Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale admitted that he was not happy with his side's attacking play on Saturday as they drew 1-1 at home to Burton Albion.
City had trailed for the majority of the second half, after Jacob Blyth had put the visitors into the lead on the 59 minutes.
It looked as though one goal was going to be enough for Burton as, up until that point, the Grecians had only tested Brewers keeper Jon McLaughlin once.
Even though City had a lot of the ball in the first half, Tisdale admitted his side were not in control of the game.
"We played the game with the ball and they played the game without the ball and there is no criticism in that," he said. "The team that doesn't have the ball can often have control of the game and they did. I thought we looked more vulnerable than them."
Tisdale made a triple substitution on 67 minutes to try and changes things. He took off his front three players and brought on Clinton Morrison, Scot Bennett and David Wheeler.
"I thought we didn't function up front, until the final 20 minutes, said Tisdale, who described the tactical battle with opposite manager Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink as like playing a game of draughts.
"We struggled to find the front three and they struggled to be found. So there comes a point where you have got to change things and sometimes you have to throw one or two ideas around. I didn't for one minute expect to be playing Matt Oakley up front at the end of the game, but he made a huge difference with his movement. He was the best mover on the pitch and he made things happen with his movement, which just shows you how valuable he is to us."
City equaliser came with three minutes to go as Christian Ribeiro headed home a Matt Grimes corner.
The result lifted the Grecians level on points with Newport County in the final play-off spot. Therefore, despite not being overly pleased with the performance, Tisdale was pleased his side kept being positive to grab a draw.
"Ultimately it is about points and results and we got a point from a very difficult position, so I'm walking off satisfied but not overly pleased," said Tisdale.
"It wasn't the best performance we have put together but we got a good point.
We knew that it would be a game where we had to break them down and we didn't quite do it as I would have hoped but, from being a goal down with 10 to 15 minutes to go, we got a goal back late and the players gave everything to do that.
"It wasn't as fluid and silky as we have been recently but, against a very good team in the play-off places, who have played well against us, we have come back and got a point.
"Sometimes you can't give a solid conclusion. Were we just a little bit off or did they make our life difficult by the way they played? The answer is probably somewhere in the middle of all that.
So, well done to them for playing so well and well done to my team for keeping with the belief that we could get a goal."
