Exeter City vs Nottingham Forest. The FA Cup Fourth Round.
St James ParkAttendance8,330.
Exeter City 2
- J Magennis (5th minute, 50th minute)
- E Turns (sent off 87th minute)
Nottingham Forest 2
- R Sosa (15th minute)
- T Awoniyi (37th minute)
Nottingham Forest win 4-2 on penalties.
Nottingham Forest avoid scare against Exeter to come through marathon FA Cup tie on penalties
Match report as Nottingham Forest make it through to the fifth round of the FA Cup after beating Exeter 4-2 on penalties following a 2-2 draw after extra-time; Neco Williams wrapped up a marathon tie with the final kick of the contest at 11.03pm
Wednesday 12 February 2025 07:17, UK
Nottingham Forest survived a huge FA Cup scare against 10-player Exeter to win a penalty shoot-out after drawing 2-2 at St James Park.
Chris Wood, Morgan Gibbs-White and Elliot Anderson all scored from the spot before fellow substitute Neco Williams wrapped up a marathon tie with the final kick of the contest at 11.03pm.
Josh Magennis and Tony Yogane were on target for League One Exeter, but Matz Sels saved Reece Cole's poor penalty and Angus MacDonald struck the crossbar as Forest prevailed 4-2.
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Forest, third in the Premier League and the highest-ranked team left in the FA Cup, will now play Ipswich at home in round five.
Magennis had scored twice for Exeter - the competition's top scorer in taking his total to six - in giving the Grecians an early lead and then equalising at the start of the second period.
Ramon Sosa and Taiwo Awoniyi, who left the action in stoppage time on a stretcher after being attended to by medics for several minutes, turned the tie in Forest's favour.
Exeter debutant Ed Turns was handed a red card for a thigh high challenge on Gibbs-White three minutes from time, but Forest had to settle for an extra 30 minutes after Jota Silva thundered a shot against the crossbar.
Forest boss Nuno Espirito Santo took the opportunity to rest almost his entire regular starting XI after his squad had spent the week away at a warm-weather training camp in Dubai.
Brazilian midfielder Danilo was the sole survivor from the side which had demolished Brighton 7-0 last time out.
Nuno's teamsheet offered real hope to Exeter - 59 places below Forest on the football ladder - that they could replicate the giant-killing success of their Devon neighbours Plymouth, who had shocked Premier League leaders Liverpool on Sunday.
Exeter had not won since their third-round victory over Oxford, losing four of their five games and conceding 10 goals against Leyton Orient and Stevenage in their previous two outings.
A huge banner with the words 'Together We Can Create History' was held aloft on Exeter's Big Bank, the largest standing terrace in English football, as Grecians fans embraced the club's first fourth-round tie since 1981.
Those supporters were able to celebrate a dream start when Carlos Miguel spilled Demetri Mitchell's fifth-minute effort at the feet of Magennis.
The Northern Ireland international was possibly in an offside position, but with no VAR in operation the goal stood.
Vincent Harper rushed back to clear off the line after Awoniyi had toed the ball past Grecians goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.
But it was to be the briefest of reprieves for Exeter as moments later Ibrahim Sangare spied Sosa, and the Paraguayan found the net just as he had done in the third round against Luton.
Whitworth pushed Awoniyi's volley around a post but the Forest forward was not to be denied after 37 minutes.
Again Sangare was the supplier and Awoniyi was allowed to turn on the edge of the box, work the ball onto his left foot, and find the bottom corner with Whitworth motionless.
Exeter equalised five minutes after the restart when Magennis rose highest at a corner to force Miguel into a point-blank save.
Magennis was on the rebound in a flash and Willy Boly turned it into his own net off a post.
Miguel was soon forced off through injury and replacement Sels stood firm to prevent Ilmari Niskanen profiting one-on-one.
It was one-way traffic in extra-time and Wood was twice denied by Whitworth as Forest were taken all the way.
Nuno: Relief main emotion - and credit to Exeter
Forest head coach Nuno Espirito Santo:
"I'm relieved, I think we all are. It was not the best game, of course. We started bad but we reacted well. In terms of the first half we were really dominant, created and changed the score.
"The second half the idea was to close the game down, but we conceded from a set-piece and everything changed. Exeter had one man less, so a lot of credit to them, but we rushed decisions and we are happy that we go through."
Exeter boss Caldwell proud of 'whole team'
Exeter manager Gary Caldwell to ITV Sport:
"I am really proud of the team and the whole football club really. We just came up short on penalties, which is a lottery.
"I thought we were outstanding. With 10 men it was backs against the wall. We could have won or lost it near the end. It is a fantastic effort from the players.
"I think it shows the potential and what they are capable of and they can raise their game. We have to show that commitment to each other and if we do that, I am sure we have got a lot to look forward to. We have set the minimum standard."
