Plymouth 1-2 Exeter

Substitute Daniel Nardiello's late goal put Exeter through to the Johnstone's Paint Trophy area semi-finals at the expense of Devon rivals Plymouth.

Ryan Harley gave Exeter the perfect start by firing past Argyle keeper Romain Larrieu inside two minutes.

Argyle's Chris Clark levelled after the break with a speculative 40-yard lob.

But, having been on the pitch for less than nine minutes, Nardiello struck from inside the area deep into injury time to put the Grecians through.

In the first meeting between the two sides for eight-and-half-years, Exeter's Harley stunned the vibrant home support with his second-minute goal.

Harley's strike was a perfectly placed shot from the edge of the box, beating Larrieu to his right hand side.

606: DEBATE No excuses from this corner, Exeter were the much better team and fully deserved their victory. sensiblesaga

Fired up, Exeter enjoyed the better of the first half, with Plymouth proving wasteful, particularly in the final third.

Harley could have made it two on 35 minutes, but his shot from the left was well saved by a diving Larrieu.

But six minutes into the second half and Argyle were back on level terms.

A poor clearance from Grecians' keeper Artur Krysiak fell kindly to the feet of midfielder Clark, who sent it straight back over his head.

After 60 minutes, Exeter striker Jamie Cureton had a golden opportunity to put his side back in front, but the 35-year-old steered the ball wide when having a clear sight of goal.

With the clock running down, both teams pushed for the winner, Craig Noone coming close for Plymouth, and Richard Logan shooting narrowly wide for City, as both sets of fans sensed victory.

But it was Nardiello who kept his composure as the temperature rose.

Having been put through by Logan, the replacement skilfully evaded Plymouth's retreating defence to put the ball low into the left-hand corner of the net to the delight of the visiting fans.

Plymouth Argyle manager Peter Reid told BBC Spotlight:
"We haven't seen it through - I think we had comfortable possession, but instead of putting the ball down the sides we lost possession and got caught with a sucker punch.

"We gave the ball away in too many comfortable positions so that was disappointing, but we live to fight another day.

"It was a terrific atmosphere and we're very disappointed, but we'll have to swallow it, and it's about how we bounce back now.

"I've got some good players and I've got some players that I need to move on, that's just a fact of life. I'm enjoying he challenge, but I'm disappointed with tonight's result."

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale told BBC Spotlight:
"I think we created enough chances not to be too grateful for that last-minute chance. In the second-half especially we had a lot of pressure and numerous half-chances.

"Daniel is likely to score at any point, he has a real eye for goal. I'm very pleased for him and the supporters.

"I'm delighted we didn't concede the goal and feel despondent, we actually upped our game, and had the better of the last quarter.

"We have to be very pleased with ourselves but we have to keep the balance right, as we have to come back here in a month to play in the league."

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