Exeter started well and went in front after six minutes when Jack Aitchison’s cross was headed in at the back post by former Addick Ben Purrington – the first time the Grecians had scored in the opening 15 minutes of a home league game since October 2021.
Charlton responded with Karoy Anderson forcing Vili Sinisalo into a smart stop and the Finnish stopper had to be alert to keep out another effort by Thierry Small.
The Addicks thought they had levelled on the stroke of half-time when George Dobson shot goalwards but Purrington got back to make a brilliant clearance off the line.
Harvey Isted denied Exeter’s Yanic Wildschut, who turned and shot goalwards from 15 yards, before the Suriname international set up Luke Harris but he miskicked and the chance went begging.
Charlton drew level with three minutes remaining as a deep cross was headed across goal by Chuks Aneke and the ball diverted into the net off the unfortunate Diabate.
Alfie May should have won it for Charlton but struck a post after rounding Sinisalo while Exeter also had chances to nick it in a breathless finale.
Caldwell saw his team lose for the sixth league game in a row as the Rams closed in on the play-off places.
Derby dominated for much of the match, with Nathaniel Mendez-Laing and Max Bird orchestrating wave after wave of attacks.
Bird provided the pass that Mendez-Laing converted in the 30th minute and Derby should have had more to show for their dominance.
Exeter rarely threatened but the Rams had to wait until the 79th minute for the goal that sealed only a second home league win. Substitute Conor Washington cut in from the left before driving a low shot inside the near post.
Caldwell said: “We came with a game plan to be more aggressive than we were, it took us 15 minutes to get to grips with them and then during our best period we conceded a goal.
“The longer we kept it at 0-0 it could have helped us but we shoot ourselves in the foot again in a period when we are dominating and getting corners and keeping territory in their half.
“It’s a difficult moment, we all have to stick together, be better and look at ourselves in the mirror and come back ready to go again.
“I thought we lost too many duels and we have to make better decisions in the final third.
“We have to be more aggressive in the final third, I thought too many times when the ball came up there wasn’t enough aggression to hold it up, there wasn’t enough aggression to get at your man and that has to be addressed.”
Derby assistant head coach Richie Barker said: “I thought the performance was excellent, we were more than deserving of the win which probably should have been more convincing.
“But a good home win and a good clean sheet again, they never really troubled our goal to be honest so pleased for the back four and the goalkeeper, but I thought the lads were excellent and executed everything we asked of them.
“We’ve been working on certain runs from midfield over the last few weeks and I thought Max Bird was excellent.
“Without taking Nat’s (Mendez-Laing) thunder tonight, Birdy has probably been the most consistent player since he came back in the team and I was delighted he made the run we’ve been talking about.
“We won’t get carried away tonight and we didn’t get carried away on Saturday, so our job is to keep the players level-headed. They will definitely not be encouraged to go away and think we’ve cracked it tonight.”
The home side opened the scoring through Ben Williams in the 51st minute but Luke Harris levelled five minutes later and Reece Cole won it from the penalty spot in the final minute.
Exeter were the better side during a first half played in heavy rain.
Mo Eisa was close to scoring against his old club in the fourth minute, racing through on goal and slotting past Luke Southwood, only for his shot to trickle just wide, before Ryan Woods forced Southwood into a good save in the 22nd minute.
Cheltenham made a double substitution at half-time and also adapted their formation and it quickly paid off.
Will Ferry found Sean Long and his cross was nodded in by Williams six minutes after he joined the action.
Harris levelled for Exeter five minutes later, receiving Tom Carroll’s pass and applying an expert finish in front of the 1,522 travelling fans.
The hosts nearly regained their lead in the 73rd minute when Joe Nuttall’s header from Liam Sercombe’s cross was parried but Ferry could not force the ball over the line from close range.
And Exeter won it at the end when Lewis Freestone handled Ryan Woods’ shot in the box and Cole made no mistake from the spot.
The Grecians are four points clear of the drop zone after failing to score for the 15th time in 27 league games.
The first half started brightly, with a corner for each team in the opening 60 seconds, but the lack of quality in both set-piece routines summed up what was an utterly forgettable half in which there were no shots.
The first shot on target came in the 48th minute when Jack Aitchison chested the ball down and fired straight at Jack Stevens from 18 yards and Pierce Sweeney also fired straight at the goalkeeper with a free-kick from distance.
