Skip to main content Skip to site footer
Match Reports

Match Report | Exeter City 0-0 Shrewsbury Town

14 February 2023

Match Reports

Match Report | Exeter City 0-0 Shrewsbury Town

14 February 2023

Shrewsbury Town made it four away games unbeaten as they picked up a point in an end-to-end game at Exeter City on Tuesday night.

Town's best chance fell to Tom Bayliss early in the game. The 23-year-old beat his man in the box but his lobbed effort clattered the crossbar in agonising fashion.

The host's best chance fell to Alex Hartridge, with the centre-back forcing Marko Marosi into a brilliant save from close range.

Steve Cotterill named an unchanged line-up for Tuesday night's game against The Grecians.

Luke Leahy and Taylor Moore joined Chey Dunkley in a back three, continuing to stand in for the suspended Tom Flanagan and injured Matt Pennington respectively.

The hosts made four changes to their line-up against Burton Albion at the weekend, with Jonathan Grounds, Kevin McDonald, Josh Key and Joe White replacing Sam Nombe, Cheick Diabate, Rekeem Harper and Jake Caprice.

The hosts also switched up their formation and opted for a 4-4-1-1 with Joe White sat just behind the striker, Fulham loanee Jay Stansfield.

A nervy opening ten minutes for Salop almost ended in them opening the scoring with their first foray forward.

Bayliss collected a cross and beat his marker with one swift touch to find himself one-on-one with Gary Woods in the Exeter net.

But, with the ball bouncing, Bayliss' lob smacked against the crossbar from six yards out, denying the attacking midfielder a seventh goal of the season.

The next big chance of the game fell to the hosts in the 26th minute of the match. 

Kevin McDonald picked up the ball on the edge of the Salop box and unleashed a wonderful curling effort.

Fortunately for Town, Marosi was equal to it, diving across his goal to palm the ball well clear of his net.

Shrewsbury responded with a fantastic strike of their own just five minutes later courtesy of Elliott Bennett.

Standing over a free-kick, 25 yards out and just to the left of goal, Bennett wrapped his right foot around the ball and sent it inches wide of the near post.

In what had been an end-to-end first half where the hosts had enjoyed the majority of the possession, Exeter went close again when Demetri Mitchell broke on the counter.

The left-midfielder drove from the half-way line to the edge of Town's box before blasting his shot wide of the mark in what was the last action of the half.

Exeter continued to enjoy possession after the game restarted, but it was Town who created the first chance of the second period.

With a swift passing move that saw Town switch the ball across the edge of the final third, Christian Saydee fed the ball to Bennett who tried to put the ball across goal through a tangle of bodies.

Fortunately for the hosts, it was a body wearing red and white that got to it first and the ball was cleared.

Exeter came close when they flashed a cross through the six-yard box but it was Salop who again threatened the goal when Bayliss curled an effort just over the bar from the edge of the box in the 53rd minute.

After picking up what looked like a groin injury at first glance, Taylor Moore was forced to retire from the game, with Rekeil Pyke coming into the fray.

Tom Bloxham also replaced Christian Saydee at the same time.

This led to Salop changing their formation to a 4-3-3 with the new substitutes on the left and right wing respectively.

Both sides went close in the next three minutes. Bayliss saw another effort curl just over the bar while Hartridge forced Marosi into another brilliant save when he sent a powerful header goalward from point-blank range.

Exeter continued to create chances as the game approached its close. But Town held firm to make it four games unbeaten on the road.

Teams:

Salop XI:

Marosi (GK), Moore (Pyke, 71'), Dunkley, Leahy (C), Shipley, Bennett, Winchester, Phillips, Bayliss (Street, 90+3'), Saydee (Bloxham, 71'), Bowman

Unused subs:

Burgoyne, Bailey, Barlow

Exeter XI:

Woods (GK), Hartridge, Mitchell (Nombe, 81'), Collins, Stansfield (Harper, 90+3'), White (Scott, 59'), Key, Aimson (C), Kite, Grounds (Sweeney, 90+3'), McDonald (Caprice, 81')

Unused subs:

Sparkes, Chauke

Bookings: Elliott Bennett

Attendance: 5,661

Away: 204

Generic-Web-Banner-Home-22-23.jpg


Advertisement block

iFollow Next Match Tickets Account