Fleetwood Town's four-match unbeaten run in League Two came to an end with a 2-1 defeat at Exeter City on Saturday. The loss leaves the Cod Army 18th in the table with 14 points from 12 games, a record of three wins, five draws and four losses. They have now lost their last two matches, contributing to a recent form of two wins, one draw and two losses. The team has scored 14 goals this season while conceding 15. A position they will be keen to improve upon ahead of their next league fixture at home to Bristol Rovers on Saturday 31 October.
Charlie Cummins opened the scoring for the hosts just before the hour mark, finishing from a Reece Cole assist. Fleetwood responded almost immediately, with Ronan Coughlan levelling the scores three minutes later after being set up by Crispin McLean. Parity lasted only a moment, however, as L. Woodhouse restored Exeter's lead just 60 seconds after that, converting a George Birch cross. The goals came in a frantic three-minute period, with the decisive action all occurring between the 58th and 61st minute of the match.
Fleetwood Town manager made a double substitution at 61 minutes, bringing on Danny Andrew for Finley Potter and R. Cirino for Ched Evans in an attempt to change the game's momentum. Further changes followed later, with Josh Robertson and Aaron Loupalo-Bi replacing McLean and Lewis McCann. Despite these alterations, the visitors could not find a second equaliser.
Exeter City held a narrow edge in possession and created more chances, reflected in a higher expected goals tally of 1.26 to Fleetwood's 0.9. The home side also picked up two yellow cards, for Taylor Perry and Jack Fitzwater, while Fleetwood's discipline was perfect with no bookings.
This result marks a second consecutive league defeat for Fleetwood, following a 4-2 loss at Cheltenham earlier in the week where Ched Evans scored both of their goals, one from a penalty. Their recent form now reads two losses, one win, one draw and another loss from their last five outings. They now sit 11 points behind league leaders Salford City.
The focus now shifts to a key home game against Bristol Rovers next Saturday. Rovers are currently 16th, just two places and a handful of points above Fleetwood in a tightly packed lower half of the standings. The match at Highbury Stadium is scheduled for a 3pm kick-off. After that, a daunting League Cup tie against Premier League giants Arsenal awaits.
