Boss Roy Keane had praise for his senior players as a largely young Town team beat League One Exeter 3-2 in the Carling Cup after extra-time. The Town manager was also pleased with his youngsters, particularly 18-year-old debut goalscorer Ronan Murray.
Keane said: "It was most important tonight that the senior players led the way and I thought they were all outstanding - Murphy, Stead, Chuck Norris, Grant, Colin Healy.
"Steady was outstanding up front, literally on his own during extra-time and was unlucky not to have scored himself, but he was involved in a couple of the goals.
"Colin Healy’s still getting up to fitness and he’s had to play 120 minutes. I’ll probably give him tomorrow off!
"So, I was delighted with the senior players in the squad, who represented the club well tonight and the young fellas would obviously follow them.”
The Blues boss says the two teams came out of the game with a lot of credit, although neither manager will be happy with the extra-time: "It was a good game, it was a battle out there. I think both teams would have been disappointed to have gone to extra-time, I don't think the players needed it, particularly with our problems at the moment.
"We’re glad to win the game and the players showed good character. There were a lot of young players out there. Credit to both teams, the fitness levels were outstanding tonight. We were all tired watching, let alone playing 120 minutes.
"They’ll feel they might have deserved penalties, but I still think we had one or two good chances. I thought Exeter were very, very good, but we knew that anyway as we’d watched them.”
Keane says Town probably should have been awarded a penalty close to the end of normal time when Ronan Murray was fouled, an incident not dissimilar to one at Middlesbrough on Saturday: "We had one them at the weekend as well! They say these things even themselves out and please God that they do.
"I might have had a different attitude to it if we’d lost the game, but we said the same against Middlesbrough where David Norris was fouled clearly inside the box, but listen, referees are human and they make mistakes like the rest of us.”
Of the many young players on show Republic of Ireland U19 international frontman Murray made the biggest impact, scoring one and helping create two. Keane says the goal came as no surprise to him: "He’s a good player, a good striker and, in terms of all the players at the football club, he’s probably the most natural finisher we have. He got on tonight and we’re delighted with him.
"It wasn’t really a chance, but that’s what good strikers do. He scored at the weekend for the reserves and he can sniff out a chance.
"He’s got a chance certainly of being in the squad for Saturday, obviously it’s a bit much for him to start a game.
"We’ll see how Tamás is when he gets back, how Jon Walters is, see how Steady recovers. As I keep saying, it changes by the hour, so it’s too early for me to confirm who might or might not be involved on Saturday.”
Exeter boss Paul Tisdale was pleased with his side’s display but was disappointed to lose: "I think as a manager you’re looking for the performance but in a couple of days you look back at the result.
"I can be quite buoyant about the way we played and increasingly so, but we lost the game and you don’t want to be an optimistic loser all the time.
"It was a disappointing result really because I think we played really well, created chances and gave our share.
"It was a really good game of football. It was a game of counter-attack in the first half, it was the team that was going break quickly and score on the counter that looked like the side that was going to win the game.
"I’m pleased with the way we played, it was great entertainment for the supporters and a good night at St James’ Park. We went a long way with a very, very good Championship side, so I’m not too disappointed.”
After the match, Exeter announced that their striker Adam Stansfield has died of bowel cancer at the age of 31.