When Sheffield Wednesday manager Gary Megson entered the media room at Hillsborough on the last day of last season, he raised more than a few eyebrows with his angry and disparaging comments regarding Exeter City.

He had just seen his side beaten 2-1, City manager Paul Tisdale had taken to the field for the briefest of cameo roles, and the Exeter fans in attendance mocked the more illustrious Owls with chants of “taking the mick” – to put it politely. With eyes bulging and a reddened face to match his copper hair, Megson expressed his disgust and fury at having just lost “to a pub team”.

Those words are somewhat prophetic at Exeter now and are always mentioned in the build-up to when the two sides go head-to-head, as they did on Saturday. This time, there was no cameo from the gaffer and no chants of taking the mick. But the scoreline was the same, with Exeter again winning 2-1 courtesy of two goals of the highest quality.

Goals have been hard to come by for Exeter of late and, when Jermaine Johnson smashed Wednesday in front with a fine strike on 65 minutes, it was hard to see a way back for the Grecians.

But just three minutes later, Billy Jones ended a seven-hour, 11-minute wait for an Exeter goal as he curled a superb free-kick around the Wednesday wall and into the bottom corner.

It was a great strike, a fine free-kick. But with six minutes remaining, David Noble bettered it with one of his own. His swerving effort seemed destined to head for St James’ Road, but the ball swerved and dipped and crashed into the back of the net via the inside of Stephen Bywater’s upright.

Noble’s strike – his third of the campaign – was worthy of winning any game and, after the hard luck stories of recent weeks, Exeter deserved to take something from this game.

Their industry and effort was admirable and, while they lacked that bit of quality to get something from games in recent weeks, they had it in the shape of their free-kick experts at the weekend.

Tisdale’s side showed two changes to the one that had lost at Bournemouth on Tuesday. Richard Duffy missed out with a niggling injury, while Richard Logan dropped to the bench. Jake Taylor and Guillem Bauza came in as Tisdale switched from a 5-3-2 to a 4-3-3 system.

City needed every member of the starting XI to be at the top of their game against a Wednesday side lying second in npower League One. To a man, they were, and that was perhaps typified by the brilliant stop Artur Krysiak made on 13 minutes. John Bostock’s in-swinging cross was met by Miguel Angel Llera and his effort seemed destined for the top corner until the Pole in goal flew to his right and diverted the ball over the crossbar.

The Grecians were proving to be more than a match for the Owls and it was by no means all one-way traffic. Daniel Nardiello had the ball in the back of the net, but his joy was curtailed with the linesman flagging for offside and, with the game approaching half-time, Exeter had numerous shots either scuffed or blocked by Wednesday’s back-line.

Still, the half-time whistle was met with welcome cheers from the St James’ Park faithful. Megson, unhappy with what he had witnessed, withdrew the anonymous Bostock, regarded as the next big thing when he left Crystal Palace for Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2008, and now on loan at Hillsborough.

The deadlock was finally broken – and, for the third time in succession, it came with Exeter making a substitution. Bauza’s number was raised, which led to a return for Liam Sercombe and, when play restarted, a long Lewis Buxton throw was cleared to Johnson, lurking on the edge of the Exeter penalty box.

He let the ball come to him, positioned himself and rifled a fine shot that flew in, with Krysiak rooted to the spot.

But, three minutes later, it was 1-1. Exeter were perhaps lucky to be awarded a free-kick when Nardiello was up-ended 20 yards out and slightly to the right of centre. Jones had the perfect angle to curl a sublime low shot around the wall and into the bottom corner.

That goal gave Exeter a huge amount of confidence and belief. Nardiello forced Bywater into a stop before the livewire striker was upended again, this time 25 yards-plus from goal six minutes from time. Noble decided he would have it and there were audible groans when the ball looped high into the air. The ball dipped and swerved, caught the angle of post and bar and nestled in the far corner.

It was a goal that would have graced the grandest stage. The Grecians saw out the six minutes left with alarming ease as the promotion-chasers gave little evidence of quality.

Exeter were deserving of their success and, like Leeds two years ago and Wednesday and Charlton last year, it was another notable scalp for City. And that’s not bad for a pub team.

Exeter City (4-3-3): Krysiak; Tully, Archibald-Henville, Coles (Duffy 90), B Jones; Noble, Bennett, Dunne; Taylor, Bauza (Sercombe 64), Nardiello (O’Flynn 84). Substitutes (not used): Pidgeley (gk), Logan.

Goals: Jones 68, Noble 84.

Booking: Nardiello.

Sheffield Wednesday (4-4-2): Bywater; Buxton, Batth, Llera (R Jones 66), Bennett; Prutton, Bostock (Lines h-t), Semedo, J Johnson; Madine (M Jones 74), O’Grady. Substitutes (not used): Weaver (gk), Morrison.

Goal: J Johnson 63.

Booking: J Johnson.

Referee: F Graham (Essex).

Attendance: 5,555.

Yeovil Town’s League One home game against Scunthorpe United was called off on Saturday morning, when the Huish Park pitch was deemed to be frozen and unplayable.