Sunday 23 October 2011 16:06, UK
Exeter manager Paul Tisdale was a happy man as his side climbed off the foot of the table with a 3-1 home victory over Rochdale.
Daniel Nardiello celebrated his 29th birthday with a brace - the first from the penalty spot - and on-loan Reading striker Jake Taylor netted his first goal in professional football 10 minutes from time, but Exeter did not have it all their own way. Rochdale dominated the first half and should have been out of sight at half-time, but for all their possession and chances, they only had Nathan Ecclestone's tap-in, which had given them a 1-0 lead, to show for their efforts. "We have had games this season where we have played extremely well and lost. Here, we weren't at our best, it wasn't a reflection of us, but it was a reflection of our anxiety and wanting it too much," Tisdale said. "We were too hasty to make decisions and tried too many difficult things and they were the better side and gave us a real challenge around our box, so to come in at half-time all-square helped to change my team talk a little. "We were able to start the second half from scratch starting level and we won the second half. It was a very difficult game for us, but in the second half, they did all the things I wanted them to do."
