Matt Taylor relieved after Exeter win ‘brutal game to watch’ and go second

Exeter boss Matt Taylor saluted another “big result” for his team after they triumphed 2-0 at struggling Oldham.

The Grecians moved up to second in the table behind Forest Green thanks to second-half goals from Kyle Taylor and Jevani Brown.

But the visitors rode their luck, needing goalkeeper Cameron Dawson to save Sam Hart’s 73rd-minute penalty while substitute Nigel Atangana was sent off in stoppage time with the game still only 1-0.

“It was a pretty brutal game to watch at times,” said Taylor.

“Whether that was down to the pitch, fatigue, or even nerves from both sides, I’m not sure.

“Once we got the first goal early in the second half, though, that helped settle us down.

“Credit to Oldham. They came back at us with the penalty and our sending-off, and I was starting to think a bit of ill-discipline might cost us.

“We had been better in the second half, though, we had been better with the ball and got in some great positions. Cameron Dawson definitely earned his corn, too.

“Make no mistake, this is a big result for us. We were far from our best, so this has been a big three points for us.

“We’ve got 10 games left now, there’s still 30 points to play for, and that’s a hell of a lot.

“We’re a bit closer to where we want to be, and I’m delighted because we’ve just found a way to get another vital victory.”

It was a largely uneventful first half at a bright and breezy Boundary Park.

Oldham’s top scorer Davis Keillor-Dunn went closest when his arrowing drive was superbly tipped over the top by Dawson.

Taylor headed Exeter in front shortly after the restart, before Oldham’s Hart saw a spot-kick superbly saved by the visiting goalkeeper.

After Atangana had been red-carded in added-time, Brown wrapped up Exeter’s win in the dying seconds to consign Oldham to a fourth straight defeat.

Manager John Sheridan was understandably downbeat.

“It’s another tough one to take,” he said.

“We started OK. In the first half you wouldn’t have known who was the top or the bottom team.

“It was very tight, and possibly we had the better chances in the first half.

“I think the wind was a factor, but the first goal was a bad one.

“There was no pressure on them from us in the lead-up to it, and the lad gets up for a free header to score.

“That gave them the edge at that point, but then we got the break with the penalty.

“That summed our story up, though. It was a massive moment that was wasted, one that could have led to a totally different scenario.

“We were still naive at the end, when they were down to 10 men.

“We were pushing on and just left them a huge gap to go on and get the second.

“It’s difficult and we know where we are, but we’ve got to be more clinical in the massive moments.”