Exeter City F.C. - Match Details

Saturday 29th March 1997

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Debutant Paul Birch came within a whisker of delivering the goal that would surely have navigated Exeter City to Football League safety. The midfielder had to wait just 12 minutes for his first glimmer of Grecian glory as Darren Rowbotham chested neatly into his path 25 yards from the Stags' goal. Birch instinctively unleashed a ferocious right-foot volley past helpless glovesman Ian Bowling before cannoning to safety off the crossbar. It was, as Birch later demonstrated from similar range, a typical effort from a player of obvious class. Had it gone in, the newcomer could reasonably claim to have secured Exeter's passage from the murky waters at the foot of Division 3.

With the busy playmaker denied by woodwork and Rowbotham frustrated by an offside flag and Bowling's inspirational save, City's winless home trot stretched to three games. They've won just once - a crucial 3-2 victory over fellow strugglers Darlington - in their last eight attempts at St James's Park and slid back to forth-from-bottom because the Quakers and Leyton Orient were beating Hull and Scunthorpe respectively.

But, perversely, the Exeter squad that is completing the season among the relegation scramblers appears stronger, classier and better organised than the one which embarked on the campaign with a 1-0 victory at Mansfield on August 17. The hosts began briskly with loanee Glen Crowe, staying with the Grecians for the final act of the term barring a crisis at parent club Wolves, Birch and Mark Chamberlain combing sweetly to fashion an early opportunity for Rowbotham. Birch's next contribution was defensive: a crucial clearance to prevent Stags newboy Richard Cresswell converting Tony Ford's ninth minute cross. But he then helped Crowe feed Rowbotham for an acrobatic volley that flew straight at Bowling from 12 yards.

Birch then rocked the frame of the former Bradford custodian's goal. And Rowbotham quickly believed he had scored for the 10th time in just 24 starts, only to discover Chamberlain had been flagged offside in the build-up. Bowling again positioned himself perfectly to clutch Matthew Hare's sprawling header from Birch's 22nd minute cross.

But Mansfield - seeking the maximum that would have thrust them back into genuine play-off contention- almost seized a breakaway opener as Stewart Hadley fired agonisingly across the face of Ashley Bayes' goal.

Chamberlain then just failed to provide a telling far-post connection when Scott Eustace and Warren Hackett totally misjudged the flight of Hare's long throw. And Hare was quickly in action at the other end, saving his team-mate's blushes with a brave block to deny Ben Sedgemore after Bayes had fumbled Darrell Clarke's cross. The 60th minute departure of visiting skipper Stuart Watkiss - stretchered away following a clash of heads with Tim Steele - forced Mansfield into a rearguard reshuffle.

However, it was Exeter who initially appeared most affected. Bayes had to be alert to save from John Walker, acting skipper Jon Richardson blocked Hadley's close-range effort, Eustace nodded fractionally over and Clarke's piledriver shaved the City crossbar. But, that uneasy spell over, it was Fox's men that finished stronger. Noel Blake, looped a header over from Birch's 77th minute free-kick, Chris Myers smashed a 20-yarder too high and Birch's opportunist volley drifted just wide.

Rowbotham angled drive, diverted for an 88th minute corner by the unwitting Simon Wood, sparked a frantic late spell. Blake's header from Birch's flagkick forced a fingertip save and, in the time that referee Eddie Wolstenholme had allocated for the Watkiss stoppage, Bowling produced his piece de resistance - plunging after substitute Steve Flack had flicked-on Bayes' enormous punt.

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Page last updated: 17 June 1997