Exeter City 'have learned' from Man City thrashing

Exeter City boss Gary Caldwell says he is impressed with how his side have bounced back after their 10-1 FA Cup thrashing at Manchester City.

The Grecians have eight goals in the three games since the club record-equalling loss at the Etihad Stadium this month, taking seven points from a possible nine.

Exeter, who are 11th in League One, are eight points off the play-off places and have not lost a league game since 26 December.

"I think a lot of teams would have been laughing at us within League One, League Two, seeing that result," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon.

"I said 'let's use that - these teams won't be laughing after we play them', so we've tried to use it in a really positive way.

"I think we learned on that day what top football really looks like, and it's not about the technical level or the quality of the players, it was about their behaviours.

"It was how relentless they were in doing what they did, every second of the game they never switched off, they never stopped wanting to score more goals and I think we have learned a little bit from that, that we have to keep going and we have to get even better."

Caldwell says it is important that his players remember the defeat - the third time in club history they had lost by a nine-goal margin and the first time the club had conceded 10 goals in a game.

"It can be very easy when you have a game like that to brush it under the carpet and to try and forget it and to try and almost erase it from the memory," he said.

"I'm a big believer in keeping it and always remembering that game.

"I showed the players a picture of me from my Scotland debut where David Trezeguet was holding a 4-0 finger gesture up at me. The game finished 5-0, and it's a game I'll always remember - I'll never forget that game.

"I still remember what it taught me in my career and remember thinking what the level of football could be, and how far away from that level I was.

"I also wanted the players to know that I've been there, we've all been there as footballers and they weren't alone in that."