Match for the Grecians:
SATURDAY, MARCH 8TH: NORTHAMPTON V CITY

Exeter City's Southern League match at Northampton was a very important one to them, having regard to their position in the table this morning. A win, it was generally agreed, would be good enough to keep them well in the running for the League Championship, while a draw would be good enough to preserve an outside chance of the laurels. On the other hand, however, it was freely acknowledged, that a defeat would reduce their prospects of the Championship to vanishing point.
Northampton have been unfortunate in having Lessons away for a long time with an injury, while Hampson has been unable to play since he injured his ankle at Exeter in November. At the last minute it was decided to play Smith at inside-left in place of Lewis. Exeter picked their strongest team, although there were doubts concerning the fitness of Whittaker, who has been laid up with quinzy. Teams:
Northampton Thorpe Clipstone Lloyd-Davies Tull Manning Tomkins Walden Freeman King Smith Hughes

Referee: Mr H. Thompson, Norwood.

City Pym Fort Hurst Rigby Lagan Lockett Whittaker Cooper Rutter Crompton Ives 

The Exeter party left St. David's yesterday, shortly before two O'clock, and journeying straight through to Northampton, arrived there at seven o'clock last night.
Half a gale of wind was blowing at Northampton all the morning, and it was bitterly cold when the City team arrived at the ground an hour before the start. However, a bright sun was shining. Fred Whittaker, the former "Cobbler", met with quite an enthusiastic reception on his way to the ground, scores of boys lining up outside the enclosure and cheering him. 
Crompton won the toss. King kicked off, and was shouldered off the ball in the first move. Northampton came again, and Hurst had to kick clear. Crompton subsequently beat Lloyd-Davies, only to be robbed by Clipstone, and the Cobblers pressed on the right. Freeman sent in a long shot, which Pym fielded, but cleared weakly, and Hughes secured the ball, only to be pulled up for offside. Rutter fouled Tull in midfield, and from the free-kick Hughes put across a lovely centre, which Pym punched clear. The ball fell to Crompton, who was fouled by Tull. The resultant free kick enabled the Exeter captain to feed Ives with a nice pass, but the centre was too high, and went over the posts and behind. In the next minute Ives beat Clipstone, and cutting in towards Thorpe sent in a "daisy cutter" only just wide. Exeter continued to attack, and Thorpe saved from Rutter, and Whittaker cleared the crossbar with a shot taken on the run. First Blood to Northampton. Cooper shot narrowly over from Whittaker's pass, then Rutter was halted for offside, from Crompton's pass. Exeter were much more dangerous in front of goal, nevertheless they were one down after twenty minutes' play. Following a free-kick against Hurst for "handball" the ball was sent clean across by Walden to Smith, who headed it in in great style. Lockett was spoken to by the referee for bustling Walden, and following the free-kick the City goal was under severe pressure until Pym saved a curling shot from Smith, and cleared upfield.

Rain and Wind.
Lockett again came under the notice of the referee following another charge on Walden, but the Exeter player hurt himself in the process. A gale of wind was blowing now, and the rain was lashing across the field. The new ball was slippery and greasy in consequence, and accurate play was difficult. Exeter's half backs were not at their best, and seemed over-anxious, with the result that they frequently at fault. Lloyd-Davies came across and stopped Whittaker, much to the crowd's delight, but Exeter came again, and Rutter gave a perfect pass to Ives, who dallied and was robbed by Clipstone.

The Skill of Walden.
As he has done on other occasions, Walden was tormenting the Exeter defence with his tricks, and five minutes before half time Northampton's second goal was scored from one of his moves. The "midget" did marvels with the ball before cutting in and sending a short centre to Smith, who scored from close range. The crowd rose to "Fanny" Walden, as he is known, and he responded with another dazzling dribble that left Hurst and Lockett bewildered, but Hughes spoilt the move with a weak shot that Pym saved with ease.
Half-time:
COBBLERS 2-0 CITY
Second Half.

When the teams came out again Exeter had to face a brilliant sun, and the weather was akin to April rather than March. Rutter was put through by Ives, but missed badly from close range. Then Walden showed him what he ought to have done, for he cut in at a fast pace, and lashed in a great cross-drive which Pym did wonderfully well to tip over the bar. The corner led to nothing, but Walden was soon in the picture again, and Pym saved a header from him. Lagan next tried to stop Walden, but injured himself in doing so, and went to outside-right with Whittaker at centre-half. From Lagan's pass Cooper struck the crossbar, and Ives put the rebound into the side of the net.

