Below-New Par Performance But Valuable Point

As the campaign resumed after the international break the abiding feeling, for me at least, was that our change of form and unbeaten run may have encouraged the view that the season was all but over - but that another win or two were still required if we were to avoid getting sucked back into it all. And there was no easy way to predict how this one might go, with Exeter having won their last two and having had if anything an even more mixed season than us, being up then down, now back up.

In that context, coming away with a point was not a bad outcome. The less positive slant is that for the second game in a row we put in a performance below the levels achieved when we were up against teams at the top. One or two may have been excused for being a little jaded after international trips, but if they needed a rest that should have been clear ahead of the game. In truth, with us off our A game and Exeter not really able to take advantage, we were served up a pretty average third division match low on quality. Either side could have won it, as against Fleetwood neither did enough to deserve to and neither can feel aggrieved at the outcome. They led for much of the game, we might have equalised just before the break, they might well have extended their lead, we drew level late on with an own goal, finally we might have won it at the death.

The team showed a change in central defence, with Hector in from the start to accompany Thomas and Gillesphey and no sign of Edmunds-Green. Otherwise it was as against Fleetwood, although changes on the bench saw Ness and Edun added, as well as Aneke, with Asiimwe and LuaLua not making the squad (and no sign of Wickham or the other Watson). No obvious reasons for the changes, but we’ve not been at the training ground.

I missed the first 10 minutes (would you believe the French work on Good Friday?) but by all accounts they were well on top, putting us under pressure from the off. And before long they had the lead. Exeter were allowed to recycle the ball down their right side and their guy had time to weigh up where to put the cross. He chose an area just beyond our central three it seemed, because Watson was left to jump against old boy Purrington. He won the contest and his header deflected off Watson past a wrongfooted Isted.

It took us a while to work our way into the game, but to the players’ credit they did manage to even things up progressively through the first half, without actually creating more than half-chances. A good Small run down the left ended with their keeper making a fairly routine save, and a little later a Hector long ball was brought down by Watson and his pull back for Anderson resulted in a shot decently parried.

After the opening period we’d denied Exeter any further real sights on goal and just before the break we did come close to levelling things up. Dobson received the ball on the left side and seemed to try to send it back across goal. The ball took a deflection off their defender, which sent it past their keeper and seemingly into an empty net before Purrington spoiled things for us again by managing a last-ditch clearance. The replays at half-time couldn’t provide an angle to tell if the ball had crossed the line and without the technology neither we, nor the officials, could be sure it had.

Jones clearly felt we had underperformed in the first half as a change was made at the break, with Ladapo coming on for Anderson, May dropping more into the hole. Ladapo made a difference initially, as did May in the deeper role, but nothing decisive resulted, just more half-chances, a Purrington block of a May effort matched by a decent save by Isted from a snap-shot inside the box. A further change for us was made just after the hour, with Aneke replacing Kanu. But shortly after that Exeter had the chance that with hindsight might have proven decisive. A simple enough move down their left and a ball squared found a guy on his own in the box. Perhaps he had more time than he wanted as he squandered the chance with a scuffed shot. Really should have scored, or at least make Isted work.

On 70 minutes it was Edun for Gillesphey, with a change to more of a 4-4-2 to try to press for an equaliser. But his first involvement was to divert an Aneke shot over the bar. As desperation was setting in, Bakinson and Campbell were introduced for Dobson and Small. And with four minutes left on the clock we did draw level, with a dollop of good fortune. A cross in from the right and Aneke outmuscled his marker to get to it first, only to put in a header that was going well wide before it hit another defender in the face and was neatly diverted down and past their keeper. It was a fitting way for the scores to be levelled as neither side had really been able to create decent chances through good play.

Now Exeter had to go in search of another goal and we had a line-up which ruled out pulling up the shutters, so the final period (with seven minutes of stoppage time) did produce opportunities at both ends. And of course right at the end a couple of flicks on a ball forward saw May released through on goal. He opted to go around the keeper but the angle then proved to be just too tight and instead of producing a winner for us his effort came back off the post. Couldn’t have wished for a better chance to take all three points, but we can’t say we would have deserved that.

The point already looks valuable, given the wins for Port Vale, Cheltenham, Cambridge and Reading, plus the point for Burton. Psychologically a defeat would have felt like being pushed back into the mire. As it is, the results served as a reminder that there is still work to be done. If we play as well as we did against Bolton, Portsmouth and Derby we will get enough points in the final six games to not just survive but end the season well. If we perform to the standard as against Fleetwood and Exeter there’s still a real doubt.

A look at the stats reveals that over the past 20 years 48 has been the average total for the side avoiding the drop from League One. But 50 is not unusual and on a couple of occasions it’s been 51. Getting five points from our final six games ought not to be beyond us, but stranger things have happened. And we start the final chapter with a tough one at home to Stevenage, who obviously badly want the points, then welcome Barnsley, who might be already mentally preparing for the play-offs but clearly aren’t a bad side. And the final games include ones against teams below us, Cambridge and Shrewsbury, which if we have already faltered could become six-pointers. You wouldn’t put the risk of relegation now at more than perhaps 10%, but that’s still a material risk. So can we please just play out of our skins on Monday and turn over Stevenage, just to stop any worries creeping back in.