Cambridge’s first effort came in the 61st minute when Lyle Taylor struck an instinctive volley wide from 15 yards
Sonny Cox headed just wide from an Ilmari Niskanen cross and substitute Dion Rankine shot tamely at Stevens for Exeter, while Tom Carroll fired high with a good chance on the edge of the box.
Cambridge defender Liam Bennett forced Vili Sinisalo into a superb save at his near post, while at the other end, Ben Purrington was denied a debut headed goal by a superb save by Stevens in stoppage time.
Exeter looked nervous early in the game and on 20 minutes, their failure to clear a long throw cost them as Will Aimson’s missed header allowed Paudie O’Connor to cross and Alistair Smith fired into the roof of the net from 10 yards.
Exeter responded with their best chances coming on the stroke of half-time when Demetri Mitchell slipped the ball through to Admiral Muskwe, who fired wide with only Lukas Jensen to beat, and then James Scott missed a glorious chance when he misconnected with a deep cross and Jensen saved his header.
Exeter were much-improved after the break, although Sean Roughan smashed the ball against the crossbar when he should have scored from a Lincoln counter-attack.
But Exeter’s pressure finally told with a deserved equaliser in the 81st minute when Mitchell picked out Trevitt and the Brentford loanee headed in from eight yards.
Mitchell then missed a great chance as he shot wide after being played in on goal, but despite plenty of late pressure Exeter could not get the winning goal that they deserved on the balance of play.
In a Sky Bet League One game that lacked quality, Exeter dominated possession, but lacked a killer touch as their winless run stretched to 10 games.
They have only scored two goals in that poor run, which has led to some fans to call for Caldwell’s dismissal.
However, the 41-year-old Scot said: “The performance was there in terms of character, in terms of fight and showing they care about this football club, 100 per cent.
“The quality can be better but I think, after the performance in the second half and the result on Saturday, I have seen a reaction.
“I would like to have seen more and seen more quality, but we have to understand where the players are psychologically at the moment, after the run that we’ve been on and what happened on Saturday and I thought a lot of them came out with a lot of credit tonight.
“We created half-chances without really looking like scoring but I thought it was an improvement and it gives us something we can build on.
“I don’t think it’s a lack of quality, it’s a lack of belief. I think the quality is there and it was there early in the season, it is a lack of belief.
“Football is a difficult game and when you go through difficult periods, it is hard to go out and show your best, so we have to keep supporting them, keep getting behind them and when those opportunities go in and the belief comes back, then we know how good these players can be.”
Shrewsbury boss Matt Taylor was pleased with what his side got from the game and said: “It was a hard-earned point.
“We have got a lot of injuries and everything that can go against us is going against us but we battled and harried and I can’t have any complaints.
“I have said to the players I will go with that every week. That is the minimum requirement.
“I am very happy with a clean sheet, the last away game we lost 4-0 and I thought we should have won the game as we had the better chances.
“I am really pleased with the result, we would have liked three points but the players are out on their feet. We don’t have a huge reserve of players at the moment, they keep giving effort and showing determination.
“The way our players battled for the shirt, for the club and for each other I am exceptionally happy with and you saw the appreciation from the supporters who have travelled a long way on a Tuesday night.”
The home side opened the scoring through Ben Williams early in the second half, but Luke Harris levelled five minutes later and Reece Cole won it from the penalty spot in the final minute.
“The players were outstanding after going a goal down and then coming back to win,” Caldwell said.
“The players worked it out in the end and scored a fantastic first goal.
“At half-time I thought that if it was a boxing match it would’ve been stopped.
“It’s three big points away from home. We now have five huge games and we’ll need everyone.
“The fans never stopped singing. It was great to hear them singing songs for different players and they got their reward.”
Exeter were the better side by some distance during a first half played in heavy rain.
Mo Eisa was close to scoring against his old club in the fourth minute, racing through on goal and slotting past Luke Southwood, only for his shot to trickle just wide, before Ryan Woods forced Southwood into a good save in the 22nd minute.
Cheltenham made a double substitution at half-time and also adapted their formation and it quickly paid off.
Will Ferry found Sean Long and his cross was nodded in by Williams six minutes after he joined the action.
