Exeter City: Gary Caldwell hails character of 10-man side after win over Burton

Gary Caldwell and his players celebrated with the Exeter City fans after the victory

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell has hailed his side's character after beating Burton Albion 1-0 despite playing the second half with 10 men.

The Grecians had Zak Jules sent off at half-time after an incident in the tunnel at the end of the first period.

But City held on with 10 men to extend their unbeaten run to three matches.

"We were really brave. We still played out, we still created opportunities, and if anything could have scored in that second half," Caldwell said.

He told BBC Radio Devon: "The players, and the people in the stadium, the way the crowd stood up in that last 15 minutes when everyone was on their knees, myself included, but the players on the park were putting everything in and they needed the supporters today to get behind them and they did."

The win ensured back-to-back victories for City for just the fourth time in the league this season and it moved them up to 15th place in League One.

Caldwell said he did not see the incident that led to Jules' red card, saying "there's a melee and somehow Zak gets sent off".

But he hopes his side, who have now lost just once in their past five matches, have turned a corner after a difficult period before Christmas which saw them go on a 13-game winless run in the league.

"We've been a solid team all season. I think we've had difficult moments, which is to be expected at this level when the squad was so light," added Caldwell.

"But I think you've seen a team that has learned from those moments.

"I think our resilience, our togetherness and our understanding has grown through the season. We have seven massive games left where we can pick up as many points as we can and finish the season as positively as we can.

"From where we were pre-Christmas to where we could be at the end of the season, it can still be a fantastic season."