Shrugging it off
Huddersfield Town’s appalling and humiliating FA Cup record worsened further with yet another first round exit at the hands of a lower league club.
An afternoon of low-key disappointment saw the hosts ejected by the much better team in Exeter City, who overcame the significant disadvantage of probably the worst draw they could have had to the delight of their small but noisy following.
Maintaining shape and discipline throughout, the Devonians overcame the setback of an early second-half equaliser to punish their alleged superiors with a performance which could have brought a greater margin of victory, and one which would not have flattered them.
Taking the opportunity to rest players, Martin Drury picked a strong-looking team with good bench back-up, seemingly assured of a comfortable victory against an opponent not enjoying the best of times.
Sadly, the upheaval in personnel proved insurmountable as the makeshift team played ponderously, with little cohesion or spontaneity, and unnervingly brought back dire memories of last season’s dismal failures.
Many will argue that exiting cup competitions prematurely every season doesn’t matter, that the competitions, particularly the FA Cup, are not what they were and that doing so beneficially aids the club’s primary goal of promotion.
These contentions are as tiresome as they are wrong, betraying a loser mindset which risks undermining the very objective it supposedly protects, while denying supporters the possibility of some great experiences in future rounds.
Drury, who has so far had a largely faultless season, will not be comforted by the idle time yesterday’s shambles has bought him and can only be concerned at the dramatic drop in quality triggered by the changes to the line-up.
Even allowing for the fact that one or two were bound to be rusty after inactivity in recent months, particularly Ledson, and that new partnerships were being formed throughout the starting eleven, the lack of basic technique, decision-making and imagination could not be excused.
Sluggish to start, Town handed the initiative to their brighter opponents, who were comfortable on the ball and took the lead after 12 minutes when an excellent cross found an unmarked defender Taylor at the far post to slot home.
The visitors were good value for their advantage in a first half where Town mustered very little threat, though Tovide brought a routine save from Exeter’s keeper after some clumsy persistence down the left, and Ledson threaded an excellent ball through to Humphreys, who was unable to supply a finish.
Sway added some moments of promise down the left, which were let down by impetuousness. On the other flank, Gooch couldn’t compensate for his obvious loss of pace, despite one or two decent crosses. Sadly, the veteran seems to be at the end of the road, which also says something about Sorensen, who could only command a place on an expanded bench.
Lethargic and error-strewn, Town offered far too little in a disappointing first half, prompting two substitutions at the break. Ledson gave way to Ethan Brierley, which was likely pre-planned, while Mumba replaced Tovide.
Cameron Ashia, who has seemingly had the same wrist injury for two seasons, was also introduced on the hour to form a rather baffling partnership with Mumba on the left which brought more confusion than threat.
For a brief time, Town exerted some dominance and were soon level when Bowat headed in at the far post from a well-delivered corner.
What should have provided the impetus to establish dominance and superiority seemed only to foster complacency. As the game progressed, the visitors grew in confidence and began to make headway against their increasingly static hosts.
Young was forced into two good saves, from a free kick and a sharp header in the box. The Grecians were perhaps unfortunate not to be awarded at least one penalty following a couple of incidents, and finally got what they deserved with the winner in the final ten minutes.
Having sensed that Town needed some threat, Drury brought on Taylor to try to add potency. Sadly, the leading goalscorer managed to lose the ball with his first involvement and then commit himself in the box in attempting to recover the situation, only to be nutmegged, allowing Exeter a clear shot at goal which Cummins converted.
Seeing out the final minutes with relative comfort, the League Two side took their place in the next round to the delight of their supporters behind the goal, celebrating progression as if unburdened by any concern about their future league position.
Hopefully, Town’s momentum won’t be affected by the inconvenience of having to play in the world’s most prestigious cup competition when they resume against Leicester in a fortnight, though they have to compete in the country’s least prestigious cup competition before then.
Collective shrug all round.
