Freddie Ladapo and Marcus Harness were on target as Town beat Exeter City 2-0 at St James Park, the Blues’ seventh away win of the season. Ladapo gave Town the lead with a stooping header from a Harness knockdown in the 11th minute, then Harness sealed the three points with a flicked header from a Leif Davis corner on 68.
Cameron Burgess returned to the Town line-up on the left of the defence with George Edmundson dropping to the bench, while the Blues XI was otherwise unchanged for the first league meeting between the teams since April 1957 when Town won 2-1 at St James Park under Sir Alf Ramsey in Division Three South.
Gassan Ahadme was back among the subs having recovered from his foot injury, while Greg Leigh also travelled for the first time since his compression fracture to his leg.
Exeter made one change with an extra midfielder, Harry Kite, coming into the team for forward Matt Jay, who dropped to the bench.
On-loan Town midfielder Rekeem Harper was ineligible and watching from the sidelines, laughing that he was "a neutral” when asked which side he was supporting.
The Grecians saw most of the ball in the early stages but without threatening. On seven, Leif Davis won a corner on the left from which Conor Chaplin mistimed his header and the ball looped well over.
Town began to take control and in the 10th minute Chaplin crossed from the right and Harness flicked goalwards, however, keeper Jamal Blackman was able to block.
But a minute later, the Blues were in front. Skipper Sam Morsy chipped a ball into the box towards Harness, who nodded down to Ladapo and the one-time Plymouth striker stooped to nod his ninth goal of the season - and his fifth in five games - into the net.
Town went looking for a second, putting the Grecians under significant pressure in the minutes after their goal and on 20 a Harness shot from the edge of the box looped behind for a corner.
However, the home side withstood the brief storm and in the 22nd minute forced Blues keeper Christian Walton into his first save of the afternoon.
A corner from the right was looped back in by home skipper Pierce Sweeney and Alex Hartridge hooked an effort at goal from close range which Walton bundled wide of the post.
Five minutes later, Jack Sparkes blazed over from 25 yards after another corner had been worked short to him.
With neither side having carved out a chance with the game going through a flat spell, Cameron Humphreys required treatment in the 38th minute but fortunately was able to continue.
As the half moved into injury time, Burns was tripped as he burst away on the right and Sparkes was shown the game’s first yellow card.
Davis hit a low shot from the free-kick towards the near post which got stuck under a defender’s feet before being cleared.
That was the final action of the half with the Blues deserving their lead at the break, although without dominating in the manner of many of their games this season.
Exeter had started well but Town had started to get on top when they scored their well-worked goal. The Blues threatened a second in the spell immediately after the goal but without causing Blackman much more trouble before the game went through a flat period towards the break.
Town keeper Walton was forced into one save but otherwise had had a quiet first period, although with the Grecians having made headway down the right on a couple of occasions.
The second half got off to a slow start but in the 57th minute determined Town pressing on the left as Exeter played out from the back led to a chance. Ladapo fed Harness inside the area, the forward took it across his man but couldn’t find room to shoot and played it on towards Chaplin but behind his fellow number 10 and the chance was gone.
A minute later, following a Town break he started with a ball forward to Ladapo, Humphreys struck a shot from the edge of the box which Blackman did well to help over the bar.
The Blues went close to their second of the game right on the hour when, after Ladapo’s initial shot had been blocked, Davis stood up a cross and the striker’s header was well saved by Blackman.
Exeter made their first change of the afternoon in the 62nd minute when striker Sam Nombe replaced Kite.
Two minutes later, a Donacien shot from the edge of the box was deflected over and as the Blues prepared for the corner Chaplin was replaced by one-time Exeter loanee Kyle Edwards.
Town had started to threaten and in the 68th minute they went 2-0 in front. Davis whipped over a corner from the right and Harness got ahead of his man and flicked a header across Blackman and into the net.
The forward celebrated his seventh goal of the season - and his first in eight games - in front of the sell-out Blues away following behind the goal.
Exeter claimed a penalty in the 70th minute when Nombe went down under pressure from a number of Town defenders as he shot wide but referee Alan Young wasn’t interested.
Moments later, a dangerous ball across the Grecians’ area from the right was stabbed away from Edwards and behind as the sub was about to tap home the Blues’ third.
In the 74th minute, Town swapped Davis, who looked to have suffered a hamstring problem, for Kane Vincent-Young and Exeter switched Key for Cheick Diabate.
On 77, Walton’s long kick almost saw Burns in on goal but Diabate was just able to outmuscle the Welshman and Blackman claimed.
A minute later, Edwards exchanged passes with Harness and twisted and turned his way into the area on the left but Blackman blocked his shot. Soon after, Exeter replaced Sparkes with Jay.
With four minutes remaining, Harness was booked following a foul on the left. From the free-kick, the ball briefly ran loose before Sweeney looped wide of Walton’s right post and out of play.
Exeter had by no means given up and continued to look for a goal in the closing stages but, as had been the case all afternoon, were unable to find a way through the Blues’ backline, which had had a very strong afternoon, Burgess in particular having been a towering presence at set pieces.
In the final scheduled minute, Town swapped Burns and Ladapo for Kayden Jackson and Ahadme. Burns took his time over leaving the field and was shown his fourth League One yellow card of the season before making his way round the field past the Blues supporters and receiving a rapturous ovation.
Exeter continued to look for a goal in the closing minutes but with the Town defence remaining resolute to see out the clean sheet and their seventh away win of the campaign, equalling last year's total already.
The win was never in any real doubt once Ladapo had given the Blues the lead with the usually free-scoring Grecians never able to lay a glove on the Town backline.
While chances had been limited for long spells, Town had created a couple of opportunities before Harness’s second cemented the three points.
From there, the Blues might have added to their lead on the break, while repelling everything the Devon side threw at them.
The victory was Town's third in a row on live TV, their third in 24 matches on Sky and fifth in 38 on live UK television overall.
Following Plymouth's 2-2 draw at Burton later in the afternoon, the Blues are now two points behind the leaders. Sheffield Wednesday in third beat Shrewsbury 1-0 at Hillsborough and remain a point behind Town.
Exeter: Blackman, Key (Diabate 74), Sweeney (c), Hartridge, Caprice, Collins, Dieng, Kite (Nombe 62), Sparkes (Jay 78), Brown, Stansfield. Unused: Lee, Grounds, Beardmore, Chauke.
Town: Walton, Donacien, Woolfenden, Burgess, Burns, Humphreys, Morsy (c), Davis (Vincent-Young 74), Chaplin (Edwards 64), Harness, Ladapo. Subs: Hladky, Edmundson, Camara, Ahadme, Jackson. Referee: Alan Young (Cambridgeshire). Att: 7,232 (Town: 1,208).