Saunders' introduction a boost for beaten Exeter

NEIL Saunders returned to competitive action after more than a year of injury misery as he was given a 15-minute run-out for Exeter City's reserves against Plymouth Argyle last night.

The appearance of the former Team Bath player, who is yet to make a first team appearance following his switch to St James's Park in the summer of 2007, gave City fans something to cheer as the Grecians' second-string went down 2-1 to their Devon rivals.

Manager Paul Tisdale will have been given plenty of heart from seeing Saunders finally out on the pitch. And Tisdale would also have been pleased by the performance of all of his second-string players as they often matched their more illustrious opponents.

From the off they looked the brighter of the two sides as the front three of Steve Basham, Ben Watson and Craig McAllister were full of menace.

And they deservedly grabbed the opener after seven minutes, when Basham fed Liam Sercombe down the right and the midfielder's pin-point cross was nodded home by Watson.

The Pilgrims should have levelled matters two minutes later, when Krisztian Timar found himself free seven yards out, but Andy Marriot did well to block with his legs.

The Grecians were agonisingly close to doubling their lead on 11 minutes, when Basham and Watson worked space on the edge of the area for Chris Shephard, but his shot thumped back off Graham Stack's post.

Looking increasingly confident going forward, City were again close to snatching a second when Watson found himself clean through, but his 20-yarder was comfortably smothered by Stack.

In midfield City looked solid, with Bertie Cozic easily winning the battle of the Frenchmen against Plymouth triallist Sebastian Piocelle.

But soon Argyle showed their quality and established a foothold in the game. But for all the internationals on show it was Craig Noone, the Pilgrims' summer signing from Southport, who constantly looked the most dangerous player.

The diminutive left winger gave Sercombe a torrid time and duly stole Argyle an equaliser on 22 minutes, lashing home from 12 yards after Marriott had palmed a Yannick Bolasie cross into his path.

And he grabbed his side's second two minutes before half-time after again showing Sercombe his heels and planting an unstoppable low shot into the bottom corner.

Shortly after half-time the solid Fred Murray kept Emile Mpenza at bay with a superb tackle as the ex-Manchester City striker shaped to shoot.

And there was some more desperate City defending to be done moments later as Marriott failed to deal with a long ball to the edge of his box and Scott Bennett, who kept Belgian star Mpenza in his pocket all night, cleared Ashley Barnes' shot off the line.

After 60 minutes McAllister could have nabbed an equaliser when teed up by Shephard, but his header was straight at Stack. But while City looked to find a way back in the game, they struggled to create openings and the last thing they had to cheer was Saunders' late introduction.

Exeter City: Marriott, Dawson, Obersteller, Sercombe, Murray, Bennett, Basham (Saunders, 75), Cozic, Watson (T Osman, 64), McAllister (Frear, 84), Shephard. Subs not used: Tasker, Jordan

Plymouth Argyle: Stack, McNamee (Brett, 59), Paterson, Walton, White, Piocelle, Bolasie (Smith, 77), Barnes, Timar, Mpenza, Noone. Subs not used: Mason, Kinsella, Saxton