Harris levelled for Exeter five minutes later, receiving Tom Carroll’s pass and applying an expert finish in front of the 1,522 travelling fans.
The hosts nearly regained their lead in the 73rd minute when Joe Nuttall’s header from Liam Sercombe’s cross was parried but Ferry could not force the ball over the line from close range.
And Exeter won it at the end when Lewis Freestone handled Ryan Woods’ shot in the box and Cole made no mistake from the spot.
Caldwell explained: “Reece had a back problem and didn’t train yesterday. He took a lot of pain killers and still barely made the bench.
“I’m not someone who designates a penalty taker. I believe if someone feels confident enough, they should take it.
“You wouldn’t want anyone else other than Reece to score an unstoppable penalty in the bottom corner.”
Cheltenham boss Darrell Clarke was not happy about some of the decisions that went against his team.
“I am not going to say a lot about the officials, but I’ve let my feelings be known on his performance,” Clarke said.
“What can the lad do if the ball is blasted against him from three yards away? It’s a ridiculous decision and I don’t get it.
“It’s just not acceptable to put in a performance like that and I am very, very disappointed for my boys.
“It was a good response in the second half after we changed things tactically and we looked a much better team in the second half so we are disappointed to come away with nothing.”
The FA launched an investigation in January into suspicious betting patterns around Oxford’s FA Cup defeat to Arsenal.
The betting patterns centred around a yellow card issued to Brown for a foul on Arsenal forward Eddie Nketiah in the 59th minute of the match.
However, Oxford released a statement saying Brown would not face any action over the matter, with the investigation now closed.
Brown told the U’s website: “It’s good to finally get it over and done with. I knew nothing about the allegations at all and had absolutely no involvement.
“To have that hanging over my head for two thirds of the season was hard to deal with but I fully understand that the FA needed to check all the evidence.
“I want to thank my family, and the club who have been totally supportive throughout this process. Now I just want to concentrate on my football and enjoy a successful new season.”
The Robins produced a stubborn defensive display at Fratton Park to pick up their first point of the season.
But it was the officials who stole the limelight when not one but two assistant referees limped off through injury.
Fourth official Stephen Brown took over in the first half, but he then had to be replaced early in the second as an appeal was issued for a qualified referee to volunteer, leading to 21 minutes of stoppage time.
Cheltenham arrived without a win or a goal to their name and it showed, with no shots on targets in the opening half.
Pompey struggled to break down a five-man defence and their two chances of note were in the seventh minute, when a Connor Ogilvie shot flew wide, and an 11th-minute effort from Joe Rafferty, whose shot from outside the box was saved by Luke Southwood.
Pompey came out fighting in the second half and Regan Poole thought he had scored with a header, but the ball hit a post and flew straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Not even the lengthy period of stoppage time could produce a goal.
The Robins produced a stubborn defensive display at Fratton Park to pick up their first point of the season.
But it was the officials who stole the limelight when not one but two assistant referees limped off through injury.
Fourth official Stephen Brown took over in the first half, but he then had to be replaced early in the second as an appeal was issued for a qualified referee to volunteer, leading to 21 minutes of stoppage time.
Cheltenham arrived without a win or a goal to their name and it showed, with no shots on targets in the opening half.
Pompey struggled to break down a five-man defence and their two chances of note were in the seventh minute, when a Connor Ogilvie shot flew wide, and an 11th-minute effort from Joe Rafferty, whose shot from outside the box was saved by Luke Southwood.
Pompey came out fighting in the second half and Regan Poole thought he had scored with a header, but the ball hit a post and flew straight into the goalkeeper’s arms.
Not even the lengthy period of stoppage time could produce a goal.
In a scrappy first half, Reading took a 34th-minute lead when Femi Azeez rifled home a superb left-footed shot from distance.
Sam Smith increased the lead five minutes into the second period and, with Wigan barely offering a threat, the hosts held on comfortably.
Reading had hit a moderate run of good form, with two wins and only one defeat in their previous five league matches.
Neither side impressed in a dour opening but Reading, after Azeez had already had one goalbound effort blocked, went ahead 11 minutes before the break.
A slick home move appeared to have broken down until Azeez latched on to the loose ball and thundered in a 20-yard rocket past keeper Sam Tickle.
