I have a confession to make. My Uncle is an Exeter fan, and he comes up for the games, and yesterday, at halftime, he asked if I was heading for a drink in the fan zone. Normally, I don’t go out of the ground, but I see my Uncle once every year or two, so I went for a drink and didn’t return.
I watched the game on the screen in the old Centre Spot bar (not sure what it is called now) and so didn’t miss anything, but I feel a bit of a fraud. I’ve criticised people for going to the game and not watching in the stands, but I have done exactly what I’ve battered others for. Maybe it’s that end-of-season apathy, I don’t know. Anyway, it was interesting to know that Keith (my Uncle) also thought Exeter should be down to ten men.
As we dominated the first half, we dominated the second as well. It felt almost inevitable the game would be 0-0. It was my prediction from the outset, and while we played well, I saw nothing that was going to change my mind during the 90 minutes. The Grecians dug in and defended well, and as much as we tried, we just couldn’t break them down.
They do have Joe Whitworth to thank for that. He pulled off a great stop from Jovon just before the hour mark after good work by Dom Jeffries. It’s weird talking up the game because we really did everything right and yet it’s a 0-0 draw. Jovon looks like a player with confidence at the moment, and his sweetly struck strike perhaps could have delivered us the much-needed goal. I think if we had got the first goal and they’d had to come out and get at us, we might have had two or three. Our xG for the game was 1.69, meaning we perhaps should have scored at least one. If we needed the points for a promotion push, maybe I’d be a little more upset, but it’s really not worth getting worked up about at this stage of the season.
I thought we always looked an attacking threat, always looked like we might be able to produce something. James Collins is never to be underestimated, and while he didn’t score, his presence up top has just added something to our game. We have to make sure he stays fit next season as he could be huge for us. Another I think we might see a bit of next season is Erik Ring – he drew a save from Whitworth with a decent strike, and while he’s taken time to settle and been unlucky with injuries, he’s got the sort of qualities I think will cement him as a first-team player.
My Man of the Match was probably Reeco Hackett. I really like him behind James Collins, and like Makama, he seems to have found some confidence lately. He’s out of contract in the summer, but I suspect we may have an option for him, and if we do, I can see us exercising that option. He can play ten, but if we’re 4-2-3-1 next season, he can play wide as well, and that sort of versatility will be important.
I suppose me dancing around the second half needs to stop, and I need to drop onto the events of the 91st minute. Exeter finally had an attack, a rare foray into our area, spearheaded by Magennis (who could have been sent off, remember). He crosses for Cox, who shanks it to Ryan Trevitt. He now has a shot, and that hits Angus MacDonald, apparently on the arm. It drops for Cox or McMillan, both onside in the area, and one of them scores.
Is it a fair goal? I think the handball is harsh; it certainly wasn’t as blatant as, say, the penalty in the first half. I’m sure the referee isn’t trying to even things up; he’s doing the job he’s paid to do. I’m not actually 100% convinced that it’s just the handball either – as the shot is struck against MacDonald, there’s a little hint that McMillan (the guy who handballed in the first half) could be just a fraction offside.
Honesty shout – if that goal is disallowed and it’s us that scores it, I’d be pretty hacked off. Did Exeter deserve to win the game? No, they probably didn’t really deserve a point, but I’ve seen goals stand with far greater infringements than that. However, for Kevin Nicholson to fume about it costing them a win is a little blinkered – had a truly blatant handball been punished in the first half, they’d have been 1-0 down early, and the game would have been wholly different. Still, it’s nice to see a manager with little to play for this season getting worked up.
Boy, did Gary Caldwell get worked up. He couldn’t do the post-match presser because Bourne sent him off in those crazy dying moments. He was incandescent with rage at the fourth official and he paid the price. In fairness, had the goal stood, they’d have turned in the perfect away performance – frustrated us, rode their luck once or twice and then smashed and grabbed. But it didn’t, so it wasn’t.
We might not have had a goal in two encounters with the Grecians, but we have had three red cards, two of them for staff. I suppose when there’s not a huge amount to play for, that sort of drama can keep fans happy to have got their money’s worth.
I’m being a little dismissive of the point, and that’s perhaps wrong. We could have had three, should have had three, but almost got none. However, we move onto 50 points, which is usually considered safety, and in a season where we’ve had a big loss of form, battled some huge clubs with big budgets, and been unlucky with injuries, I think that’s a success. We’ve not conceded now in open play in more than 360 minutes (including stoppage time, etc), and in that time, we’ve scored nine.
Sadly, football isn’t always about promotion and relegation, and not every game tells us something profound or insightful about who we are and where we’re going. What I can glean from yesterday is that we’re a decent League One side with the building blocks in place to hopefully kick on a little next season. With safety all but assured, the season might just peter out, but the shackles of expectation have come off as well, and I have a sneaky feeling we might just have a decent run through April.
If we do, then we might be the side note in the promotion story at Huddersfield, Charlton, Stockport, Wycombe, Bolton and Wrexham, but we could be a significant side note that ensures we face at least four, if not five, of those sides next season.
Up the Imps.
Widget not in any sidebars
You must be logged in to post a comment.