📝 Match report: Exeter City 1 Swindon Town 1

A late goal from Eion Doyle prevented Exeter City from maintaining their perfect start to the season in a 1-1 draw at home to Swindon Town.

The Grecians took the lead midway through the second half as Matt Jay superbly diverted a Lee Martin shot past Luke McCormick.

Jay was also denied a second moments later when his volley, from a half-cleared corner, was blocked by one of his teammates on the edge of the six-yard box so it was a bitter blow when Swindon equalised with three minutes left.

Manager Matt Taylor made one change to the side that had beaten Stevenage last time out in Sky Bet League Two as the suspended Tom Parkes was replaced at the heart of by Aaron Martin.

Swindon started the brighter of the two teams, with Aaron Martin putting in a superb sliding challenge to stop Lloyd Isgrove getting a shot away after three minutes as he ghosted into the area unmarked. 

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Ten minutes later and Aaron Martin was at it again, blocking a Keshi Anderson shot on the goalline after Dean Moxey had also put in some sterling defence work to prevent Doyle from striking home from the edge of the six-yard box. 

However, as the half wore on City grew into the match as Nicky Ajose and Jake Taylor both had efforts at goal from distance. The visitors would go close again once more before the interval though as Doyle fired a shot against the base of the post as Swindon broke quickly from an Exeter corner.

After the break though, it was a different story. City began to control the proceedings a lot more. Ryan Bowman sent a header, from a Lee Martin cross, just wide and then Randell Williams delivered a ball into the area that swerved towards goal and forced visiting keeper Luke McCormick to tip the ball onto his crossbar.

Then with 20 minutes left a good passing move, saw Nicky Law feed a ball into Lee Martin in the box. The substitute wasn't tracked and fired towards goal before Jay got a telling touch to divert the ball past McCormick and into the roof of the net.

City grew in confidence from that moment and should have doubled their lead when a half-cleared Law corner was volleyed goalwards by Jay only to be blocked by one of his own players.

The visitors began to throw men forward in search of an equaliser and had the ball in the back of the net on 82 minutes, only for it to be correctly ruled out for handball.

However, City, who would have gone top with a victory, could hold out in the minutes that remained as Doyle converted a cross from the left to give the Robins a share of the spoils.

Exeter City: Ward, Sweeney, Woodman, A Martin, Law, Williams, Bowman, Ajose (L Martin, 57), Moxey, Taylor (Jay, 52), Collins. Subs not used: Maxted, Warren, Fisher, Sparkes, Seymour.

Swindon Town: McCormick, Fryers, Baudry, Isgrove, Doughty, Wollery, Lyden, Hunt, Conroy, Doyle, Anderson (May, 84). Subs not used: Henry, Reid, Broadbent, Iandolo, Twine, Curran.