Champions Beaten On Their Own Ground:
HISTORY REPEATED

Saturday, March 2nd 1912.
SOUTHERN LEAGUE: 
SWINDON v CITY

Result: Exeter City 1 Swindon Town 0. Last season: City 1 Swindon 0.
In 1909-10: Swindon 3 City 1.

With the memory of last season's sensational result fresh in mind still, but with little hope of a repetition, Exeter City's team and officials left St. David's at 10.23 this morning. Swindon was reached at 1.30, and rain was threatening and a strong wind blowing. The ground was in good condition, but the half gale appeared likely to spoil any chance of a well conducted game of football. It was blowing straight across the ground. The following teams were selected:
SWINDON Skiller Jefferson Burkinshaw Wheatcroft Bown Bolland Kay Hill Tout Silto Handley
Referee:-Mr C.R.Hall, of Birmingham.
CITY Whittaker (W) Fort Evans Bassett Pratt Lockett  Garside Cornan Rutter Watson Whittaker(E)

A light rain was falling as the teams came out, and the weather was very rough. Although Fleming (injured knee) and Walker (playing for Scotland against Wales) were missing from the Swindon team everybody still regarded the result as a foregone conclusion. There have been some improvements at the Swindon ground since Exeter's last visit, the pressbox having been extended and a big clock installed.

Swindon v City. The Game.
The home side were first out, and the Grecians followed, almost on their heels. Whittaker won the toss, so the Exeter team started with the conditions slightly in their favour. Swindon kicked off, and at once attacked, but Bolland shot poorly and Whittaker saved with ease. The City then came away and Watson passed forward to Rutter after an interception by Lockett. Rutter took the ball past one of the Swindon backs, but fired wide. Bolland was tackled by Bassett, and Cornan put in possession, but he too shot wide. Exeter continued to put the Swindon defence under pressure, and Hill gave a corner in preventing Whittaker from getting the ball into the middle.

Swindon Town Subdued.
Rutter passed to Watson instead of going onward with the ball, and the move came to nothing. Whittaker would also have done better to have gained a little more ground, but skied his centre, and Hill cleared. These early attacks were promising from the City's point of view, but the slippery ground and the strong wind showed that it was a game in which anything might happen. In fact Swindon seemed to be strangely subdued, and when they did venture an attack Burkinshaw was given offside. Enos Whittaker showed the crowd his speed, and got right to the goal-line, but his centre was caught by the wind, and the ball travelled across the field and into touch on the otherside. Wheatcroft missed a difficult chance at the Exeter end, but a long clearance by Evans transferred play, and again it was Whittaker who led the attack for Exeter, and a fast centre from him beat Skiller, and Rutter ran in behind the goalkeeper to put a powerful header just past the upright. A rising shot by Watson skimmed over the crossbar, and Skiller ran out and saved one from Garside. Towards the interval Swindon began to come more into the game, and Whittaker (Walter) had to be on the alert to save shots from Jefferson and Bolland. Half time arrived with play in midfield, and nothing scored.
Second Half.
Swindon ought to have won the match in the first fifteen minutes of the second period, for with the wind conditions now to their advantage they began to take up the game in their usual energetic manner, and Exeter's goal had several narrow escapes. But the City eventually regained their grip on the proceedings, with Watson and E. Whittaker especially prominent in the forward line. The pattern of play swung round in the City's favour as the match continued, and after their opening flurry Swindon were hardly in the game at all. It therefore came as no surprise when, eight minutes from the end, Rutter took up a pass from Whittaker, and shouldering off an attempt by Silto to dispossess him, worked his way in towards the goal and finished up with a shot into the bottom corner of the net that won the match for Exeter City. In fact, Whittaker could have increased the lead a minute later, but put his shot over the bar.

Notes on the Game.
Against all odds and all expectations and forecasts, last season's memorable performance by the City was repeated at Swindon, and in today's match, the Railwaymen, champions of the League in 1910-11 and still top in the present campaign, played very poorly. The spectators left the ground in a very disgruntled mood, and Exeter City must now be regarded as Swindon Town's "bogey team". The City have of course improved their own League position by winning at Swindon, being now fifteenth, and going above Brentford and Luton. Swindon retain their leadership only because Brighton, second on goal average, were also beaten today. The clubs are level with 40 points each, but Swindon, who have scored seventy goals, have a far better average.



CITY RESERVES V TORPOINT.
For today's match at St. James's Park in connection with the Plymouth and District League, the teams turned out as follows.
Exeter: - Pym; Caddy and Coates; Rigby, Prideaux, Clarke; Parnell, Lewis, Bailey, Addi cott, and Griffiths. Torpoint: Hancock; Goodall and Tambling; Russell, Cooper, Reynolds; Toms, Stubbs, Caddy, Pound, and Coxon.

The City were early aggressive, and after Addicott had put wide, a header from Lewis hit the crossbar. A moment or two later, Bailey, from Parnell's centre, put the Reserves one up. From Griffiths's centre Lewis took a first-time shot, and the ball cannoned off Tambling into the net. Following a free-kick Stubbs reduced Exeter's lead. In the second half Prideaux and Lewis scored for the City, who won by four goals to one.