Exeter City played host to Walsall in League Two on Saturday, the match ending 0:0 after ninety minutes. The hosts sit sixteenth in the table with five points from five games, while Walsall occupy fifth place on nine. Nothing changed in either position, though the result extended Walsall's unbeaten run to five matches.
And here's the thing about matches like this — the goals rarely come from the big chances. By then, both sides had tried to work something in behind. Exeter managed three shots on target from eleven attempts inside the penalty area, Walsall two from four. The statistics show possession favoured the visitors at 56 per cent, but Exeter generated more attacks overall with ninety-seven to eighty-seven.
The substitutions started in the second half, with Gwion Edwards and Josh Gordon both coming on for Exeter in the sixty-second minute. Antony Evans replaced someone for Walsall at sixty-five, then Sonny Cox arrived for the hosts at seventy-one. The game opened up a little after that, with Walsall earning a yellow card for Elicha Ahui in seventy-seven before Exeter brought on Jake Doyle Hayes and L. Woodhouse at eighty.
Courtney Alphonso Clarke, Charlie Crew, and Elicha Ahui — who was substituted himself at ninety-four — completed the changes. Both goalkeepers made only a handful of saves, two for the home side, three for the visitors. Neither team committed an offside, and there were no red cards despite the fouls, sixteen for Exeter and twenty for Walsall.
Walsall earned eight corners to Exeter's four, which tells you something about territorial pressure. The hosts completed 218 passes from 310 attempts, while Walsall managed 301 from 394. Neither side shot with much accuracy — 23 and 25 per cent respectively — and the blocked shots were minimal, four and three.
The result leaves Exeter two points above the drop zone, though the gap to Walsall at fifth is four points. Both teams came into this match with recent draws, Exeter with a 1:1 at Barnet and Walsall with a 2:2 against Crewe. The stalemate suits neither side particularly, but at least Walsall keep their unbeaten record intact.
