Exeter City goalkeeper Joe Whitworth 'does his job' with brilliant saves

"When he was needed, he was there for us and that's four clean sheets in seven games, which we're delighted with."

He may have ‘just been doing his job’. But Exeter City were thankful that Joe Whitworth was after his string of saves ensured they came away from Wigan Athletic with a valuable point.

The Grecians were not at their best on Saturday away to the Latics and created little of note in an attacking sense. Defensively they were solid and kept chances to a real minimum, but when they did create them, Whitworth was equal to the task.

He denied Silko Thomas and Jensen Weir in the first half with smart diving saves, kept out a Dale Taylor effort late on when the striker was one-on-one with the Crystal Palace loanee. But he saved the best to the very last.

Wigan almost won it at the death when former Grecians centre-back Will Aimson headed James Carragher's cross towards the top corner. It looked to be the winner, only for Whitworth to pull off a superb save.

"Goalkeepers are there to keep the ball out of the net and – as Roy Keane would say – he's just doing his job," smiled City manager Gary Caldwell. "It was a fantastic save, but it was probably only the fantastic save he had to make in the game. Everything else was pretty much down his throat.

"He's been brilliant for us in terms of personality and how we can build through him, and use the quality he has with his feet. When he was needed, he was there for us and that's four clean sheets in seven games, which we're delighted with."

“I made a few saves, but I am just doing the job. I am expected to make saves, and doing the job the team needs me for,” the 20-year-old goalkeeper said.

“It is a tough place, they are a good team, and we had good performances in areas, but all in all, it was a pretty decent point away from home. Both teams had some good chances, played well, I thought we made some good decisions but that last bit didn’t allow us to get the goal.

“We defended well – both teams did – and as a team we can work on some aspects in the final third to just finish it off, but it was a decent point. We have performed pretty well, we have to keep it going, stay consistent, and as a team want to do that as well. We look to Leyton Orient and hope for three points.”

The point sees the Grecians rise up to 13 ^th in the League One table with what was a first draw of the season, and the first time since February 13 they failed to find the back of the net in any game. Wigan stayed 16 ^th after a third successive 0-0 draw.