A Rugby Tackle.
Two corners for Northampton succeeded a free kick against Whittaker, but Pym saved each time. Whittaker, who was playing a good game at centre-half, charged down a drive by Manning, and Smith subjected Pym to a "Rugby" tackle, for which the young City goalkeeper pointed a finger menacingly at him, the referee then speaking to both players, and restarting the game by throwing the ball down. Lagan was now off the field, and the City were left with ten men. Hughes forced a corner off Rigby, and subsequent play was well in Northampton's favour. Hughes atoned for his past errors by scoring 25 minutes after the restart, beating both Rigby and Fort before putting the ball past Pym from short range. Pym was at fault in letting this goal through, for he came out too far and Hughes' shot went behind him, struck the inside of the post and rebounded into the net. The game was long over from Exeter's point of view, and three minutes from the end King ran through to score the Cobblers' fourth goal.
Final:
Northampton 4, Exeter City nil.

Northampton removed themselves one step further from the fear of relegation, and Exeter a like distance from the accomplishment of their dream of Championship Honours, when they won a surprisingly easy victory over the Grecians on the County Ground. Since their first year in Southern League football Exeter have always held Northampton in great respect, and in today's match they showed no football, except perhaps in the first fifteen or twenty minutes, which justified their position in the League.

Weak Half-Backs.
Northampton were superior in all departments, and particularly at half-back, which was the City's weak spot. An accident to the City's centre-half, Lagan, who retired in the second half, quite upset the Exeter line, which had by no means distinguished itself previously, yet strangely enough Whittaker, who dropped back, was then a better half-back than either Rigby or Lockett.
Exeter Off Colour. 
Whether or not it was nerves, is of course not known, but for some reason Exeter City were quite off colour. The forwards, with the exception of Ives, were poor, and even Crompton, though open ing well, did nothing after the first quarter of an hour. There was perhaps some excuse for the attack, for the half - backs gave them little or no support, being quite overplayed by the Cobblers' forwards. The weakness of the intermediate line threw too much work on the backs, and in the circumstances Fort and Hurst did as well as could be expected of them. Pym made many fine saves, some brilliant, though he could have prevented Hughes' goal if he had not come so far out from his line. The outstanding cleverness and ability of Walden was again in evidence on Northampton's right wing, and both the opening two goals were a direct result of his being able to beat the Exeter defence almost at will. His work in the second half could have been turned to better account if the final efforts of the other forwards, particularly Smith and Hughes, had not been so weak and mis-directed. But from all points of view it was a sorry day for Exeter City. It was by far the worst defeat they had met with since the first match of the season; it ruined their chances of the Championship, and it came at a time when their supporters were expecting something big from them.

Devon Senior Cup, Semi-final.


Exeter City Reserves and Babbacombe met in the semi-final of the Devon Senior Cup Competition at St. James's Park today. The only professionals eligible to play for Exeter were Chapman, Morris, and Mullineux. In the visiting team Crute, the Devon County goalkeeper, who has played for the City, appeared, and the teams lined up as follows:
CITY RESERVES Chapman Morris Hunt Clarke Trowbridge Mullineux Arscott Lewis Simpson Kelsall Addicott

BABBACOMBE Crute Paltridge Prowse Sanders Udranfski Black Evans Rowley Bailey. Clifford Demellwick

The visitors kicked off, and were the first to get going, but Morris kicked clear. Following a foul on Arscott, Trowbridge put over the bar. Kelsall then shot wide following a good move on the left, and a further raid on the Babbacombe goal was relieved by a free kick against Lewis for handling Addicott's centre. Addicott tested Crute with a vicious shot, which the County man only partially stopped, and Addicott, regaining possession, centred to Simpson who headed a fine goal.
After 30 minutes' play Lewis fed Arscott, who beat Black and Paltridge, and centred. Crute came out to gather the ball, but missed, allowing Simpson to score an easy goal. At half-time the Reserves led by two goals to nil.
With the wind behind them in the second half Babbacombe were seen to greater advantage, and from a corner on the right wing Paltridge headed a goal. Kelsall sent a long pass forward to Simpson, who threaded his way through the defence, and completed the "hat-trick" by scoring from close range. The Grecians thus won by three goals to one, and will play the final against either the Argyle or Sherwood Foresters.

• Exeter and the Southern League. By their defeat at Northampton, Exeter City have dropped three places in the table. The first seven clubs, in order, are now Crystal Palace, Millwall, Rangers, Swindon, Reading, West Ham, Exeter City.