Big Attraction at St.James's Park
Grecians Great Win

City v Champions :

Saturday March 15th

Exeter City 3  Queens Park Rangers 1.

This afternoon one of the principal attractions of the season was booked for Exeter City's ground, Queen's Park Rangers, champions of the Southern League, being on view.
Both teams were below strength today. Bill Wake, much to the disappointment of the home crowd, was unable to appear on his old ground, and his place was given to Whyman. Shaw, the goalkeeper, was also away, having been called upon for duty in the Southern League v Irish League match at Millwall. His absence, of course, meant a lot to the Londoners, for he has saved them a good many points this season. Exeter City, however, were in similar, if not even worse, difficulties. Lagan and Lockett were both absent through injuries sustained at Northampton, and as Pratt is not yet fit Bassett was put in at centre-half with Garside left-half.
Teams :
CITY Pym Fort Hurst Rigby Bassett Garside Whittaker Cooper Rutter Crompton Ives
Referee: Mr W.J.Woolmington, Weston-super-Mare.
RANGERS Nichols Macdonald Pullen Ovens Mitchell Whyman Thompson Birch Day Revill Barnes

The afternoon was bright and fine, but a quarter of an hour from the start the crowd was rather small. There had been about fifteen hundred present to watch the schoolboys' match, which preceded the City game. The turf was in splendid condition. The City were out first in new shirts, and Crompton won the toss. He set the Rangers to face the sun, and Garside stopped Birch. The City attacked on the right, and from a weak clearance by Pullen, Bassett trapped the ball. He drove it hard, straight to the target, and Nichols, jumping, tipped the leather over the bar for a corner. Macdonald cleared, and the Rangers' left wing was in evidence. They were stopped by Rigby, and Pullen then got the better of Cooper in great style. There was a round or two of abortive kicking until Thompson made headway. Fort cleared, but Thompson regained possession, and struck the side of the net. Pym jumped and punched away a dangerous looking centre by Barnes, and at the other end Cooper shot wide. Crompton supplied Ives with a nice pass, but the centre went just wide of the post with Nichols and Pullen in one another's way.

The First Goal.
At the end of five minutes' play the City opened the scoring, Ives screwing the ball through from a very narrow angle from a centre by Cooper. A moment or two later Ives, after a brilliant run down the left wing, saw his centre roll along the top of the crossbar and out of play. There was no holding the Exeter forwards, and Ives, running through again at full pelt, was brought down heavily by Pullen in the penalty area. Whittaker was given the kick to take, and he scored the City's second goal with a fast grounder.
Three Goals in Twenty-Five Minutes.
Two attacks by the Rangers were repulsed by Fort and Hurst, then followed a couple of stoppages through injuries to Pullen and Barnes. A free-kick to the Rangers just outside the penalty area was cleared by Fort, and another move by the Rangers ended. with Day shooting into the net, but the whistle had previously gone for offside.
The crowd, which by now numbered about six thousand, were giving the City plenty of vocal support, and tumultous applause greeted Exeter's third goal, scored by Crompton. The "skipper" was allowed to go through, practically unchallenged, and he beat Nichols with a veritable pile-driver that Nichols got his hands to, but could not keep out of the net. Thus were three goals put on against the champions in the first twenty-five minutes, and the City were atoning for the reverse at Northampton last week with a vengeance. The Rangers then set to work to put their house in order, but their only goal came from a penalty, given against Garside for pushing Day. This was after thirty-five minutes, and Birch beat Pym from the spot. No Play continued to be fast and exciting, and Nichols saved in brilliant style from Rutter, and just on half-time Garside put in a good tackle on Thompson, and cleared with a long kick. After the disappointment of last week the Grecians were back to their very best form, and well deserved their commanding lead at the interval.
Half time:- 
CITY 3-1 RANGERS

Second Half.

Exeter's goal had a narrow escape directly after the restart. Pym was in difficulties with a sharp volley from Birch, which curled in towards him unexpectedly, and Fort came to the rescue, but only be giving a corner. This was cleared, but the Rangers a remained very aggressive until Bassett brought off splendid tackle, and put Exeter on the attack. Cooper and Whittaker both tested Nichol, and then the Rangers got moving once more, and Revill was unlucky when he just got to the ball before Pym, but the shot rolled just wide of the post.

Up N The Rangers made a strong but vain appeal for a penalty against Fort for hands, but Mr Woolmington waved them aside, and Exeter went right to the other end. Exeter were being hard-pressed in these stages, however, and Revill ought to have scored, but put his shot wide of the post.
Too Much High Kicking.
Subsequently Pym fell on the ball, and was kicked on the head by two onrushing forwards. A stoppage for a "sponge-down" was necessitated, and when play was resumed Mitchell was pulled up for jumping at Crompton. Following the free-kick Exeter began to come back more into the game, and Rutter and Crompton had shots saved by Nichols. Pullen was laid out, and no sooner had play restarted than Ives brought Nichols to his knees with a cannon-like grounder. Then Whittaker fired in a wonderful long shot, just over the bar, and Pullen had to concede a corner in checking Crompton. The wind had become very strong now, and in this half was all in favour of the Rangers. Having regard to the conditions, there was a lot too much high kicking, whereas the policy should have been to keep the ball on the ground. The Rangers became very annoyed with some of the referee's decisions, and certainly Mr Woolmington did appear to err in the City's favour on one or two occasions. In fact, free kicks for fouls were becoming much too frequent, and the Rangers evidently did not like their defeat. Whittaker skied over when Crompton presented him with a good possible chance, and Cooper and Rutter in turn were pulled up for offside. Bassett got away on the wing, but his intended centre went out of play behind the goal-line. Crompton went through at a fast pace in the closing stages, but his final shot was saved by Nichols, and at the other end Birch made a poor effort from a free-kick a yard or two outside the penalty line.

Last Season: City 1 Rangers 1.
In 1910-11: City 2 Rangers 2.

Notes on the Game.

Exeter City gained a brilliant victory over the Champions by three goals to one. They were undeniably the better side in the first half, their forwards displaying capital form. All their movements were carried out at a fast pace, the ball was swung from wing to wing, and the Rangers' defence was never given time to settle down. Ives was the star artist, and Whittaker, on the opposite wing, delivered some fine centres. Bassett, brought into the team at centre-half, played a very strong game. He tackled fearlessly and passed judiciously. In the unaccustomed position of left-half, Garside also came through his test with honours, excepting the penalty he gave away by pushing Day, quite needlessly. With the exception of the opening stages of the second half, Queen's Park Rangers were disappointing. Their defence played an heroic game under difficulties, Ovens especially giving a fine exhibition. The forwards were clever in midfield, but poor when it came to finishing, and at times there was far too much appeal ing for free-kicks.

Watchet v City Reserves 
Guarantee Match 
Exeter City Reserves beat Watchet by two goals to nil in a guarantee match at Watchet, and although below strength it was an easy win. They did pretty well as they liked, and might have doubled their score with a little extra effort.