THE F.A.CUP:
MILLWALL v EXETER CITY 
City Defeated: Fought Back but Lions Had Thrust

Saturday, November 20th 1954.

Millwall 3 (Pacey 2, Jardine)
Exeter City 2 (Murphy, Mackay).

After a week of fog the weather improved considerably and conditions were almost ideal for the first round F. A. Cup-tie between Millwall and Exeter City at the Den today. There was an absence of wind, visibility was good, and the temperature was several degrees milder than of late.

MILLWALL: Finlayson Jardine Anslow Short Hurley Heydon Hazlett Smith Pacey Ramscar Prior

Referee:- Mr. J. W. Hunt, of Derbyshire.

Kaile Murphy Ellaway Mackay McClelland Mitchell Davey Setters Douglass B.Doyle
Kelly
EXETER CITY:

Unbeaten in their last three matches, Millwall fielded an unaltered team, but the City made a change at centre-forward where the forceful Ellaway was preferred to the classier Donaldson. The crowd was slow in assembling, and there were no more than 14,000 on the ground at the start.

AN ENCOURAGING START.
Davey won the toss and Exeter made the first attack of the match. The move began when Mackay dispossed Ramscar before passing to Murphy. Good combination followed on the visiting left wing and eventually Ellaway shot low for Finlayson to gather and clear. This was an encouraging start by Exeter, but Millwall were quick to strike back, and a dangerous centre from Prior was headed over the bar by Smith. When Prior got going again he crossed the ball wide of the near post, Douglas clearing without difficulty. Cup-tie style exchanges veered from end to end, and Millwall's goal was in danger from a long cross from the right. When the ball came into the goal area Kaile just failed to reach the headed deflection by Murphy. A high dropping shot by Kaile was only partly saved by Finlayson. The goalkeeper lost possession under pressure and Heydon rescued his side by conceding a corner. Kaile placed the kick well, but a foul on the home goalkeeper brought relief for the Lions in the shape of a free kick. Then Hazlett got away on the Millwall right wing. Showing delightful ball control he crossed a fast low ball into the centre for Kelly to scramble away with some difficulty.

MILLWALL OVERPLAYED
For fully five minutes the City played brilliant football, and during this period the Millwall defence was badly overplayed. Crisp attacking moves, in which Mackay, Murphy, and Kaile were always prominent, gained another corner. Finlayson came into action to save from Mackay. Tense skirmishes in the goal area ended in favour of the defence, but Exeter's display at this stage was better than usual. Indeed Millwall were threatened with many anxious moments before the crisis was over. Then it was the City's turn to be hard pressed. The home forwards, ably supported by Short, were fast and direct, and Hazlett was a constant menace on the right wing. Gradually the initiative passed to Millwall and the home side struck the first blow to take the lead in the 20th minute. Smith passed inside to Pacey, who calmly evaded a tackle by Douglass before shooting low into the far corner of the net from twelve yards range, giving Kelly no chance. Greater thrust was now being shown by Millwall, and a second goal was scored by them in the 22nd minute.

A ROCKET SHOT. From a free kick Short tipped the ball to Hazlett. It was then passed back to Jardine, who shot from 35 yards range and at lightning speed. Like a rocket the ball flashed into the net just under the crossbar and a few inches inside the near post. The City players protested that Hazlett was standing in an offside position when Jardine made his shot, but the referee decided not to consult the linesman, although that official's flag was half-raised. So a goal it was, and one upon which Jardine has to be complimented on, for it was a magnificent shot. At the same time, Kelly, who is an international goalkeeper, ought not to have been beaten from such a long range. Exeter's fleeting hopes were kept alive when Murphy, the 
best of their forwards, replied a couple of minutes later. He was on the right spot to deflect McClelland's diagonal centre past the home team's goalkeeper, who was left stranded and powerless. For a time the struggle was evenly balanced, but a few minutes prior to the interval Pacey headed Millwall's third goal from a free kick taken by Hazlett.

HALF TIME:
MILLWALL 3 EXETER CITY 1.
It had been an entertaining first half, and both teams showed clever touches, with Millwall the more thrustful and energetic. That was the vital difference. On the restart Millwall gained a corner, but from the clearance the City came away in a clever close passing movement to get within an ace of reducing the arrears. The attack was started by Setters, one of the outstanding players in the Exeter ranks. It ended when Ellaway 's oblique drive missed the near post by inches, with Finlayson leaping across his charge. Then laxity on the left defensive flank let Millwall through. Smith advanced to within point-blank range, and Kelly showed his class by moving forward to narrow the angle and divert a fierce rising shot for a corner. Hopes of an Exeter revival began to fade as the second half wore on, for the visiting forwards now were seldom moving as a line. Kelly made a great save by holding a close-range header from Short, and then in a sudden breakaway Murphy passed shrewdly inside Jardine to Kaile. The position looked promising, but Exeter's left winger was tackled from behind, lost his balance, and the ball.

MACKAY SCORES.
Slowness by Ellaway in bringing the ball under control lost what was a possible opportunity after Mackay and McClelland had combined to split the defence. More City attacks might have been rewarded, but the finishing ability was just not good enough. Put through by Mackay on two occasions McClelland first shot straight at the goalkeeper and next drove the ball wide. A better attempt was made by Ellaway, whose first-time shot on the turn missed the upright by a foot. Hurley, a grand young prospect, showed his quality repeatedly in the final stages. He was resourceful and always cool under pressure. The City were fighting hard, however, and with nine minutes left to play McClelland placed the ball through the middle for Ellaway to force a corner. McClelland placed the flag-kick to perfection, and Mackay, jumping up, headed a great goal into the roof of the net. Exeter tried their very hardest after this, but in spite of desperate efforts to obtain the equaliser they could not beat the stubborn Millwall defence again. Ellaway in the last minute missed a glorious chance by heading over with only the goalkeeper to beat.

NOTES ON THE GAME.
The City are out of the Cup. They were beaten by the speedier and more thrustful Millwall opposition. There was not much to choose between the teams in other respects. The City in fact contributed many of the best moves of the match, mostly in the first half and again late in the game. Mackay and Murphy were the pick of the forwards, and Setters played a good match at right-half. It was a hard-fought encounter, and the City nearly forced a replay, so dominant were they in the closing stages. Attendance 13,610.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE
GRAVESEND v CITY RESERVES
GRAVESEND FALL TO CITY RESERVES

The visit of Exeter City Reserves to Northfleet ended in a victory by three goals to two after falling behind twice in the first half. After 22 minutes Gravesend began to get on top, and it came as no surprise when Bates gave them the lead. Eight minutes later Houghton took his chance to score for Exeter with a well-placed low drive just inside the post. There was plenty of excitement, and Gravesend went ahead again four minutes from the interval when Gibbons headed past Bell. In the last two minutes remaining, however, Exeter got through twice to take the lead at the interval. John scored them both, one from a pass by Priestley, and one from the other flank, Rees providing the opportunity. Both sides were unsuccessful in their attempts to score during the second half.

Final:-
Gravesend United 2
Exeter City Reserves 3.
Team: Bell; Walton, Williams; Dunne, Harvey, Callan; Priestley, Anderson, John, Houghton, and Rees.