Accrington Web - Grays getting help

Inglethorpe unhappy, according to the Western Morning News:

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<table border="0"> <tbody><tr><td> THE SPY WITHIN </td> </tr> <tr> <td>
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</td> </tr> <tr> <td> Exeter City manager Alex Inglethorpe has been left furious after it emerged that the Devon club's hopes of success this season have been sabotaged by one of their own players.

The startling revelation came from Grays Athletic manager Mark Stimson, who informed the Grecians' boss that an associate of a City player had contacted him before the second leg of the FA Trophy semi-final and Monday's Nationwide Conference clash to give him the low-down on the Exeter team and their tactics.

Inglethorpe will now conduct his own investigations to unearth the mole in the City camp, whose actions may well have cost the club a place in the FA Trophy final and a shot at the Conference play-offs.

"Mark Stimson received a phone call before the Trophy game and another phone call before Monday's game from a meant-to-be disgruntled associate of one of the players, who has given him the team and the tactics both times and he has got it spot on," a furious Inglethorpe said yesterday.

"He's phoned up anonymously and said he is not happy with the way the player has been treated, that the club is this, that and the other, and named the team and our tactics.

"Stimmo [Stimson] pulled me on it after Monday's game and said that he wouldn't have thought anything of it if the person had got it wrong, but it has happened twice and he has nailed down our team and tactics both times, which I think is disgusting.

"To do that in two of your biggest games is nothing short of a disgrace especially as no player, parent or anyone else has had the front to come and knock on my door and call a meeting and give their point of view. To do it this way is to be cowardly in the extreme."

The shocking act is the final straw for Inglethorpe, who is becoming increasingly frustrated with comments made by ex-players, managers and by supporters on internet websites. He added: "To do it in two of the biggest games that the club has had in recent times cheats everyone, the club, the fans, the players and the management. I have had to deal with plenty of problems behind the scenes with regards to players, the internet and that sort of stuff. These people rarely have the strength of character to confront you face to face, it is all done behind your back.

"It is sloping into a dark corner and causing rumour and intrigue and I have had enough of it. I have had 19 months of ex-players and ex-managers and other people having a go, and it makes a difficult job even harder.

"Maybe that is why the job has been so difficult in the past, because that self-destruct button is there ready to be pressed.

"It seems that people don't like it when you judge them on ability and personality and what they can give the club."

City's FA Trophy hopes were ended as they crashed to a 2-0 defeat to Grays despite taking a 2-1 first leg advantage to the New Rec. Then, on Monday night, City's faint play-off hopes were ended in front of the Sky television cameras when the Grecians, adopting a different 3-5-2 formation, crashed to an undeserved 3-0 reverse.

"If you change your formation, you are hoping to maybe cause 20 minutes of uncertainty with the opposition whereby they have to think on their feet and solve problems on the pitch to what they thought you were going to do," Inglethorpe said. "Both times we have done that, there has been no surprise element and they have been able to cope with that before the game has kicked off. There is no surprise when our team sheet is read out and plenty of surprises when theirs is read out."

The television cameras caught Inglethorpe and Stimson in deep discussion come full-time on Monday, which is when the Grays boss spilled the beans on the City mole. Inglethorpe, though, was happy with the way his side performed despite the defeat, but heaped praise on the Essex outfit, whose clinical finishing was the difference between the two sides.

"I didn't think it was a 3-0," Inglethorpe reflected. "There is often a fine line between winning and losing and we have definitely had fewer chances in games this season and won. That is just the way it is for us at the moment.

"I was pleased with the formation and, in hindsight, maybe I wish I had employed it in the Trophy game.

"They are a good team and didn't need many chances to score their goals, that's for sure. But maybe that is the difference. They are very clinical in front of goal, [Glenn] Poole and [Michael] Kightly score goals and [Aaron] McLean is a very good player and someone I tried to bring here last season."

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