City held to a goalless draw

Match Report: Exeter City 0-0 Cambridge United

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell recently promised ‘at least one striker in the building’ in the January transfer window, and following a dull nil, nil draw, where his side seemed entirely void of any goal-scoring ability- this would have done little to change his plans. 

Despite a completely fruitless first hour or so, City created a few opportunities in front of goal, albeit mostly from hopeful crosses swung in from the flanks, but none of the various Exeter players on the end of good balls into the box could finish, and there is a definite feeling around the club that an out-and-out number nine [striker] is needed to ward off relegation. 

Both sides were initially cautious, and understandably so given that a loss for either team would have gifted valuable points to a fellow relegation contender. Neither set of players came forward in any considerable numbers, and the game was played almost exclusively in the midfield, where fouls punctuated the play. 

There were more bookings issued by the referee (4) than shots (0) in the first half, with most of those cards given for build-ups of scrappy trips and shirt pulls. 

City winger Ilmari Niskanen found himself in behind the Cambridge United defence, but their centre-back Danny Andrews pulled him down just outside the box with what would perhaps have been a straight red card- had the angle not been so tight and another Cambridge defender not been vaguely between the Niskanen and United keeper Jack Stevens. 

Chances were at least created in the second half, as City managed to keep the ball for longer spells, even if the majority of passes involved were sideways or backward. Exeter’s academy product Sonny Cox headed against the angle of post and bar after his teammate Wildschut fired into a block of Cambridge bodies from close range. 

Still, the fact that such golden opportunities went unfinished [alongside many more half chances] again highlighted the Grecian's need for a proven and trusted striker to capitalise on spells of dominance in games. 

Cambridge’s Monserrat international Lyle Taylor tried a spectacular scissor kick from range but sent the ball just high and wide off the target. The visitors moved gradually deeper, but nearly stole the points late on as full-back Liam Bennett sent a curling shot from distance in the direction of the top right-hand corner, which City’s Finnish goalkeeper Vils Sinisalo parried just over the bar. 

Exeter’s new signing at centre-back Ben Purrington thought he had a fairy-tale winner on his home debut, for his boyhood club, with a header that seemed to be looping under the bar. 

But Stevens denied him with a display of elite athleticism to leap up and hook the ball around the post. The full-time score was Exeter City nil, Cambridge United nil.