Wigan should have levelled in first-half stoppage time but Charlie Wyke sent a free header wastefully wide from Liam Shaw’s excellent cross.
It proved costly, with Reading doubling their advantage early in the second period as Smith cleverly converted a precise centre from Amadou Mbengue.
Wigan offered little in response, apart from a Callum Lang free-kick that drifted narrowly wide, and Reading easily saw out the rest of the game.
The on-loan Brentford right-back volleyed into the roof of the net in the 17th minute after keeper Marko Marosi only got fingertips to Greg Leigh’s outswinging cross.
Shrewsbury were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Joe Anderson saw red for two yellow cards, having brought down Stevens for a second time in quick succession.
The visitors were immediately punished, Ciaron Brown knocking the ball in from close range in the 60th minute as they failed to clear Cameron Brannagan’s free kick.
Leigh rounded off a comfortable win in stoppage time, firing into an unguarded net from the left touchline after Marosi lost the ball in a moment of madness.
Recalled Oxford striker Mark Harris should have scored when he ran on to Ruben Rodrigues’ pass through the middle – but shot wide.
Shrews had fleeting moments and Chey Dunkley scooped an effort wide.
But the U’s dominated possession and Marosi had to beat out efforts from Brannagan and Marcus McGuane.
The O’s had dominated the first half without turning their superiority into goals and they were made to pay when Marriott struck 10 minutes into the second period to give boss Lee Johnson his maiden victory in charge.
With Orient firmly in control early on, Theo Archibald let fly twice, sending one shot wide and the other straight at Fleetwood keeper Jay Lynch.
Archibald supplied a cross for Ruel Sotiriou but his header was also directed into Lynch’s hands. Lynch then denied right-back Tom James, diving at full stretch to push the right-back’s shot from distance wide.
The closest they came to a goal was Joe Pigott’s header that narrowly cleared the bar.
Fleetwood showed signs of life late in the half but Ryan Broom’s shot, deflected wide by Brandon Cooper, was as close as they came to breaking the deadlock.
But Fleetwood came out for the second half a changed side and Junior Quitirna should have scored when Bosun Lawal sent in a terrific cross. Arriving late, Quitirna somehow put his finish wide. Moments later, Marriott was equally wasteful from a Josh Vela cross.
The breakthrough came when Vela released Quitirna on the left flank and he picked out Marriott in the centre for a well-taken first-time finish.
Quitirna was inches wide of sealing victory with a second goal 20 minutes from time, and though they had to survive the odd nervy moment over almost 10 added on minutes – and with Carl Johnston and Ethan Galbraith both being shown their second yellow cards – they held out.
Stockley struck after eight minutes and Coughlan hit the second 25 minutes from time. Broom added a late third as Fleetwood registered their first win in 15 games.
Broom created the opener, springing the offside trap and breaking down the right. His low ball into the box was cleared only as far as Stockley and he clinically finished for his seventh of the season.
Vale thought they had equalised when Jesse Debrah thumped in from outside the box but referee Peter Wright had spotted a handball in the build-up. The visitors also went close with Ethan Chislett’s free-kick which beat Jay Lynch but cleared the bar by inches.
The Cod Army had a fine chance to double the lead just before half-time but Harvey Macadam was blocked by a well-timed slide from Alex Iacovitti and, though he had a second bite at the cherry, his follow-up went into the side netting.
Just after the hour mark a fine effort from Bosun Lawal was tipped over by Connor Ripley.
The keeper could do nothing about Fleetwood’s second, when Lawal broke through and set up Coughlan for a close-range finish.
Broom sealed Town’s much-needed win in stoppage-time, drilling the ball through a crowd to complete Vale’s miserable afternoon.
Alex Mitchell’s early strike proved decisive for the visitors, before Toto Nsiala was sent off for the Cod Army in injury time at Highbury Stadium.
But a frustrated Johnson could not hide his disappointment at the officials failing to disallow Mitchell’s goal for offside after watching from the sidelines.
Johnson said: “I think we’ve been let down certainly from the officiating today. It was clearly offside, their goal.
“Certainly when we reviewed it pitchside, it was a cause of big frustration for us because we could see he was half a body at least offside and that’s the goalscorer.
“There was nobody else, that’s the guy that’s actually slotted the ball into the net.
