Woodhouse wonder strike sinks Fleetwood as Exeter extend unbeaten home run before Salford trip
Sunday 25 October 2026 · By Steve Ingleby
Exeter City continued their climb up League Two on Saturday with a 2–1 win over Fleetwood Town at a wet and windy St James Park. Charlie Cummins and Luca Woodhouse scored in the second half. PA reported that the result extended Exeter’s unbeaten run to six matches in all competitions.
The first half was a scrappy affair. Jack Taylor hit the post early on, according to Devon Live, but neither side found a breakthrough before the break.
The opening goal came just before the hour. Reece Cole swung in a corner, and Cummins powered a header in at the near post for his first league goal. The lead did not last long. Ronan Coughlan poked in from close range to equalise, but Woodhouse restored the advantage within minutes with a curling shot from 25 yards into the top corner.
Manager Matt Taylor was delighted. “Big win, big week. So far, a big month for this football club,” he told Devon Live. He was also full of praise for the winning goal. “Luca’s goal, that’s not one from the coaches’ book,” he said. “Instinctive, reactive, moving out of bodies, shifting onto his left foot and then bending it into the top corner.”
He told PA that the second-half performance had made him proud. “I liked us in the second half because we had more forward intent and more speed in our game,” he said. “What we did in the second half, I am so proud of the group.”
Taylor also praised the supporters who braved the rain. Devon Live reported that the win extended Exeter’s unbeaten home run to nine games.
There was good news off the pitch too. Winger George Birch has signed a contract extension until 2028, with a club option for a further year. Taylor said Birch’s recent performances had “left us all excited about what the future holds for him at the club”. Birch added: “It feels amazing to know that I’ll be here for the coming years.”
The win leaves Exeter eighth on 19 points from 13 games. They are level on points with Walsall and Chesterfield, and just outside the play-off places on goal difference. They have conceded only seven league goals, a joint-best record in the division alongside Walsall.
Next up is a trip to the top of the table. Exeter visit leaders Salford City on Saturday 31 October, kick-off 3pm GMT. Salford play at Walsall on Monday night first.
In the FA Cup first round, Exeter travel to Huddersfield Town. The tie was not chosen for live television, so it is scheduled for 3pm GMT on Saturday 7 November unless the FA says otherwise.
Taylor admitted that his team do not yet score enough, so he was particularly pleased to see a goal from a set piece. “If we can add set-piece output to our game, we’ll be a lot better for it,” he told Devon Live.
With nine home games unbeaten and a defence that is among the best in the division, Exeter go to Salford with real confidence.
Schematic, roughly to scale. Goals sit in front of the Big Bank (north) and the St James Road Terrace (south). The Adam Stansfield Stand is shorter and shifted south because of the railway.
St James Park has been Exeter City’s home since 1904. It sits in a tight residential pocket a short walk from the city centre, with St James Park railway halt right beside the ground. Capacity on a typical match day is just over 8,200. The pitch is 104 by 64 metres. Visiting supporters tend to remember how close the crowd feels, the railway that pinches one flank, and the noise that comes off the Big Bank when City attack that end.
Away fans are split across two areas. The main allocation is the covered St James Road Terrace — also called the Tracks Suzuki Away Stand — behind the south goal. It holds a little over a thousand standing. When demand is higher, seats open in Blocks K and L of the Nevada Construction Main Stand, on the west side toward the away end. Together the club can take around 1,380 visitors. Both sections have toilets, refreshment kiosks and an unrestricted view. Away turnstiles and the match-day booth sit on St James Road behind that terrace.
Once you have north and south, the rest of the ground is simple. The Thatchers Cider Big Bank is the north end: a roofed standing terrace of almost 4,000, the largest of its kind left in the EFL, and the home end. The north goal stands in front of it. The south goal stands in front of your terrace. West is the Nevada Construction Stand, the full-length main stand with the tunnel, dugouts, boxes and changing rooms. East is the Optimising IT Adam Stansfield Stand, opened in 2018 and named for the former striker who died in 2010. It does not run the full length of the pitch because the railway sits behind the north-east corner; the stand is therefore set closer to the away terrace so it can stay rectangular. That stand also has the only indoor concourse and a family section.
The sat-nav postcode is EX4 6PX (Stadium Way). There is no match-day parking at the ground and most nearby streets are residents-only, so use a city park-and-ride or a council car park and walk. St James Park station on the Exmouth branch is a couple of minutes from the away end. Exeter Central is about twenty minutes on foot; Exeter St Davids a little further. Away coaches usually drop on the St James Road side. Bike racks sit outside if you cycle in.
On ordinary fixtures visitors are welcome in the Fan Zone outside the club shop and reception, and in the Centre Spot bar inside The Park building. The outdoor Thatchers Bar and a food kiosk operate in the Fan Zone; inside you will find pies, pasties and the volunteer-run FECRACE real-ale and cider counter. For derbies and other high-profile games mixing may be limited. Once you are inside the stadium, alcohol at the kiosks is generally only served if the away crowd is under 700. Expect pasties, sausage rolls, tea, Bovril and soft drinks either way. The match programme, The Grecian, is sold in the Fan Zone, at kiosks and by sellers near the turnstiles.
Prices shift a little each season. Standing on the away terrace is cheaper than a seat in the Main Stand; concessions apply for seniors, young adults and juniors. Buy in advance through your own club where you can. Kiosks are often cashless. Arrive early. Turnstiles commonly open around 2pm for a 3pm kick-off, and the better steps on the terrace go first.
The welcome is usually straightforward. Exeter is a Supporters’ Trust club and stewards are used to travelling fans. Cover colours in some city pubs if asked, respect segregation on derby days, and you should have a decent afternoon at one of the more characterful grounds left in the league.