Exeter City had 'KFC and Subway' before Carlisle United win after M6 traffic problems

Padraig Amond's 89th-minute header sealed a sixth win in an eight-game unbeaten run for Exeter City

They say athletes need the right food to be ready to perform at their best - but Exeter City proved the exception to that rule after a torrid journey to Carlisle United.

The Grecians' near 350-mile one-way trip is the longest in League Two and was made worse by bad traffic on the M6 motorway which saw them have an unusual pre-match dinner the evening before Saturday's late 1-0 win at Brunton Park.

"We trained for 45 minutes at Birmingham FA and then we sat in the worst amount of traffic I've seen for a long time," Exeter boss Matt Taylor told BBC Radio Devon.

"As we only had one driver it meant we had to stop for another 45 minutes just south of Preston and the lads had KFC and Subway for tea, which is not what they're meant to eat the night before a game."

'We saw things at Charnock Richard services which we probably didn't expect to see'

As well as Exeter City's players, Charnock Richard services was a stop-off for people on their way back from Ladies Day at the Grand National meeting

Despite the less-than-ideal preparation, City produced one of their best away displays of the season, capped off with Padraig Amond's 89th-minute winner which saw Exeter stay second in League Two, with a five-point buffer to the sides in the play-off places.

"Eleven hours on a coach is an awful long time," added Taylor. "People say 'you're on a nice coach, you can walk up and down', but it's not good preparation for a game of football.

"If we come back to Carlisle next season we'll probably come all the way up in one bounce and try to do a bit of training up here because you can't predict the traffic on that M6 north of Stoke."

However, it was not just the traffic that proved unpredictable, but also some of the people they came across when they stopped for their less-than-healthy food.

"We saw things at Charnock Richard services which we probably didn't expect to see and probably never want to see again," added the Exeter boss, whose family home is close to the services near Chorley, north west of Manchester.

"There were coachloads of people on their way back from Aintree at the National and we saw some sights at Charnock Richard services which have enhanced that team sprit.

"The worst thing is it's five minutes from my house, so I could have gone home for tea."