“I think that was their first entry into our box that they’ve ended up scoring from and it happens too often that we don’t quite get enough distance on the first (ball), didn’t win the second and then this is the bit that’s difficult, because you know as a coach, you’re coaching your squad to squeeze up as the ball goes backwards, you go forwards.
“And it’s good defending at that point and it’s good defending from CJ (Carl Johnston) but for them to score and it to be a goal because of incompetence from the refereeing and officiating from the side, it’s a bitter pill to swallow.”
Lincoln interim boss Tom Shaw won his first game in charge of the Imps after Mark Kennedy’s midweek departure and felt it was nearly a perfect away win for his team.
He said: “It was not far off a perfect away performance in my opinion. I think there was bravery, confidence. A bit of swagger that we had in the first half with the ball was great to see.
“The second half is what you have to do sometimes. They’ve got some very good and seriously-talented players. We just dug in, we kept running.
“This is a very, very tough place to come and get a result and the boys have gone to the edge and beyond today with the physical output.
“When you commit so much to a performance and get an outcome like that, it’s a wonderful feeling for everyone, it’s one of the best feelings in the world at five o’clock.
“How they’ve carried themselves, conducted themselves and then that performance.
“We’ve recruited good young men and people and you can see in the performance, they never ever give up and they keep fighting and it’s a really great afternoon for this group of players and staff.”
Pilley was found guilty last week of two counts of fraudulent trading, fraud by false representation and being involved in the acquisition, retention, use or control of the proceeds of fraudulently mis-sold energy contracts.
He was remanded in custody and, following a further hearing at Preston Crown Court on Tuesday, told he will be sentenced on July 3.
Details of the offences have also been revealed by National Trading Standards.
At the heart of the fraud “was a web of interconnected companies that misled innocent small businesses across the UK” into signing long-term energy contracts between 2014 and 2016.
The fraudulent mis-selling included false or misleading statements about the length and price of the contract as well as competitor rates.
Charities including guest houses, children’s charities and companies providing support services for disabled people were among those targeted.
Annual turnover at two principal companies grew from £15million to £75million between 2010 and 2015. Turnover was over £100million by 2019. Combined profits were between £2million and £12million.
Three other individuals were also convicted.
Lord Michael Bichard, chairman of National Trading Standards, said: “Small business owners were deliberately deceived and locked in to contracts that were long-term and expensive, leaving many businesses struggling to pay the bills and sadly driving some business owners into making the difficult decision to cease trading.
“This is not a victimless crime – small business owners have lost vast sums of money to this fraud and many businesses have gone under.”
Pilley, 52, has been the chairman and owner of Fleetwood for 20 years and has overseen their rise from non-league status to the English Football League.
The club, currently in League One, have not commented further to a statement issued last week.
It read: “Fleetwood Town would like to reassure supporters the club will continue to operate as normal and there will be no risk to the future of the club.
“Charges are solely brought against Andy Pilley and not Fleetwood Town Football Club or any of the businesses attached to the group.
“Talks have already taken place with the EFL and an announcement regarding the next step will be made in due course.”
Terence Vancooten had scored a goal at each end as Stevenage came from behind to lead into stoppage time.
Jamie Reid had cancelled out Vancooten’s own goal, and the Guyana international made amends for his earlier error with a second goal.
But a handball by Dan Butler late on gave Ojo the chance to snatch a point, which he took from 12 yards.
Vancooten’s own goal came just six minutes in, when Vale striker James Wilson sent Gavin Massey clear on the right and his low ball across the area was turned in by the defender.
Vale almost doubled the lead six minutes later, with Massey slipping the ball inside to Wilson and he drilled a low shot that keeper Craig MacGillivray did well to push wide.
Ethan Chislett was guilty of a glaring miss on 20 minutes. Ghosting between two Boro defenders he met Conor Grant’s cross but mistimed his header and sent it high over the bar.
Stevenage drew level six minutes after the restart. Nick Freeman’s cross was met by Carl Piergianni, whose downward header bounced off the bar. Reid reacted first and tapped in his 15th of the season.
Just before the hour mark Stevenage led through Vancooten. Freeman pulled the ball back and, though surrounded by defenders, he was able to roll it inside the far post.
Boro’s Finley Burns had a fine chance to settle the match five minutes from time but he blazed over and then came the late drama as Vale grabbed a draw with Ojo’s spot-kick.
