Grecians slip to Barnsley home defeat

Exeter City dropped to 15th in Sky Bet League One after a sloppy second-half allowed Barnsley to pinch all three points at St James Park.

City opened the game with superb intensity, Jack Aitchison firing narrowly wide inside the first minute, and that pattern continued until a deserved goal from Josh Magennis, although his free-kick was aided by a hefty deflection.

Caleb Watts fired over from a good position and Barnsley presented City with a moment of concern when Davis Keillor-Dunn raced clear, only to be denied by Joe Whitworth quickly racing off his line to make a fine save.

Momentum shifted in favour of the Tyles just four minutes after the restart, Kelechi Nwakali thumping a tremendous 25-yarder into the bottom corner, and it soon got worse for City, as Keillor-Dunn tapped home a winning second on the hour.

City manager Gary Caldwell told the club website: "It's another disappointing result after starting the game so well. We should have been more in front but lost our shape too easily.

"I thought we had got away with it getting in at half-time and being able to tweak things and get more pressure on the ball.

"We waited for them to score, and then score again. I thought the finishers were excellent and added to the team but we're chasing the game we should never have been chasing.

"We need to wake up as a team. We keep shooting ourselves in the foot. All of us, staff, players, need to take a look at ourselves because we need to do so much more. We were very much in that game and we have to step up. 

"There is lots to consider for the next game."

Exeter next travel to lowly Burton Albion for the final league game before Christmas.