So on a balmy night at the Park, City secure a play-off spot with a game to go against already relegated Stafford Rangers in probably their most convincing win of the season with a handsome 4-1 victory in front of a whopping 4079 jubilant supporters. City lined up: Jones; Friend, Seaborne, Matt Taylor, Tully; Moxey, Gill, Edwards, Harley; Logan, Stansfield.
I was going to start by saying how City came out of the blocks all guns blazing, but barely had I taken my seat before BAM - it was 1-0 thanks to Deano after a mere 20 seconds. Logan knocked the ball down straight from the kick off to Deano on the edge of the box where his low drive was expertly dispatched under the keeper to give City a moral-boosting early lead.
The Stafford response was almost immediate when a counter attack saw the ball rattle the bar after five minutes, but a couple of minutes later order was restored when Stansfield burst down the left before crossing from the byline to Gill on the edge of the box, but unfortunately he guided his header over the bar.
With City utterly dominant, it took a little while longer to turn that dominance into a genuine goalscoring chance, but fashion one they did and on the half hour a quick Gill free kick sent Stansfield scampering down the right before firing inches wide across goal from the corner of the box. Inevitably though, it was only a matter of time before City increased their lead. On 35 minutes Gill played a peach of a defence splitter for Stansfield to chase. His low drilled cross was expertly met by Deano rushing in centrally to side foot home confidently from 10 yards under the keeper to make it 2-0 City.
Ten minutes later, and with time running out, Stansfield was sent through one on one with the keeper. His first touch was ever so slightly overhit, and while he tried to recover it just gave the keeper enough time to come out and deflect Stan's clever outside of the boot dink away to safety.
Half time came and went - the respite must have been something of a relief to the Stafford rearguard - but soon enough it was back to norms with City battering the Stafford goal. A mere sixty seconds had elapsed when Harley floated a deft free kick towards the far post where Deano came steaming in from deep to smash a ten yard volley across the keeper and high into the opposite corner for his first City hat trick and a wholly deserved 3-0 lead.
After five minutes the hard working Logan slid the ball sideways to Harley where his lazy looking 25 yarder almost snapped the base of the post, then on ten minutes Ben Watson was introduced at Stansfield's expense, presumably to give him a rest with at least two more games approaching in quick fashion.
And speaking of quick fashion, it took little time for Watson to make his mark as a minute after his introduction he was on his way down the left. Showing no little skill and determination he cut inside his defender before firing low past the keeper from 15 yards with some authority to make it 4-0 to City. It was almost 5-0 within seconds when Deano and Watson combined to give Deano the opportunity to stroke home, but alas Stafford were save by the linesman's flag for offside.
With tempers getting a little heated between Seaborne and veteran Stafford attacker Grayson, Seaborne was withdrawn at the expense of Carlisle. Edwards dropped into defence to maintain the 4-4-2 formation, and with defenders being pulled all over the place due to the extra width, it didn't take Wayno long to get involved. A driving Gill run ended with a glorious through ball to Carlisle down the left where he expertly cut inside before firing high onto the Bank from 20 yards.
Midway through the half it was Watson's turn once again, but this time the keeper did well to block his effort for a corner after good work from Watson, Moxey and Harley.
On the half hour mark the industrious Gill made way for precocious young talent Sercombe. Two minutes later a Tully throw was nodded on by Harley to Logan steaming in at the near post where he contrived to butt narrowly past the angle of post and bar from point blank range. In the follow up move Sercombe cut through the Stafford defence like a hot knife through butter before playing an inch perfect ball to Wayno on the right. His first time cross was met superbly by the diving Matt Taylor, but sadly the keeper thwarted with an ugly save after something of a frantic scramble.
Five minutes later a huge Schmeichel-esque throw down the left sent Deano on his way, and after exchanging passes with a Stafford defender launched the most achingly exquisite 50 yard cross field
ball to Logan at the far post. His header was butted across goal, but marginally in front of pint sized striker Watson's outstretched leg as the ball drifted harmlessly away to safety.
Next a long ball was played across to the far post where Deano was lurking in search of his fourth goal of the evening, but this time in a move reminiscent of his hat trick strike, the ball whistled marginally the wrong side of the post.
Sick of playing second fiddle for the entire ninety minutes, Stafford somehow contrived to fashion a consolation deep into stoppage time, and what a beaut it was. Stocky midfielder Ishmael Reid picked the ball up some 40 yards out, and after advancing for a quarter of that distance unleashed a quite superb dipping, swerving smash right into the far top corner to give Jones no chance whatsoever and reduce arrears to 4-1.
Shortly after the ref decided to end the humiliation and thus it was that City ran out comfortable 4-1 winners. Couple that with the free falling Stevenage's home defeat to Northwich, it meant that City had secured a play-off spot with a game to go, and for the second season in succession - a feat never before achieved by any City manager previously.
As for the players, well Jones couldn't have asked for an easier night, having not a single save of note to make for the whole match. In front of him Seaborne and Taylor mopped up everything with supreme ease, and such has been Matt Taylor's dominance at the heart of the defence - coupled with a double figure return of goals - it was hardly surprising he so easily scooped the Player of the Season award on the pitch after the final whistle.
On the flanks full backs Tully and Friend stuck to their tasks admirably, and in midfield the quality and vision of Harley and Gill was matched by the tenacity and no-nonsense approach of Rob Edwards. Up front the two strikers ran themselves into the ground creating chance after chance as well as pulling defenders all over the place.
The main beneficiary of all of this space was Exeter born and bred buoy Dean Moxey, firing in a quite wonderful hat trick from his left midfield spot. Also on target was Grays' loanee Ben Watson, scoring his maiden goal for the club, and just to wrap things up the other substitutes Carlisle and Sercombe both made telling contributions too.
So where to from here? Well the play-offs for starters as soon as the Burton game on Saturday is dealt with. Such were tonight's results that the only thing left to decide is who plays who from Torquay, Cambridge, Us and Burton. But let them worry about that - over two legs we are more than a match for anyone in this division - and I suspect those three teams are more concerned about playing us than we are of playing them.
And that's because quite simply we're flying at the moment, with an impressive string of recent results under out belts, including wins at both Stevenage and Rushden as well as the one against Northwich and the impressive draw against runaway leaders Aldershot.
But all of this will count for nothing if we haven't got our game heads on. The hard work is only just beginning, and if we are to earn a spot at Wembley again - and prevail this time - we'll have to be at our very best as the four play-off teams are all there on merit after a long and hard season.
So here's to success at Burton and a good result in the two games that follow. Do the business and we're back at Wembley once again, only this time better prepared and with a bit of experience on our side. Remember how it was last time - the excitement, the thrills, the realisation and ultimately the despair? Well how about it all again, only this time replacing despair with celebration?
Sounds good, doesn't it, but you know there's plenty of work to be done before that. So get yourself along to the Park and be that 12th man, then get yourself to wherever the second game is played to make sure it's job done. After that it's Wembley, and you really wouldn't want to miss that, would you?
Course not, so play-offs here we come, with the ultimate prize of a return to league football in the offing. Can we do it? Well who can tell, but the only way to find out for sure is to turn up, and in great noisy numbers as usual. See you up there, come on you reds!
