Exeter City settle for a draw

Match report: Oxford 2 Exeter City 2

Exeter City and Oxford United shared the spoils with a 2-2 draw at the Kassam Stadium in Sky Bet League 2.

The hosts had the better of the chances in the first period and striker Danny Hylton fired them into the lead early on, but City went into the break level as Arron Davies struck from outside the area.

It looked like the Grecians would travel back to Devon with all three points when Alex Nicholls applied the finishing touch on a set-piece, but U’s sub James Roberts struck minutes later in injury time to square things up again.

Graham Cummins and Alex Nicholls both started for City, having each come on from the bench last time out against Mansfield. Clinton Morrison and Ryan Harley were the two to make way, and dropped out of the matchday squad completely with injury.

Neither goalkeeper was truly tested in the first quarter of an hour – Grecians stopper James Hamon had a little bit of fielding to do when the U’s midfield tried to slide passes through, and Ryan Clarke was untroubled when a shot from distance by Tom Nichols was blocked out by Josh Ruffels.

The first real chance came as Callum O’Dowda wormed into the area down the left and cut back for Patrick Hoban, who just delayed long enough for Craig Woodman to make an important block and deny the Irish striker a goal on his full debut.

However the Grecians were trailing soon after as O’Dowda put in a powerful cross which took a deflection on the way to the back post, where Hylton was arriving to volley in his 12th league goal of the campaign.

City had to make a first sub of the game with only a quarter of the match played, as Scot Bennett was replaced in defence by Christian Ribeiro – it also meant for a change of shape for the Grecians, with Arron Davies pushing into midfield.

Ribeiro was soon adding energy on the overlap and came close to getting an assist against his name when David Noble found him neatly in the channel, but the low cross was intercepted well.

Striker Hylton had a decent opportunity to double his and Oxford’s tally as a ball into the area was headed into his path, but the volley was a few yards wide.

But despite having to defend for much of the half, the Grecians were back on par before the break through Davies.

After Nichols had drawn a foul smartly on halfway, Woodman raked a direct ball forward for Cummins to nod down – and Davies was arriving on the edge of the area to strike in past Clarke on the half-volley.

Half-time: Oxford United 1 Exeter City 1