Gary Caldwell praises ‘outstanding’ Exeter after Devon derby victory

Exeter manager Gary Caldwell felt the 2-0 win over Plymouth was a victory for the fans as the Grecians emerged deserved winners in the Devon derby.

Reece Cole capitalised on a defensive calamity in the Argyle defence after 18 minutes with a composed finish into an empty net from 25 yards before Akeel Higgins dinked a delightful second over Conor Hazard in the 58th minute from Ethan Brierley’s superb throughball.

“I’m delighted for our supporters first and foremost. Devon is red,” Caldwell said.

“I said before the game derbies are for the supporters and our players put in a hell of a performance to give them something to remember. I didn’t manage to win my first two and I stressed the importance of winning, but I thought we were outstanding in the way we did it.

“The way we pressed and how we were out of possession was outstanding. We changed things on Wednesday as we weren’t too happy with it on Tuesday, but I thought we were excellent from the front – the job Akeel and Jayden (Wareham) did for the team was excellent. We defended well throughout the team and I am delighted for everyone.

“In these kind of games, you have to throw the first punch and I thought we created some good chances. They had a goal that was offside and a few set pieces, but I thought we were exceptional in that first 25 minutes and could have scored more goals.

“They caused us a few problems at the end of the first half, but I thought we always looked dangerous on the counter attack and once we got that second goal, I thought we saw the game out comfortably.

Argyle manager Tom Cleverley pulled no punches with his verdict on Argyle’s woeful showing. They were poor defensively and barely created a chance as Exeter won comfortably. “We were nowhere near it to be brutally honest,” he said.

“We were not dominant in any phase of the game, defensively or from an attacking perspective, or from a competing perspective and if that is the case, then you struggle to take anything from the game.

“We had a 10-minute spell before half-time that I can cling onto from that performance but I’d be clutching at straws looking for anything else.

“I don’t think we were defensively stable to build anything from. When the opposition has to do very little to score a goal, then that’s a hard foundation for any football team to build from.

“The most successful teams I played in build their confidence and flair and are solid. That’s what we have to work on now, but creatively we weren’t good enough either. But first and foremost, we have to be more defensively solid.”