Scott Bartlett named an 18 – man squad for the opening encounter this summer at The Optima, while The Grecians were able to name two different XIs for each period.
Weston’s Louis Britton went closest inside the opening few moments when he dribbled round a few players and shot towards goal from 18 yards, his effort narrowly past the post. Former Seagull Ed James struck the base of the post with a glancing header from a corner, before Grecian George Birch saw a low shot pushed away by Max Harris in the Weston goal.
Birch had a low attempt from 18 yards trickle wide of the target when receiving the ball on the half-turn and working a yard of space, while down the other end Luke Coulson fired wide at the back post when connecting with a Sam Pearson cross on the counter-attack. Coulson then had another attempt on his left foot inside the box when being released by James Dodd, but he failed to test Frankie Phillips in the Exeter goal.
The visitors were to lead when Grecian summer signing Jayden Wareham got the ball inside the area following a 50-50 between a team-mate and a Weston player, working the ball onto his right foot and finishing past Harris for the afternoon’s opening goal.
Weston were to finish the half stronger with a couple of chances, Waite seeing a toe-poke tipped behind by Phillips following a smart free-kick routine by Coulson before Britton headed wide of the target from a Dawes cross six yards out.
Half-Time: Weston-super-Mare AFC 0 – 1 Exeter City
Exeter doubled their advantage at the start of the second half when a pass into Sonny Cox saw the striker hold off his man inside the box and then lay a pass off to Harry Crees, who finished calmly into the bottom corner for 2 – 0.
Pearson went close when striking the base of the post from 18 yards following a 1-2 with Coulson, before Harris clawed an Exeter corner onto the bar following pinball in the Weston area.
The Grecians scored just before the hour mark when a run from Ilmari Niskanen released Cox into the box, and he found the far corner across Harris with an excellent left-footed strike.
Reece Cole was to score the goal of the game when he received the ball 30 yards out and fired an unbelievable effort into the top corner on his right foot, his shot nestling nicely in the back of the net.
Pearson almost reduced the deficit when he got down the right, his deflected shot looping over Exeter’s trialist keeper and being headed away off of the line.
Kieran Wilson was to get on the scoresheet when he managed to squeeze a shot away inside the box, his attempt finding the back of the net.
Wilson was to score just a minute later when Cox was found in space down the left channel, his cross towards the far post finished first-time by the young Exeter forward for the game’s final goal.
Despite the scoreline, the performance will serve as encouraging signs as the Seagulls now host Newport County on Tuesday 15th July, KO 7:15PM.
Full – Time: Weston-super-Mare AFC 0 – 6 Exeter City (Wareham 30, Crees 48, Cox 57, Cole 67, Wilson 81 & 82)
Weston XI: Harris, Dawes (Jenkins 63), Wood (Avery 63), Coulson, Dodd (Hicks 67), Britton (Bak 77), Waite (King 77), Pearson (Trialist B 77), Lewis (C), Trialist A, Martin.
Unused substitute: Glover.
Attendance: 1,214.
MOTM: James Dodd. A positive performance from the midfielder, intricately linking play between the defence and the attack to progress the ball up the pitch.
