Exeter City: Bolton Wanderers thorn helps eliminate Luke Harris blow – View | OneFootball

Early signs suggest Kamari Doyle can be a big upgrade on Luke Harris for Exeter City.

The king Is dead, long live the king.

That’s a sentiment shared by many Exeter City fans after the weekend’s 2-0 win at Bolton Wanderers and Kamari Doyle's match-winning display.

Not only was it an unexpected result and a very solid away performance, but the win slayed the ghosts of last year’s visit to the Toughsheet which ended in a shambolic 7-0 humbling for the Grecians.

With that monkey off the team and manager Gary Caldwell’s backs, everyone can look forward with some optimism and there were lots of positives from the game.

Looking dangerous from set pieces is a new theme for City this year – a crucial development that will help the Grecians pick up vital points in what looks a really tough League One this year.

The key man in imposing that danger from dead balls was City's Luke Harris replacement, Doyle.

Josh Magennis flicked a whipped Doyle corner on at the near post for Millenic Alli to force the ball over the line for the second, though it’s unclear whether the Irishman really scored it or if it was an own goal.

It was a similar goal to Tristan Crama’s opener in the 2-1 Northampton Town and is incredibly hard to stop if executed properly.

City have now scored in 17 straight games which is no mean feat for a side that apparently has no proper goalscorer.

There was also another clean sheet for Joe Whitworth and his protectors which was obviously helped by the on-loan Crystal Palace man having a blunder-free game.

All positives, all important factors, but the thing that stood out the most was Doyle announcing himself to City fans and followers of the EFL in general.

His stunning free-kick was widely shared on socials and it is an element of his game that had been advertised upon his arrival with the Brighton man described as James Ward-Prowse’s apprentice following his time at Southampton.

Not to alarm anyone, but he takes them right-footed as well and he pinged in the corner for City's second with his right after scoring the first from 25 yards with his left.

A potential selection headache has emerged as he replaced Reece Cole in the starting lineup at the weekend.

Given Cole’s slow start to the season, it seems that Doyle might now start ahead of last season’s top scorer for a while to come, though Caldwell confirmed that Cole had missed much of the week’s training with an injury.

It wasn’t just the set pieces and that excellent goal that caught the eye, but he also looked silky on the ball with an ability to go past people and pick a pass as well.

He worked his socks off and did look a bit knackered when replaced by Cole on the hour mark which is understandable given the effort put in and the lack of 90-minute men’s matches he has under his belt throughout his career so far.

Gary Caldwell impressed with Kami Doyle

After the game, he said: “It was a dream [debut] to be fair, we got the three points and I managed to get myself on the scoresheet.

“I’ve been working on free kicks and hopefully I can continue to contribute with them. Milli wanted to take it but I back my own ability. As it was on that side, I felt it was good for my left foot. I knew before I took it exactly where I was going to go [to celebrate] so it was nice.

“They [the management] wanted us to aim for that front post [on corners] and then Josh did well to get the flick on and it was in. It was the perfect start to the second half.

“I haven’t started a game in a while so it was a bit tiring, but the lads did really well, everyone grafted and defended so well. The main thing is we got three points.”

Doyle was a constant thorn in the Trotters’ side as he showed as much defensive and battling quality as he did talent on the ball. His manager was understandably delighted with the 19-year-old’s impact.

He said: “He can do it with both feet as well, that’s the talent he has. You can see he’s taking corners left feet, right feet. I thought he had real good moments, it was his Football League debut so he will only get better for that.

“We are delighted to have him because he’s a real talent and he will give us more moments like that, I’m sure.”

Caldwell and his staff have been credited with good work in the transfer market this summer and Doyle looks to be right up there in terms of quality recruitment.

There was a fear Fulham’s Luke Harris would be a huge miss for this City team after he joined League One rivals Birmingham City on loan for this season but, based on the limited look we’ve had at Doyle so far, he could be an upgrade - especially if he can consistently deliver bustling displays with quality and maintain his excellent set-piece delivery.