Darren Moore hails Sheffield Wednesday for fighting back to beat Exeter

Posted Sunday, April 23, 2023 by PA

Sheffield Wednesday manager Darren Moore praised his side for digging deep after they came from behind to beat Exeter City 2-1 at Hillsborough.

A second-half comeback with goals from Lee Gregory and Callum Paterson cancelled out Josh Key’s opener and gave the Owls a vital three points.

Moore said: “In the first 45 minutes we were non-existent. We looked really tired and I thought we had no spark.

“I told the lads at half-time we had to take the game to Exeter and we had to dig deep. They went out in the second half and that’s what they did.

“We tried to remain calm, there’s no point in ranting and raving. We just had to regroup. They’re an experienced bunch so they know what it takes.

“Their goal gave us a spark. It was a game of two halves, we started forcing the errors from Exeter. Once we got the second I thought we looked worthy of the three points.

“We’re dealing with the expectation here and I have to give the players credit. Three points are expected every week but they’ve still got to manage that.

“It was all about getting the win today. Ninety points after 44 games is remarkable really. The players have been superb all season.

“I’m so pleased for the players because it’s not easy for them. What we saw in the second half was endeavour, togetherness and understanding. We got there in the end.”

Exeter boss Gary Caldwell praised his team’s performance, despite the loss.

Caldwell said: “For the first hour we were much the better team. We were always in the game and we played extremely well.

“The two strikers were outstanding. We stopped them in the middle where we knew they could hurt us.

“We played with so much personality and quality. I’m proud of the players and how they performed in a big atmosphere.

“We created opportunities, played well for long spells, had a lot of possession and made Wednesday chase the ball. We frustrated them; we had a clear plan and the players carried it out really well.

“Unfortunately the fine margins have gone against us. We had a big chance to make it 2-0 and we conceded a couple of poor goals as well.

“We have a lot of players out injured, it’s a very thin squad but today they were outstanding. Every game is an opportunity for players to show they want to play for the football club.

“Ipswich is another huge challenge for us. We’re going to try to get as many points as we can and hopefully we can go into next season with some momentum.”