Kevin Nicholson pleased to sign off as Exeter caretaker with win

Exeter look set to appoint a new manager early next week, but caretaker boss Kevin Nicholson bowed out in style as he oversaw the Grecians’ dramatic 2-1 win over Fleetwood in League One.

After Fleetwood went in front through Carlos Mendes Gomes’ hugely-deflected strike, Exeter equalised within two minutes when on-loan Fulham striker Jay Stansfield scored his first goal at St James Park.

The game looked set for a draw, but Sam Nombe bundled the ball in from Josh Key’s cross in the third minute of stoppage time to send the home crowd into raptures and seal the win.

“It was a well-earned and hard-earned three points,” Nicholson said.

“I had to have a go at them at half-time, for the first time since I’ve been in really in the sense that it felt like they were waiting for something to happen. Things were a bit flat after I thought we had started the first five minutes well and that was something that we talked about.

“I thought that we reacted really well to their goal. I thought we got on the front foot straight away, which was great, but for most of that half it felt like they were just waiting for something to go against them, rather than make something happen – and they are good, good players in that dressing room.

“Second half, I thought we made a better fist of it, they got on the front foot, tried to play forward and upped the tempo and that feeling… there is no better feeling than a last-minute goal in front of that lot (the Big Bank) and the whole place goes crazy!”

Nicholson reserved special praise for Stansfield, whose first goal at the ground that his father graced before his tragic passing away in 2010 brought emotional scenes.

“I have been really fortunate in my time here doing this that I have been here for his first goal away at Barnsley and now his first goal here,” Nicholson added.

“He is such a good lad; he is such a hard working, down to earth guy that just loves his football. It is obviously quite emotional for him when he scores, so to get that goal here and have that feeling is quite emotional.”

Fleetwood boss Scott Brown said: “We had a lot of possession of the ball like we knew we were going to have.

“Chances wise, we didn’t create enough. Final third, once we get there, we got ourselves into good positions from a number of counter attacks.

“But the lads weren’t positive enough in the final area and didn’t take responsibility. But it is very important because late on in the game in the 95th minute, they managed to get down the line and put a ball in a dangerous area. And I can’t remember us putting a ball into a dangerous area with that pace.”