THE CITY LEAD FADE AND FINALLY WIN Wingers the Stars: Defence Sound

Saturday January 29th 1955.
EXETER CITY 3 (Houghton, Dunne, McClelland)
BRIGHTON & HOVE ALBION 1 (Mundy)

Half-time 1-0.
At St James's Park, attendance 7,500.

Exeter City made a late change against Brighton today. It was in the right half-back position, where Dunne replaced Maurice Setters, in whom West Bromwich Albion are still reported to be interested. In fact the Midlands club had a representative at St. James's Park this afternoon.

Exeter City:- Kelly; Walton, Douglass; Dunne, Harvey, Mitchell; Thomas, Houghton, John, Murphy, McClelland.

Brighton:- Gill; Tennant, Langley; Gilberg, McNeil, Wilson; Gordon, Mundy, Trusler, Foreman, Howard.

Although the City won by 3 goals to 1 they had to struggle hard for victory. Indeed, there was one stage of the game in the second half when the visiting team looked to be in command. Exeter however fought back and regained the initiative in the final part of the game and were worthy winners of an entertaining match. The defence as a whole was sound and Harvey more than justified the high hopes vested in him by the City team selectors. He was always unruffled and methodical and his passing was good. Dunne, besides scoring a goal, was the inspiration behind many of the City's attacks. The wingers, Thomas and McClelland, took the honours in the forward line.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE 
KETTERING v CITY RESERVES 

Exeter City Reserves were well on top in their match at Kettering and they took the lead in the eighth minute through Anderson. Toseland scored for Kettering in the second half and Robinson for the City
Result:-
Kettering 1 Exeter City Reserves 2.

• BIG TRANSFER FEE PAID FOR CITY STAR.
  WEST BROMWICH ALBION SIGN SETTERS.

Maurice Setters, the tough and hard tackling right half of the Exeter City Football Club, was on Monday (January 31st) transferred to West Bromwich Albion for an undisclosed fee, but one which is thought to be in excess of £3,000. Setters, whose home is in Honiton, was first discovered by the City whilst operating in East Devon junior circles as a centre-forward for Crediton. With the City Reserves he mostly appeared on the right wing in their Southern League matches, but on September 15th of this season he was put at right half for the Reserves versus Gloucester City, and this was the making of him. From then onwards he has never looked back, and he was promoted to first team duty a few weeks later on the occasion of the Exeter City versus Torquay United match for the Devon Championship at St James's Park, in which, at 17 years of age he was credited with being "the star of the match, "

• DISPLACED TOMMY DUNNE.

Following that display his form in the next two weeks for the City Reserves was such that he was picked for Exeter's first team in the League match against Leyton Orient on November 6th, in which Exeter were very badly beaten, but Setters was not to blame in any way for the defeat, and was in fact commended for being the only man in the team whose play reached a standard above mediocrity. This despite his tender years and shortage of experience and the fact that he was surrounded by older players whose standard was below mediocrity. Since then his form has been so consistently good, and often quite brilliant, that he has taken over the right half position in the team from Tommy Dunne, a seasoned professional who appeared in the majority of games for Leicester City last year when that club were champions of the Second Division. West Bromwich Albion have sent their scouts and representatives to Exeter several times this season to size up the performances of the youthful City half-back, and from the transfer it is clear that they have been very satisfied with what they have seen of him. Setters, who has played for England Schoolboys and the England Youth team, is 5 feet 7 inches in height, broad shouldered and stocky, and weighs 11 stones 6 pounds.
He signed for the City as an amateur on January 22nd of last year and made his first appearance the following day at outside right for the Reserves v Lovell's Athletic. Later on, when he was seventeen, he signed professionally and played once for the first team last year when he was the outside-right versus Southend as a replacement for Gerry Priestley, on March 6th. In his move to a higher grade of football he carries with him the good wishes of everyone connected with Exeter City and "soccer" in Devon generally, and he appears destined for a bright future.