Exeter City 0 Walsall 1.

Tuesday 21 August 2001.

League Cup 1st round.

Match Report By Noel Sliney

EXETER City proved the equal of First Division Walsall last night but were unable to confound recent tradition, or expectation, as they slipped out of the Worthington Cup.

A 66th-minute goal from Brazilian winger Erivelto was enough to ensure City suffered a first-round exit from the competition for the eighth successive year.

It was tough on the home side, who bossed the match for much of the second half thanks in no small part to an electric display by the recalled Christian Roberts.

Exeter manager Noel Blake entered the match shorn of nine players and made three changes to the side which drew at Halifax. Kwame Ampadu and Steve Flack replaced the injured Jay Richardson and Graeme Power, while Roberts made his first start of the season in place of the ineligible Gary Birch.

The opening half did little for the name of entertainment. Walsall's players proved a handful when it came to pronunciation (Adolphius Ofodile or Frederic Biancalani, anyone?), but, as a football team, they were less of an obstacle.

City, for all their probing, were equally impotent and their best efforts were a Dylan Kerr free-kick which curled harmlessly wide and a Kerr cross sliced just wide by Ian Brightwell.

The game opened up from the start of the second half, with Sean McCarthy and Erivelto trading shots on goal, before Roberts took centre stage.

First, he seized on to Martin Barlow's pass to jink his way into the penalty area and force a good low save from goalkeeper Lee Harper.

He then tested Harper with shots from both sides of the pitch after Don Goodman's volley had forced a one-handed save from van Heusden.

It was Goodman, sporting a superlative Afro haircut, who inspired the winning goal just as Exeter were sensing a cup upset.

The 35-year-old striker, one of five changes in the Walsall side, ran on to Fitzroy Simpson's through ball and, although van Heusden thrust out a foot to save, Erivelto tapped in the rebound as Exeter appealed forlornly for offside.

Deflated, Exeter were unable to rouse themselves to the same heights again, but they had at least provided encouragement for the months ahead.

Exeter City 0
Walsall1 (Erivelto 66)

Exeter City (5-2-3):
A van Heusden; N Whitworth (G Tomlinson 72), A Watson (B McConnell 87), J Campbell, C Curran, D Kerr; M Barlow, K Ampadu; S Flack (G Breslan 83), S McCarthy, C Roberts.
Substitutes (not used): A Walker (gk), A Roscoe.

Booking: Roberts 43.

Walsall (4-4-2):
L Harper; M Gadsby (C Garracho 83), T Barass, I Brightwell, Z Aranalde (F Biancalani half time); Erivelto, D Keates, D Wrack, F Simpson; D Goodman, A Ofodile.
Substitutes (not used): J Walker (gk), I Roper, J Leitao.

Bookings: Biancalani 68, Simpson 90.

Referee Bill Jordan

Attendance 1933 with 253 away fans.