Cambridge United 0-1 Exeter City match report: Northern Ireland international Josh Magennis scores only goal to leave U’s bottom of League One

Cambridge United’s hopes of pulling off another ‘Great Escape’ from League One relegation was severely dented by this afternoon’s 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Exeter City.

With their visitors having collected just one point from their last eight outings and gone the distance during the week against Premier League outfit Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup – in many ways it felt like the U’s could not have hand-picked better opposition to welcome to the Cledara Abbey Stadium.

But their miserable season continued as a second-half header from Josh Magennis settled the encounter – and in doing so it has left United rooted to the foot of the table, seven points from safety ahead of this afternoon’s kick offs.

It was a first half that featured very little quality from either side. Of the seven attempts that they were able to muster between them, only one landed on target – and that was a tame effort from distance by United’s Josh Stokes.

The hosts’ best chance of the half came in the 35th minute when Dan Barton played in Stokes down the right hand side of the box and his floated cross was perfect for Ryan Loft, who could only steer his downward header wide of the target.

Meanwhile, at the other end, Exeter’s Ed Francis whistled an early strike from the edge of the area just over Nathan Bishop’s crossbar.

While it was far from free-flowing football, there was at least more attacking intent from Cambridge after the restart.

In the 51st minute Stokes fired over after a mistake from Exeter goalkeeper Joe Whitworth, who got down in time nine minutes later to keep out Elias Kachunga’s low strike after the forward had turned sharply on the edge of the box.

At this point it appeared that if any side was going to break the deadlock then it would be Cambridge – and yet it was the visitors that decisively drew first blood in the 73rd minute. Caleb Watts was afforded the time wide on the left to curl in a cross for Magennis, who expertly guided his header back in the direction from which it had come and inside Bishop’s far post. It is now four goals in three outings for the Northern Ireland international, who scored twice against Forest on Tuesday night.

The response from Cambridge was relatively meek, with a shot from Jordan Cousins that flew harmlessly over their only genuine attempt before jeers greeted the final whistle.

Cambridge United: Bishop, Watts, Morrison, Okedina (Longelo 83’), Gibbons (Njoku 83’), Brophy (Stevenson 66’), Cousins, Barton (Bennett 74’), Stokes, Kachunga, Loft (Ballard 66’)

Exeter City: Whitworth, MacDonald, Hartridge, McMillan, Niskanen, Harper (Mitchell 46’), Francis (Woods 61’), Colwill (Purrington 85’), Trevitt (Cole 61’), Watts (Yogane 77’), Magennis

Attendance: 5,455 (339 Exeter)