Exeter City downed by last-minute goal

On a day when the narrative was all about Steve Bruce’s return to management, Exeter City came within seconds of blotting the Blackpool fairytale.

Bruce, a playing legend at Manchester United and a manager with over two decades of experience, took over at Bloomfield Road in a decision he described as ‘why not give it a go’, and he had the first answer on just 20 minutes, CJ Hamilton opening the scoring for the Tangerines.

The Grecians gradually recovered their composure and began to pose problems for their hosts, Kamari Doyle and Jack Aitchison both going close.

Blackpool, however, remained a major threat and only a brace of top saves from Joe Whitworth kept Exeter in the game.

The second period descended into a midfield tussle and it looked odds-on for a tame 1-0 until Ed Francis curled a delicious free-kick into the top corner to level matters.

City were seconds from a superb point on the road when the Bruce dream was realised by Blackpool captain James Husband slotting a dramatic late winner.

"It's disappointing to lose the game after getting back in," Exeter manager Gary Caldwell told the club website.

"I thought second half we were the better team, when the finishers came on we added some pace, we had an injection of quality in the final third and I could see us potentially winning the game if we scored, and then there was some bad actions and a bit of naivety after we scored."