10 October 2020

Exeter equaliser ‘a bitter pill to swallow’ as Southend’s wait for a win goes on

10 October 2020

Southend manager Mark Molesley was keen to remain upbeat after a stoppage-time Exeter equaliser denied him a first win in charge.

The Shrimpers appeared set to be breaking their season duck when a penalty from Jason Demetriou put them back in front after 65 minutes at Roots Hall.

But an equaliser five minutes into added time from Alex Fisher earned the visitors a 2-2 draw and left Molesley hurting at the final whistle.

“It was a tough one to take and it’s a real bitter pill to swallow but we have to pick ourselves up,” said Molesley.

“We can’t feel sorry for ourselves and there are no excuses.

“We can’t be too down about it and we have to pick out the positives.

“It’s hurting at the moment but we’re improving week in week out and we’ve gone toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the division.”

However, Molesley was slightly aggrieved with how long the match lasted.

“The goal was 40 seconds after the four minutes of stoppage time,” said Molesley.

“The ball never went out and there wasn’t a stoppage so I’m a little bit disgruntled we’ve gone 40 seconds over.

“But we need to use this to fuel our fire.

“We have to keep going and keep coming back until we’re successful.”

Southend’s point saw them move out of the relegation zone but for much of the afternoon the home side seemed to be heading for a greater reward.

Brandon Goodship gave them the lead and, following Joel Randall’s 40th-minute equaliser, Demetriou restored the advantage from the spot after Tottenham loanee Kazaiah Sterling had been brought down by Lewis Page.

But Fisher’s fantastic effort into the top corner left Grecians boss Matt Taylor with mixed emotions.

“I’m stood here disappointed but also slightly pleased because we got something out of the game at the end,” said Taylor.

“We had moments but we didn’t really threaten their goal enough.

“I’m disappointed we didn’t work the ball better but they had something to hold on to and were resolute as an opposition.

“But there are some areas to address because we can’t keep going behind and having to chase the game.

“Alex came on though and hit the target at the end and for all of our possession we didn’t hit the target enough.”

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