EXETER 3 CITY 0

(after extra-time)

IT’S A long way back to think about what might have been.

City’s schedule – which has already seen many an hour spent up and down the motorway – was swelled with another 600-mile round trip.

And it proved to be all for nothing as Exeter struck three times in extra-time to settle last night’s FA Cup first-round replay at St James Park.

The Grecians march on with a club record 19 games since their last defeat - but what will really sting for the Bantams is the knowledge that a second game should not have been necessary.

The damage was done first time around at Valley Parade when City once again failed to take their chances and kill off a tie that was there for the taking.

To make it even worse, they also lost Lee Angol to a red card straight after Exeter’s second goal – which means the fit-again striker will be banned against Northampton on Saturday.

Derek Adams had kept with the same side from Saturday – and the 11 that started the original tie.

But there was one change on the bench where Caolan Lavery returned from injury after three games out and replaced Liam Ridehalgh.

Charles Vernam, again partnering Theo Robinson up front, had the night’s first chance when he cleared the bar from 15 yards.

Sam Nombe, who had netted Exeter’s Valley Parade equaliser, flexed his muscles by shoving past Niall Canavan but Matty Foulds got an important block on his cross-shot.

The early exchanges were fairly even with Owura Edwards seeing his tap-in ruled out for offside and Vernam forcing a regulation save from Cameron Dawson.

The home fans were having most of their fun trying to put off Richard O’Donnell and jeering every clearance.

They got a bit more agitated when Colin Daniel’s cross was only half-cleared by Yann Songo’o as far as Archie Collins, who curled a shot over.

City were seeing plenty of the ball and Watt tried to pick the home defence with a couple of sharp passes.

But neither goalkeeper had been seriously worried in an opening half hour of midfield chess as two well-matched sides cancelled each other out.

The lack of goal-mouth excitement was summed up when Alex Gilliead fed Oscar Threlkeld on the overlap and the defender shanked the cross behind.

Watt, at least, earned an “ooh” from the 76 travelling City fans when he whistled a free-kick past the post from a good 30 yards out.

The best chance of the half came just before the break when O’Donnell saved Edwards’ diving header after Josh Coley had latched onto a loose ball.

One home fan tried to liven up proceedings by bounding out of the stand and running across the pitch to perform a dive in the centre circle. He then charged toward the touchline and the less-than-welcoming embrace of two stewards.

The interruption seemed to inspire City who immediately created their first proper sight of goal as Vernam sent Levi Sutton scampering away.

But Dawson was equal to his outside-of-the-boot flick and turned it away for a corner.

Paudie O’Connor, making his 100th appearance for the club, flashed a header across goal from Watt’s free-kick before Adams made the same double sub that had sparked them at Vale Park. Angol came on for Theo Robinson and Callum Cooke replaced Vernam.

Angol was straight into the action as he played in Sutton but referee Sam Allison was unimpressed when he tumbled in the Exeter box.

The City sub then got tangled up with Alex Hartridge in the corner. Players from both sides rushed over as tempers rose before Allison took charge to book both offenders as well as Exeter left back Colin Daniel.

The Bantams were fancying their chances and Gilliead flicked on Threlkeld’s long throw for Matty Foulds to test Dawson with a looping header.

That spurred some life into Exeter and after former City midfielder Timothee Dieng nearly sent Nombe clear, Daniel rifled a fizzing drive past O’Donnell’s right post.

There was a worry for the City keeper when he went down and needed treatment on his left leg. He was able to carry on – but Sutton made way for Gareth Evans in the final minute of normal time after appearing to take a knock.

The game went into six added minutes – and City twice threatened to find a winner.

First, Angol was kept out at the near post by Dawson and when the ball broke just outside the box, Watt was straight on to it with a blast that crashed against the woodwork.

Abo Eisa was a welcome sight for extra-time – his first appearance on the pitch since Nottingham Forest just four days after City’s last Exeter visit.

But it was Exeter’s subs who made the impact as the contest really opened up.

Josh Key should have scored when through but O’Donnell got a touch on his shot which was enough to nudge it wide of the post.

But, unfortunately for City, there was no chance of the division’s joint-top scorer Matt Jay fluffing his lines in similar fashion.

Exeter broke four on two and Harry Kite put Jay away to thump his seventh goal in seven games and end City’s resistance. He was not done - and neither were Exeter.

It then became 2-0 before City had the chance to clear their heads as Jake Caprice’s cross was nodded home by Nigel Atangana.

If that wasn’t bad enough, the visitors were reduced to 10 men with Angol pushing referee Allison’s patience once too often after a foul on Harry Kite.

Exeter were now romping forward at will and Jay increased his tally in the second period after Jevani Brown’s backheel prised apart the Bantams backline.

And Jay almost had an extraordinary extra-time hat-trick – only to be denied by the foot of the post as the tie finished in one-sided fashion.

EXETER: Dawson, Sweeney, Hartridge, Ray, Daniel 7 (Caprice 77min), Kite, Dieng (Jay 89min), Collins (Atangana 89min), Coley (J Brown 77min), Nombe (Key 91min), Edwards (Sparkes 57min). Subs (not used): Stubbs, Grounds, S Brown.

CITY: O’Donnell, O’Connor, Songo’o, Canavan, Threlkeld, Watt, Sutton (Evans 89min), Foulds, Gilliead (Eisa 91min), Vernam (Cooke 64min), Robinson (Angol 64min). Subs (not used): Lavery, Kelleher, Hornby.