SWINDON Town saw their slim EFL Trophy hopes dashed on Tuesday night after all but exiting the competition following a 4-3 defeat to Exeter City.

It was a disastrous start for Richie Wellens’ men, who had to win to stand any chance of qualification for the knockout stages, as the hosts conceded twice inside the opening eight minutes at the County Ground.

Harry Kite struck after four minutes prior to Ben Seymour’s calmly taken penalty following a foul on Jack Sparkes by Hallam Hope.

Tyler Smith pulled one back for Town, only for Nigel Atangana and Alex Hartridge to pile on further goals for The Grecians, who booked their spot in the knockout stages.

Smith scored again late for the home side, as did Matt Palmer, but it was too little, too late as Wellens lost his 10th cup game as Town boss.

Wellens made nine changes to Town’s starting line-up from the 3-1 defeat to Peterborough United at the weekend – only Anthony Grant and Rob Hunt began Town’s EFL Trophy contest on Tuesday night.

Joe Fryer started in goal instead of the absent Matej Fryer. Jonathan Grounds, Dion Donohue, Joel Grant were all handed their first Town starts.

Meanwhile, Exeter City made 11 changes from their 2-0 win against Cambridge on Saturday.

Despite the changes, Exeter started at full tilt and were two goals ahead inside the first 10 minutes.

Following the first corner of the game in the fourth minute, Town half-cleared towards City’s Harry Kite.

The midfielder ran onto the ball and struck a lovely left-footed effort over Fryer and into the top corner.

Three minutes later, things went from bad to worse for Town after Hallam Hope fouled Jack Sparkes inside the area.

Ben Seymour then confidently stepped up and sent debutant Joe Fryer the wrong way to double the visitors’ lead.

Town continued to struggle in the opening 20 minutes, playing without a clear sense of urgency or intent – something their opponents were not lacking.

Exeter’s Alex Fisher had a couple of opportunities, but the visiting striker could not find the target with either after being set up by Ajose.

The home side created their first chance in the 25th minute as Grant won the ball in midfield and played it to Diallang Jaiyesimi who drove forward before passing wide to Hallam Hope.

Hope squared up his man and chopped a pass in towards Tyler Smith who tapped his shot narrowly wide from six yards out.

Town perhaps should have been awarded a penalty two minutes later when Joel Grant felt a shove in the back, but nothing was given – much to the frustrations of the home bench.

In a slightly busier final 15 minutes of the first half, Matt Palmer struck the post from inside the box before Fryer had to be at his athletic best to deny Exeter a third from Fisher.

The ball was allowed to bounce inside the box before Fisher poked the ball goalwards.

But Fryer stuck out a right hand instinctively to turn the ball away.

Shortly before half-time, Anthony Grant was shown a yellow card for checking goalscorer Kite in midfield.

And as the fourth official put the board up to signal one minute added time, Exeter hit the bar.

Ajose had plenty of space inside the box to pick a pass, and his cross along the face of goal was cannoned back off the bar by Town’s defender, Grounds.

There was just enough time for Town to test Maxted a couple more times, however.

First, Tyler Smith smashed an effort goalwards from the edge of the box that the Grecians stopper turned over before Maxted denied Jaiyesimi from the right in the same fashion.

Town started the brighter of the two teams after the interval, but it was Exeter who had the best early chances.

Only an excellent block from Grounds denied Sparkes from close range after Taylor Curran had been passed around before Fisher had a couple of sighters blocked easily by Fryer.

The game’s goal count increased three-fold around the hour mark, starting with Town pulling one back through Tyler Smith.

The young Sheffield United striker poked home a Joel Grant cross to halve the deficit, only for Exeter to extend their lead two minutes later.

Nigel Atangana rose highest to head home a Nicky Ajose corner before Alex Hartridge turned home a goalmouth scramble in the 68th minute.

The fourth Exeter goal saw the life sucked out of Town, and it could have got worse when Atangana headed wide from inside the six-yard box with 10 minutes to play.

A late brace of strikes from Swindon threatened to send the game to penalties after Payne’s shot was parried into the path of Smith to tap home his second with five minutes to play.

Palmer slammed home from the edge of the box in added time, but there was no time left for any more action.

STFC line-up: Fryer, Hunt, Curran, Grounds, Donohue, A Grant, Palmer, J Grant, Jaiyesimi, Hope, T Smith.

ECFC line-up: Maxted, Caprice, Sparkes, Atangana, Seymour, Fisher, Ajose, Sweeney, Kite, Hartridge, Dean.