Exeter City's frustrating bid to make it into the League Two play-off places continued on Saturday as they were beaten at home by lowly Tranmere Rovers.
With Plymouth, Bury, Newport and Stevenage all losing as well the game represented a real opportunity for the Grecians to put pressure on the top seven sides with a victory in a game that, before kick-off, they would have been expected to win.
They played well in the first half and were perhaps unfortunate to go into the break on level terms, but Tranmere controlled the opening 20 minutes of the second-half and should have had the game won before City rallied late on.
Exeter manager Paul Tisdale made three changes to the side that drew 2-2 at Oxford United the previous week.
Christian Ribeiro returned to the right-side of a three-man defence after coming on for the injured Scot Bennett last week. Christy Pym returned to goal having not featured since the Grecians drew 2-2 at Newport County in November while, the only other change, saw Danny Butterfield come into the centre of the defence as Matt Oakley moved into midfield for the injured David Noble.
Pym was called into action early on as a long ball up field found Kayode Odejayi racing through on goal. The recalled keeper was quick off his line and blocked the Tranmere striker's shot well.
After that City controlled the first half though, with Tom Nichols glancing a header wide and Alex Nicholls firing a shot straight at Owain Fon Williams following a cross from Danny Butterfield.
The opening goal, on 29 minutes came against the run of play, but was a poor from City's point of view. Lee Molyneux crossed the ball from the right and Jennison Myrie-Williams, just like Danny Hylton and Marc Richards in recent weeks, was afforded too much space at the back post by City's defence. However, even then, the angle looked too acute for him to get the ball past Pym, but his header bounced through the keeper's legs and into the back of the net.
City continued to control possession though and when Nicholls was fouled on the edge of the box, with 37 minutes gone, the Grecians had their route back into the game. It was Nicholls who took the free-kick and he curled a shot past a poorly placed wall into the right-hand side of the goal.
The in-form Nicholls, who has now got three goals in the last three games, could have made it 2-1 before the break, but he dragged a shot wide of the post after an Arron Davies cross had been headed to him in the area.
Tranmere were back in front four minutes into the second half though as City lost possession on the edge of their own area and the ball got worked to Rory Donnelly, who worked a yard of pace with a step-over before drilling a shot past Pym into the right side of the net.
Rovers should have had their third goal moments later as Oakley lost the ball cheaply on halfway and the visitors worked the ball to Myrie-Williams. He took on Woodman and the City full-back brought him down cheaply in the box. Max Power made a mess of the spot-kick though, opting to for a Panenka-chipped penalty that Pym read and made a simple save from.
City were struggling at this point and the restless home crowd started chanting for David Wheeler's introduction before he came on for Cummins with 25 minutes left.
However, at this stage, it was Tranmere still looking the more likely to get the fourth goal of the game. Substitute Shamir Fenlon should have had it when he was found unmarked in the box, but he blazed a volley over.
Morrison was then brought on with 13 minutes to go but he headed over from close range after Nichols had a shot blocked on the right-side of the box.
Morrison then set-up Davies with a chance and his shot from the edge of the area was deflected wide for a corner. That corner was half cleared to the edge of the area where Sercombe hit a ferocious right-foot volley that rattled the crossbar.
City also had an injury-time header from a corner cleared off the line, but their late rally had started too late for them to find an equaliser as Tranmere hung on for victory.
Exeter City (5-3-2): Pym; Davies, Ribeiro (Morrison, 77), Butterfield, Moore-Taylor, Woodman; Oakley, Sercombe, Nicholls (Keohane, 87); Nichols, Cummins (Wheeler, 64). Subs not used: Hamon, McAllister, Tillson, Jay.
Booked: Sercombe
Tranmere Rovers (4-4-2): Fon Williams; Holmes (Ridehalgh, 6), Thompson, Dugdale, Taylor; Myrie-Williams (Fenelon, 64), Power, Jennings, Molyneux; Odejayi (Stockton, 89), Donnelly. Subs not used: Brezovan, Laird, Kirby, Koumas.
Booked: Thompson, Donnelly
Attendance: 4,044 (233)
Referee: Stephen Martin.
