Harambee Stars speedster helpless as sorry Exeter City are spanked 7-0 by Bolton

STARS ABROAD Harambee Stars speedster helpless as sorry Exeter City are spanked 7-0 by Bolton

Mark Kinyanjui 09:30 - 26.11.2023

The Harambee Stars speedster came on as a substitute but could not do much to help Exeter avoid a heavy thrashing.

Vincent Harper had a match to forget when his Exeter City side were thrashed 7-0 by high-flying Bolton in a League 1 match played at the University of Bolton Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

The Harambee Stars speedster came on as a substitute but could not do much to help Exeter prevent a heavy whooping in the backside. 

He completed one block, one interception, and one successful aerial duel and only made seven accurate passes. Jack Iredale, Victor Adeboyejo, and Paris Maghoma made it 3-0 before top scorer Dion Charles scored twice.

A dominant afternoon was completed with late goals from Kyle Dempsey and Daniel Nlundulu as Bolton took over the top spot from Portsmouth, who were beaten 4-0 by Blackpool.

Evatt's side labored for 34 minutes to break the deadlock against the early-season leaders of the third tier. But when Iredale headed in from Charles' cross, the outcome was never in doubt.

Striker Adeboyejo doubled Bolton's lead before half-time, netting for the first time in two months.

Caldwell used defender Cheick Diabate as a striker but his services may have been better deployed in a more familiar position.

Maghoma made it 3-0 after 55 minutes before Northern Ireland international Charles took over.

His 12th and 13th league goals of the season came 11 minutes apart while substitutes Dempsey and Nlundulu completed the rout late on.

It was Exeter's heaviest league defeat in 65 years and comes as part of a run that has seen City win just three games in 17 in all competitions.

"It's nowhere near good enough, we need to be better," Harper’s coach Gary Caldwell told BBC Devon.

"We all have to stand up and be counted in this difficult run, but it's not good enough."

Bolton coach Ian Evatt was proud of his charges after the match, describing them as “the best group” he has worked with.

"This is the best group I've worked with as a manager, professionally but also personally. The togetherness is exceptional but we've just said there, the hard work really starts now," Evatt told BBC Radio Manchester.

"We've finally got to top spot and things are only going to get harder from here and we need to go again and step up again.

"We're nowhere near the finished article there's lots of things we can improve on."

Evatt, who has been in charge since Wanderers were relegated to League Two in 2020, said the table position would only matter at the end of the season.

However, he hailed the performance as the "best and most fluid" he had seen since he took over.

"I know there's more to come. I can see it, the players were driving standards on a daily basis," he added.

"The group itself, not just the 11, the 18 and the ones outside of it are hungry and I see the hunger and desire."

The loss was an eighth defeat in nine League One matches with the Grecians only earning one point in that time.

It was Exeter's heaviest league defeat in 65 years and comes as part of a run that has seen City win just three games in 17 in all competitions.

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