Exeter City 1-0 Luton Town: Pierce Sweeney gives Grecians perfect start to 2026 | OneFootball

FLW reported from St James Park as Exeter City kicked off the new year against Luton Town.

Exeter City started 2026 with a bang as they beat Jack Wilshere's Luton Town 1-0, thanks to a goal from long-serving skipper Pierce Sweeney.

The opening 20 minutes of the contest were enthralling, as both sides had clear-cut chances, but couldn't quite find the finish. Jayden Wareham came the closest of anyone when he rattled the post from close range.

The deadlock remained unbroken heading into half-time, and Luton had stand-in goalkeeper James Shea to thank for that, as he came up with a couple of big saves to keep Exeter at bay.

The Grecians made the perfect start to the second half when a deflected shot from a free-kick fell to an unmarked Sweeney inside the box. The skipper gobbled up the chance emphatically to give his side a deserved lead.

Sweeney's second-half strike would prove to be the winner, as Wilshere's Hatters failed to register a shot on target all afternoon, which saw Exeter start off 2026 with a big victory to claw themselves even further away from the drop zone.

Exeter City 1-0 Luton Town

The first chance of the match went the way of the visitors. A neat passing move released George Saville in an unorthodox position on the left of the box, but his shot was charged down well by Jack Aitchison.

Exeter had their first chance of the afternoon on the break. Whitworth found Wareham with a long ball forward, and the striker played a nice give and go with Aitchison, before firing straight into the arms of Shea.

The two linked up again just minutes later, and really should've given the Grecians the lead. Aitchison played Wareham clean through on goal, but the number nine's effort rattled off the post and was scrambled to safety.

Jordan Clark then kept up the end-to-end nature of the match, somehow managing to fashion a threatening shot from an extremely tight angle inside the box, which flashed just over the bar.

Wareham probably couldn't believe he hadn't scored in the opening 20 minutes, as he was once again denied from close range. His header from a deep corner was kept out thanks to a smart save from Shea.

Exeter continued to look a threat on the break. This time it was Sonny Cox who picked up a loose ball and drove towards goal. Nigel Lonwijk managed to recover and send Cox away from goal, before he released Aitchison, and his strike was deflected out for a corner.

Shea was called into action again on the stroke of half-time. Ilmari Niskanen forced the ball through to Cox, who managed to steer a shot towards goal, which the experienced keeper had to bat to safety and collect at the second attempt.

After five minutes of stoppages, referee Matthew Russell called time for the first half. It had been a well fought opening 45 minutes, with both teams creating chances, but neither had managed to break the deadlock.

It only took five minutes after the break for the deadlock to be broken, and it was Exeter who grabbed a deserved goal. A deep free-kick fell to Cox, whose shot was deflected into the path of Sweeney, and the skipper slammed the loose ball home.

The Grecians had their tails up, and almost made it two straight away. Niskanen broke down Luton's left, cutting inside past Joe Johnson, but his defensive colleague Teden Mengi managed to bail him out with a crucial intervention to prevent the Fin from shooting.

Despite Luton having all the possession, it was their opponents who were getting the chances. Shea again came to the rescue to tip Ethan Brierley's powerful effort from the edge of the box over the crossbar.

The Hatters thought they had a penalty shout with 10 minutes to go when substitute Nahki Wells went to ground in the box. The travelling fans were adamant the striker was fouled by Jack Fitzwater, but referee Russell didn't agree.

Jordan Clark then had the best chance of the half for the visitors. He picked up the ball on the edge of the box before darting past his man and firing a shot towards the bottom left corner, which trickled agonisingly wide.

Shea then had to prevent Wareham sealing the deal at the other end. The 34-year-old managed to get down in time to deny the striker, before the ball was cleared to safety by his defenders.

Despite late Luton pressure, Exeter never looked like conceding, and managed to see out the win thanks to the second half strike from their skipper. It was a perfect start to 2026 for Gary Caldwell's side, who climbed to 15th in League One.

As for Luton, they'd clear left their shooting boots in 2025, as they failed to register a single shot on target, having scored seven in their previous two matches.

Exeter City player ratings

J. Whitworth - 7

I. Niskanen - 6

P. Sweeney - 8

J. Fitzwater - 7

S. Swinkels - 7

J. McMillan - 7

E. Brierley - 7

J. Doyle-Hayes - 6 (R. Cole 69'(6))

J. Aitchison - 7 (L. Woodhouse 86'(5))

S. Cox - 6 (C. Mendes Gomes 63'(5))

J. Wareham - 7

Unused substitutes: J. Bycroft, E. Francis, A. Higgins, L. Oakes

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Luton Town player ratings

J. Shea - 7

R. Walters - 6 (Z. Nelson 76'(5))

T. Mengi - 6

N. Lonwijk - 6

J. Johnson - 5

L. Walsh - 5

G. Saville - 6 (L. Fanne 76'(5))

J. Clark - 6

S. Morris - 5 (J. Brown 62'(5))

C. Bramall - 4

J. Yates - 4 (N. Wells 62'(5))

Unused substitutes: L. Thomas, M. Andersen, H. Fox

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Match attendance

It was a sold-out crowd at St James Park on New Year's Day, with 7,912 total fans in attendance, 996 of whom made the trip down from Luton.

Gary Caldwell reacts as Exeter City climb further out of the relegation fight

Speaking to Press Association post match, Exeter boss Caldwell said: “I said to the players, it’s going to be a team performance today that wins, it’s going to be a team that keeps a clean sheet.

“We were very much humbled by Luton in the Vertu Trophy, against a team that totally outplayed us on that night – physically and technically they outplayed us – and we had to stand up as a team today and be together.

“I thought everyone did that, the forwards pressed and we recovered, we doubled up, stopped crosses, defended the box – it was a real team effort for that clean sheet. And when we get that, we always need just one moment to score and we’ve got that today.

“It was a fantastic effort from everyone in the stadium – players and supporters – and it was a huge win and a deserved win.

“I thought we played really well under the circumstances, because when you play three games in six days – I don’t know how much travelling we’ve done – but for the players to give that effort, and that commitment and to give them this again, with the togetherness from the crowd onto the pitch, it’s a huge win. I’m delighted to start the new year off in that manner.”

Jack Wilshere reacts as Luton Town fail to follow up on back-to-back wins

Speaking to Press Association post match, Luton boss Wilshere said: “I am disappointed; we started really well and had a threat.

“I thought we played with real purpose and then – of course you expect it at some point, playing away from home – we came under some pressure and they like to play direct.

“I don’t think we managed that moment well enough and we allowed them more momentum in the game. It became more difficult for us and it was 0-0 at half-time, which I think was fair, and then we concede from a second phase set play which we are really disappointed about.

“I feel you need a slightly different mentality when you play away from home and at times you have to suffer. We didn’t suffer enough in those moments and we probably didn’t have that attacking threat in the second half.

“It helps to have a settled team, but that is hard at this time of year and in this league when there are so many games. You hope when players step in that they can deliver and we have to do that more consistently.

“We lacked in the final third and have to get better. That happens on the training ground, but there is no time to train right now, it’s play, recover and go again.”