Exeter City 2 - 2 Wycombe Wanderers: FLW reports as Grecians blow chance to end Chairboys' unbeaten run

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·4 December 2024

Exeter City 2 - 2 Wycombe Wanderers: FLW reports as Grecians blow chance to end Chairboys' unbeaten run

Report, ratings, and reaction as Exeter City hosted league leaders Wycombe Wanderers under the lights in Devon.

Key Takeaways

Wycombe drew with Exeter despite being two goals behind early on, showcasing incredible strength.
Exeter took an early lead but squandered it, settling for a point that felt like a victory for Wycombe.
A thrilling match saw Wycombe's unbeaten streak extend to 15 games while ending an 11-game winning run.

Wycombe Wanderers came from two goals behind to draw 2-2 with Exeter City in an exciting encounter under the lights at St James Park.

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Exeter took the lead after just two minutes. A cross from Jack Fitzwater came into the box and bounced to Millenic Alli. Jasper Pattenden allowed the winger past him into the box and he fired home.

If you asked the neutral who they thought were the league leaders, they'd probably have said Exeter. A string of corners for the hosts came to nothing, but Wycombe looked rattled early on.

Wanderers began to get a foothold in the game after ten minutes. Their possession-based style of football began to see the cogs turning, but relentless Exeter pressure afforded no openings for the Chairboys.

The Grecians then doubled their lead from a corner. A header hit the bar from the initial ball in, then Jack McMillan smashed home the loose ball. The league leaders had been far from their usual standard.

It didn't take long for the Chairboys to get back into the contest. An Aaron Morley corner was perfectly glided onto the head of Joe Low, who powered an effort over Joe Whitworth. His fourth goal of the season, and third in the last four matches.

It should've been 2-2 just 10 minutes later. The ball fell kindly to Richard Kone in the box. He scuffed his initial shot, but the ball fell perfectly for Fred Onyedinma. A lack of communication saw them both go for the same ball, which prevented the shot from hitting the target.

The first half ended 2-1 to the Grecians. Two very sloppy goals handed them an early advantage, but Wycombe blew the door wide open with the response from Low. The match felt very similar to the opening-day defeat to Wrexham.

Neither manager opted to make a change at halftime. Gary Caldwell was happy with how his side held firm and Matt Bloomfield was clearly spirited by his side's growth into the game.

The away side started the second half on top and got on level terms early on. An exquisite long pass from Morley unleashed Daniel Harvie on the left. His cross found Cameron Humphreys, who curled home an absolute peach into the bottom left corner.

The hosts made the first change of the night. Kevin McDonald was replaced by Ben Purrington in a move that offered more defensive stability for Exeter. Bloomfield responded by withdrawing Garath McCleary for Daniel Udoh. The Jamaican had struggled to get into the game as he'd have hoped.

With ten minutes to play, Exeter won a free-kick in a very dangerous position after Low scythed down Jay Bird. Ed Francis' effort just whistled over the crossbar. This was a real let-off for the league leaders, as the Grecians' number eight has proven to be lethal from set-pieces.

The game was on a knife-edge in the final ten minutes. Either side could've snatched the points. Crystal Palace loanee Whitworth produced a great save in the 89th minute to deny Brandon Hanlan what could've been the winner. The fourth official decided four minutes was all that would be afforded for either side to find a winner.

At the end of the night, neither could break the deadlock. Wycombe's 11-game winning run came to an end, but the unbeaten run extended to 15 in the league.

Exeter will be frustrated at blowing a two-goal lead, but overall they probably would've settled for a point before kick-off. It felt like a victory for Wycombe, who'd once again shown incredible strength to overturn a deficit.