Taylor lauds Exeter character as Grecians salvage point from three goals down

Posted Sunday, December 22, 2019 by PA

Exeter manager Matt Taylor was delighted with the character his side showed in fighting back from a three-goal deficit to draw 3-3 with Walsall in League Two.

Exeter found themselves three goals down inside the 31 minutes as Pierce Sweeney put through his own goal before Caolan Lavery and Josh Gordon struck for the Saddlers.

Ryan Bowman’s immediate response to Gordon’s goal gave City hope and the former Motherwell striker’s 41st-minute effort made it 3-2 before Lee Martin’s strike levelled things up midway through the second half.

Despite being in the ascendancy, Exeter slackened off a bit in the final quarter, although they did have chances to claim victory, with Walsall looking to hit on the counter-attack and win it themselves, but neither side could find a decider.

“It was a crazy game, we were 3-0 down, but we were 3-0 down for a reason,” Taylor said. “I am absolutely delighted to have got something out of the game, that doesn’t happen too often in football.

“Strangely, I was watching the Yeovil highlights from here two and a half years ago. The club are doing a top 10 games of the decade and I was sat watching those highlights (when City came from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 with three goals in the last two minutes.)

“It felt like we had goals in us today, but we needed to be tougher and to compete more to start with.

“We needed to be more solid in our shape and play more simple football in different conditions and once we started to do that, we looked like we could hurt them very often.

“I am disappointed with the start and I will deal with that privately, but the character we showed to get back in the game was absolutely huge.

“I really thought Lee Martin, Ryan Bowman and Nicky Law – the senior players – dragged the team through. Lee’s energy, Ryan’s physicality and Nicky’s quality just showed to me their desperation for this team to be successful and I need other players to stand up and grow for the team.”

Walsall saw their unbeaten league run stretch to five matches – having previously suffered six defeats on the trot – but it could have been so much better for the Saddlers.

Manager Darrell Clarke said: “We are disappointed, let’s not kid ourselves. We were 3-0 up, but you have to give Exeter credit – that is why they are in the top seven at the minute.

“We get ourselves into a very healthy position and our defending at the back end of the first half was shocking. We regrouped at half-time, the tactical change helped the team and their goal came from a bit of fortune.

“We had chances at the end of the game and it was disappointing not to get three points.

“You get blinded by chances going in the back of the net. We did well for 30 minutes but we haven’t opened them up and played six passes and then get a goal. What we did well was to finish our chances.”