Assistant Wayne Carlisle delighted to welcome back Matt Taylor as Exeter held

Posted Sunday, August 28, 2022 by PA

Exeter welcomed the return of manager Matt Taylor for their goalless draw with Accrington.

Grecians boss Taylor missed the midweek game at Gillingham after the birth of his child and, while he was in the dugout at the Wham Stadium, he rushed off straight after the final whistle without speaking to the media.

Assistant manager Wayne Carlisle said: “It was good to have Matt back. He is a colleague but he is firstly a friend and it was great he was back.

“We primed the lads as to what to expect from Accrington and they stuck to the task really well and then came strong at the end.

“It wasn’t a great spectacle, we had good play around the box but we didn’t quite put the icing on the cake and hit the back of the net or test their keeper as much as we would have liked.

“It is disappointing we didn’t score but I certainly wasn’t disappointed with our overall performance, it was just a few misplaced passes, a run too late or a step offside. We didn’t have the quality going forward we showed in the first few games of the season but it will come.

“That’s two clean sheets on the bounce, it’s something to build on, we had a lot of balls coming into the box but were solid at the back.”

Chances were at a premium for both sides, with City’s Sam Nombe having a header blocked on the line while Tommy Leigh’s strike for Stanley on the stroke of half-time was hooked clear.

Neither keeper had a real save to make although Stanley could have grabbed it on 88 minutes when Matt Lowe headed over at the far post.

Accrington manager John Coleman hailed his side’s unbeaten start at home – but he knows they have to turn draws into wins.

The Reds have drawn all their three home games this season but this is the first time they have not scored in a match.

Coleman said: “We have to take the positives that it’s a clean sheet. We are unbeaten at home but we haven’t won either which is a worry.

“I wanted us to start brightly but it was a sluggish start, although we did create a couple of opportunities in the first half.

“In the second half we had a good chance at the end but Exeter came here with a game plan and you have to take your hat off to them, they deserved a draw although I felt we shaded the chances.

“We have got to be better in possession and pick up the second balls, we did not get our offensive players on the ball enough so it’s disappointing from that point of view.

“But a couple of years ago we would have lost that game as Exeter had a spell where they pinned us in, so you have got to keep a positive outlook.”