Goalscoring keeper Bycroft has 'incredible eye for goal'

"He's got an incredible eye for a goal," Exeter City interim manager Matt Taylor says about goalkeeper Jack Bycroft.

The 24-year-old wrote his name in Grecians history when he soared to head in Danny Andrew's stoppage-time corner and keep Exeter's League One survival hopes alive as they drew 3-3 with Stockport County.

"This is going to sound mad, but when he's finished taking shots from the outfield players he takes shots as an outfield player," Taylor told BBC Radio Devon.

"He doesn't practise his headers - I'm not going to sit here and say practises headers - but I always see him, and he's got an incredible eye for a goal. You can almost see that in people.

"So I'm delighted for him, but I want to challenge him to keep two clean sheets in our last two games."

Image caption,

Bycroft was mobbed by his team-mates after scoring for Exeter City

Three weeks ago reserve keeper Bycroft was a fixture on the substitutes' bench, understudy to Crystal Palace loanee Joe Whitworth at the League One club - he had played just four Vertu Trophy games all season and had not had any competitive minutes since December.

But when Whitworth was hurt in the warm-up before the 0-0 draw with Leyton Orient three weeks ago, Bycroft was thrust into the heat of a relegation fight.

He has gone on to keep two clean sheets in five League One games as Exeter have lost just one of their past five matches and are two points from safety with two games to play.

"I'm 6ft 4in, it's another good target for Danny to aim at," said Bycroft.

"It was Blackpool where I got on the end of one at the end there as well, so he said it's a good target for me to go up, so I just chucked myself at it like I do in the goal, and it was a special moment."

He added: "I'm just buzzing that it went in. I'm not really too bothered that it was me.

"As long as it was someone and we had another point, it's something for us to grab on to.

"I'm glad we had a moment at the end. I didn't really care what it was, but everyone needed it.

"The crowd hopefully now have a bit of confidence, a bit of belief in the boys that we're not giving up and we're going to throw everything at Burton and then everything at Bradford."