Exeter manager Gary Caldwell hailed his side’s character as they climbed to seventh in the League One table with a hard-fought win over luckless Cambridge at St James Park.

Ryan Woods struck his first goal since November 2017 to earn City the win, but they were far from their best as energy-sapping away trips to Wigan and Leyton Orient in the past week showed.

“I thought we were very good in the first half and we need to understand that, in that moment against a team that is struggling, we need to put the game to bed and we should have been two or three up,” he said.

“Our final third play was a little bit loose and we weren’t as incisive as we wanted to be, but we had total control of the game. They came and set up 5-3-2, played very direct, so we had to deal with a lot of long balls, which I thought we dealt with really well.

“Some of our build-up was extremely good without doing enough with it and that is one area, along with other areas, we have to improve as a team.

“Second half, I thought we looked tired. A lot of players have played more minutes than we would have liked, but the character, the spirit and fight to keep a clean sheet and get another victory was incredible. It was a fantastic week from the players, time to recover now and time to address certain things that we have to get better at to keep that run of form going.”

For Cambridge, it was another hard luck story and they remain without a win this season in League One.

“How many hard luck stories can we have?” bemoaned manager Garry Monk. “I thought the first half was quite even, but their goal, there was a clear foul on our ‘keeper and I am bemused by some of the decisions. I don’t know what else you need for it to be a foul, he is being dragged down by his shirt. If I say anything, I’ll get in trouble, but I think it’s glaringly obvious and it’s bemusing.

“I thought the first half was even, the second half was dominant. All the play was in their half, but we just couldn’t find that breakthrough. A lot of endeavour, a lot of good attitude and hard work and energy. I can’t fault the boys on that front.

“The flip side is that you would expect to see a team in disarray, disorganised, a lack of energy and get beaten off the park, given our results, but I really don’t feel that’s the way at all. We lack in certain moments, but we feel hard done by. It has to change, I know that, but we are doing everything we can to turn it round.”