Accrington manager James Beattie spoke of his pride after watching his side boost their chances of survival with a 1-0 win at Exeter.

Kayode Odejayi bundled home the only goal of a dour game on the stroke of half time from Lee Molyneux’s corner kick to inflict a 10th home defeat of the season on Exeter.

“The players may surprise a lot of people but they don’t surprise me,” he said. “They never know when to lie down and stop and they are a tremendous bunch. They make me very proud to be their manager.

“I thought the goal was a great finish. I have told him [Odejayi] he has done some excellent work outside the box and he has got to get himself between the sticks. That is what he has done. It is not a pretty goal but it secured us an important three points.

“This wasn’t a spectacle and both sides struggled to play on the pitch. The players make me smile and make me proud and they were tremendous. They were running on empty but they still kept running.

“But they are doing themselves and the club proud.”