the visitors, as a ball dinked into the box by Jack Compton was glanced into the net by Jack Baldwin.

But it went from bad to worse for City as recent signing Danny Butterfield hobbled off seconds later holding his leg – there was little option but to have him replaced by Jordan Moore-Taylor.