Exeter City 2 Walsall 1.

Saturday 22 January 2011.

Ref: Robert Madley

Att: 4853 with 161 away fans.

BBC match report –

Exeter secured their first win of 2011 as they beat struggling Walsall.

The home side took the lead inside five minutes when Richard Duffy converted Stephen Tully's cross at the back post.

Substitute Daniel Nardiello doubled the lead when he tucked the ball into the corner after a quickly taken free-kick by David Noble.

Nardiello missed a penalty after Aaron Lescott fouled John O'Flynn in the area, before Julian Gray scrambled in a late consolation for the visitors.

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale told BBC Radio Devon:

"When you think you've got it won, you really have to kill the game so I was relieved to walk off with a win.

"We still get the three points, we made heavy work of it at times as I suppose they've got nothing to lose and they played to the end.

"I'm philosophical about it, we played Walsall earlier in the year and played fantastically well and lost, and then today we played below par and won."