Exeter City 3 - 0 Cheltenham Town: Exeter back on track with comfortable win over Cheltenham

Exeter got their promotion bid back on track with a first win in eight games as they cruised to a 3-0 win against Cheltenham at St James' Park.

The Grecians were looking to bounce back from Saturday's disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Accrington and they started with intent.

Lloyd James' cross fizzed across the six-yard box with no-one on hand to convert and Ryan Harley saw a shot deflect just over the crossbar.

However, Exeter's pressure told a minute before half-time when David Wheeler was felled by goalkeeper Scott Brown and Reuben Reid converted the penalty for his 10th goal of the season.

It was 2-0 six minutes after the break as Reid bagged his second goal of the game, lashing home from 12 yards from Jake Taylor's lay-off.

And it was 3-0 shortly afterwards as a Taylor shot from 12 yards took a wicked deflection to leave Brown wrong-footed.

Cheltenham, with manager Gary Johnson absent through illness, rarely threatened and were well beaten with their best chance coming late in the game, Exeter goalkeeper Bobby Olejnik pushing Jack Munns' effort wide of the post.