Caldwell hails 'fantastic effort' by in-form Exeter

Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell praised the "fantastic effort" of his side in their 1-0 win over Luton Town.

The victory extended the Grecians' best run of form in League One this season to four wins in six games as they moved up to 15th place in the table.

Pierce Sweeney's first goal since 10 December 2024 settled the game and gave Exeter a two-point buffer to the relegation places.

"It was a fantastic effort from everyone in the stadium - players, supporters," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon.

"A huge win and a deserved win. I thought we played really well under the circumstances.

"I've lost count of days, I don't know what day it is, I don't know what travelling we've done, but for the players to give that effort, that commitment and that togetherness again - and the togetherness from the crowd - it's a huge win.

"I'm delighted to start the new year off in that manner."

Exeter's excellent defensive record was also on show as Caldwell's side kept a third clean sheet in four games - only Stevenage have conceded fewer than the 21 goals let in by City in League One this season.

"It's a big part of our game, it's something we spoke about way back in pre-season," he added.

"We work on it relentlessly, and 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 [4-0 defeat] with a team that totally outplayed us that night, physically and technically, and we had to stand up as a team today and be together and I thought everyone did that.

"The forwards pressing, recovering, doubling up, stopping crosses, defending the box, it was a real team effort for that clean sheet and when we get that we always need just one moment and we got that today."