RIGHT from the start, there was the feeling that something was just not quite right.

As the first whistle from referee Peter Wright sounded, Town kicked off and pinged the ball around with some confidence for most of the first minute, only for defender Dion Conroy’s ambitious ‘Hollywood’ ball across the pitch to land at the feet of an opponent.

As a vignette for the remainder of the match, it was a fitting one.

Town, despite promise in patches, were just a bit ‘off’ all day.

Not outclassed, or taken to the cleaners by a side that, after all, is pushing significantly for honours at the top of the table.

But just not really ‘on it’ - and never remotely in danger of actually looking like winning this contest.

For a side that had enjoyed the lion’s share of the possession, that was a significant disappointment.

Quite simply, Exeter were good enough.

Clinical enough to take the two major chances that came their way during the course of the 95-odd minutes.

Streetwise enough to keep their huffing-and-puffing visitors largely at arm’s length throughout.

As for the away side, well questions outnumbered answers.

Phil Brown has numerous options in midfield, but whether enough of them hold the key to unlocking defences remains a moot point.

Town’s continued reticence when it comes to matters in the opposition’s penalty continues to perplex - their threat was, in all honesty, powder puff at St James Park.

And with the season now past the quarter way point, is there honestly any clue as to what Brown’s best starting XI actually is?

It was a point the manager himself conceded afterwards.

Brown shuffled the pack again, rewarding the midweek Checkatrade Trophy performances of Martin Smith and Scott Twine with first starts since August and of the season respectively.

Michael Doughty remained not fit enough to feature, but defender Sid Nelson was in good enough shape for a place on the bench, alongside James Dunne and Steven Alzate.

There he was joined by Elijah Adebayo and Kaiyne Woolery, fresh from his goalscoring return from the bench in Tuesday’s Checkatrade Trophy win over Plymouth.

As Town’s early promptings were undone by a lack of accuracy, both Conroy and Toumani Diagouraga guilty, Exeter tried their luck through former Town loanee Lee Holmes on the right, who was clearly relishing the challenge of taking on Matt Taylor.

Holmes nearly forced an opening that ended with Jayden Stockley heading wide from a cross on six minutes.

Eight minutes later, Town were behind to a goal as simple as it was disappointing.

A route one ball down the middle was reached by City’s Jonathan Forte, who prodded past Luke McCormick towards goal, the ball clipping the inside of a post on the way in.

There was little denying that Town responded positively, Keshi Anderson enjoying himself in a role behind the front two and Taylor and Kyle Knoyle also finding space on the flanks.

Midway through the half a Taylor cross flashed across goal and Marc Richards should have connected properly while unmarked in front of goal.

Moments later, the veteran frontman was sent through by Diagouraga but took a touch too many and his shot was blocked by the foot of Pym.

Subsequently, a Knoyle cross from the right sat up beautifully for Twine, but a nudge off a defender put him off.

Twine then won a free kick 35 yards out but although Taylor’s effort was well struck, it was a couple of yards too high.

The opening half ended with Town still in the ascendancy, Knoyle’s low cross being blocked as time ran out.

With the blustery wind now at their backs, Exeter started the second half the better and Forte should have perhaps done better as Town’s Knoyle was dispossessed in midfield while dithering over his options and the hosts’ advanced, Forte finding himself unmarked but stubbing his effort weakly wide.

Again though, Town enjoyed a decent little spell, Taylor squeezing into the box on the left side and seeing his cross blocked out for a corner, from which Lancashire looped a header wide.

Brown brought on Steven Alzate for Twine, pushing Anderson up alongside Richards as the game continued with its to and fro, Holmes teasing a wind-assisted cross to the far post, which Stockley couldn’t get his head over from close range.

The home side were getting up a head of steam though and the second goal duly arrived at the midway point of the half.

Town dealt with the initial corner but as the home side retrieved the ball a fierce cross from the left was begging to be headed home, Stockley obliging in thumping style.

He nearly had another four minutes later as Pierce Sweeney curled over a cross from the right that the strike acrobatically volleyed into the far corner, only to be pulled up for offside.

Brown sent Elijah Adebayo and Kaiyne Woolery on in search of some cutting edge up front and the latter made an impact, winning a couple of corners and finding himself crowded out at the far post after a set-piece had reached him.

The game went into a bit of a lull, Town often looking promising until the point they got within 30 yards of Pym’s goal, after which the move either broke down, or went backwards, to the undisguised chagrin of the travelling support.

And as the contest petered out, Exeter looked more likely to score again, Nicky Law’s run and low drive being pushed wide by McCormick later on.