Exeter City 0 – 0 Oxford United
In front of the lowest crowd of the season so far at St James’ Park, The Grecians battled to breakdown a resilient Oxford defence. The game was entertaining, with chances for both sides. Despite the end to end action, the game ended 0-0, the same scoreline as when the two team met in September at the Kassam.
The Grecians had slightly the better of the first half. A well struck volley from Arron Davies struck the bar early in the half , although chances were few and far between. In the second half, Oxford’s strikers Rigg and Constable proved a nuisance to the Exeter defence, however the introduction of Matt Grimes and Alan Gow injected energy in to the Exeter line up. The final twenty minutes produced numerous chances for Exeter with the best opportunity falling to skipper Danny Coles who’s headed effort from six yards out produced a fantastic save from Oxford shot stopper Ryan Clarke in the dying seconds. Oxford though held firm and maintain their unbeaten away record this season.
Exeter City
| Artur Krysiak A solid performance from the City Keeper | 7.5 |
| Danny Butterfield Didn’t do a lot wrong, distribution could have been better | 6.0 |
| Danny Coles Improved in the second half. Should have scored at end of the game. | 6.0 |
| Pat Baldwin Solid defensive display. | 6.0 |
| Craig Woodman The left back played well on his first game back in the side. | 6.5 |
| Liam Sercombe Impressive display. Kept running throughout until the end. | 8.0 |
| Matt Gill The holding midfield played well until injury forced him off. | 5.5 |
| Scot Bennett Played holding midfield until the introduction of Grimes when he dropped backed to centre half. Look solid in both positions. | 7.5 |
| Arron Davies Worked hard down the left. Was unlucky his early shot cannoned off the bar. | 6.5 |
| Jimmy Keohane Slow start but created chances and played well in the second half. | 7.5 |
| Tom Nicholls Worked hard with little service up front. Ran himself into the ground. | 7.0 |
Substitutions
| Alan Gow Made a difference in the last 20. Created a few chances. | 6.5 |
| Matt Grimes Introduced for the injured Gill, battled hard and passed the ball well. | 7.0 |
Oxford United
| Ryan Clarke Although not called into action often, Clarke made a few impressive saves. | 7.0 |
| Tom Newey Defended well throughout. Won every header. | 7.0 |
| Johnny Mullins A solid defensive display from the Oxford captain. | 7.0 |
| Michael Raynes Came off at half time, played well in the first half.. | 5.0 |
| David Hunt Good dead ball delivery. Showed versatility when moved to centre half when Raynes departed. | 7.0 |
| Josh Ruffels Quiet display for the left sided midfielder. Contributed little. | 5.0 |
| Danny Rose Decent delivery form the corners from Rose. Played well in the centre of the park. | 7.0 |
| Nicky Wroe A deflected shot in the first half nearly caught out the Exeter keeper. Otherwise quiet. | 6.0 |
| Sean Rigg A couple of good efforts on goal. Supported Constable well. | 6.0 |
| James Constable Created chances and put himself about. A constant nuisance to the Exeter defence. | 6.5 |
| Deane Smalley Created problems with his pace against the Exeter defence. | 7.0 |
Substitutions
| Matt Bevans Filled in at right back. Solid display | 6.0 |
| Scott Davies Cameo display from Davies in the dying seconds. | 3.0 |
Man of the Match
| Liam Sercombe – A tireless performance from Sercombe who not only created chances but also supported the right back throughout. | 8.0 |