Jamie Reid, who bagged 14 goals last term, had seemingly secured three points for Boro with his double either side of Sean Maguire’s equaliser.
But Paul Simpson’s side headed back to Cumbria with a point thanks to Garner’s stoppage-time leveller.
Jokull Andresson produced a string of fine saves in the visitors’ goal but could not prevent Boro from taking the lead after 15 minutes, Reid firing home after Carl Piergianni had flicked on Dan Butler’s free-kick from the halfway line.
The hosts could have made it two soon afterwards as Jordan Roberts’ volley was kept out by Andresson.
Parity was restored five minutes late when Maguire tucked home Jack Armer’s upfield punt with a deflected shot and in the aftermath Stevenage assistant Paul Raynor was booked for dissent.
Andresson produced another fine stop to keep out Charlie McNeill’s effort on the half-hour mark and was at it again five minutes before the break as he denied Reid a second with his feet.
After the break, Piergianni met Butler’s corner only for his header to cannon off the bar.
The defender then went close again but was thwarted by an inspired Andresson.
Reid doubled his tally as he fired the hosts in front again with 16 minutes to go before being denied a hat-trick by the Icelandic keeper.
Those saves proved vital as Garner secured a share of the spoils with his last-gasp header, but Boro still went top after Leyton Orient scored a late winner at previous leaders Exeter.
Wigan came flying out of the traps and Thelo Aasgaard could have had a brace inside the opening 10 minutes.
First, the Norway Under-21 international saw a header well saved by Viljami Sinisalo before he saw a free-kick tipped round the post by the goalkeeper.
However, it was the visitors who took the lead with their first effort after 10 minutes when Mo Eisa’s long-range strike took a huge deflection off Charlie Goode which gave Sam Tickle no chance.
Luke Harris then fired just wide of the far post as Exeter continued to press before Martial Godo sent a free header for Wigan straight at Sinisalo.
Spurred on by a triple substitution at the break, Wigan threatened as on-loan QPR striker Charlie Kelman – one of the new January signings – saw a shot well saved by Sinisalo.
Stephen Humphrys then took over from Godo, but Wigan’s task looked forlorn when Jack Aitchison’s shot took another huge diversion off Scott Smith on its way past Tickle with 24 minutes to go.
Wigan pulled one back after 71 minutes when Kelman followed up well after Humphrys’ shot was parried by Sinisalo, but the visitors held on.
The Grecians dominated form the start but found Cheltenham obdurate opponents and it took until the 68th minute for the only goal of the game to arrive as substitute Caleb Watts marked his debut with the winner.
“It is never easy when a team come and set up the way that Cheltenham set up,” Caldwell said.
“They parked the bus very early and sat every man behind the ball and they wanted to counter-attack, which we thought they would do, but we didn’t think they’d be as defensive as they were.
“When you don’t break that down with the opportunities we created, then the frustration can come and you can start searching for something that isn’t there.
“We kept playing our way, we kept believing in what we were doing and we eventually got our rewards.
“We had an incredible moment just before with three chances inside the six-yard box and when they don’t go in, you wonder if it’s going to be your day.
“But all credit to the players, they kept going and Caleb, on his debut, scored a brilliant goal.
“I said to them at half-time to keep doing what we are doing, but do it quicker and more often and I said to bring the Big Bank into the game by playing faster and getting the ball in the box, corners, and creating momentum at that end because we see so often the ball gets sucked into that goal.”
Underwhelming Cheltenham are still searching for their first league goal of the season.
Manager Wade Elliott said: “I never felt uncomfortable apart from a 10-minute spell when they scored and we were trying to get the subs on.
“One or two of the players were flagging a little bit and we were desperately trying to make the subs.
“We knew they were going to have possession, but aside from that we never felt uncomfortable. We had enough opportunities on the counter and turnovers for it to fall our way rather than against us.
“We were trying to make changes and we were just 30 seconds the wrong side of it.
“I understand where we are at the minute and it puts extra emphasis on everything. It is difficult to say it was 10 minutes away from being a good performance.
“They are going to have to be bold enough to keep putting themselves in there, the number of times balls have gone into the box and we have had chances, our play is crying out for someone to get on the end of it.”
