Goals By Wingate and Giles Earn First Points

EXETER CITY GET OFF THE MARK AT LAST

Saturday August 30th 1969.
EXETER CITY 3
BRADFORD PARK AVENUE 0.

Exeter City are off the mark at last. This afternoon at St. James's Park they won their first League match of the season by beating the Bradford team by three clear goals. Those goals came in the second half from Giles and Wingate, who had two. It was a game Exeter simply had to win. They had a big share of the play and could have won by a larger margin in the end. The game was witnessed by 4,457 spectators.

Exeter City: Shearing; Blain, Morris;
Parker, Sharples, Balson; Giles, Banks, Wingate, Mitten, Pleat.
Bradford:- Hardie; Brodie, Hopkins;
Atkinson, Brown, Carr; Brannan, Massie, Charnley, Beanland, Thom.
Subs: Walker (City) Conley (Bradford). Referee:- Mr J.Sier of Worcester.

John Newman did not play on the advice of the club doctor. He has yet to recover from the effects of a tendon injury, therefore the 20 years old Steve Morris, one of Exeter's three close-season signings, came in at left back and Balson moved to wing half. Bradford however did have their player-manager in the side. He is the famous centre-half Laurie Brown, late of Northampton Town, Arsenal, and Tottenham. There were also a couple of other well-known names in the visiting team, notably Mel Hopkins, ex Tottenham, and Ray Charnley, ex Blackpool. Bradford were the first to threaten but Balson cleared. In the next minute Banks was to be seen surging down the left wing but he spoiled the move by pushing the ball too far forward. A mis-directed header by Charnley gave Wingate an unexpected chance, but nothing came of it. Exeter had the ball in the net after five minutes. Wingate beat two men after receiving a long pass from Morris and centred for Banks to side-foot the ball home, but after the referee had consulted a lines man it was decided that Banks was offside. Two minutes later Wingate nodded forward to Mitten, whose shot was hooked clear.

THE LOB THAT FAILED.
Shearing dealt easily with an overhead kick by Brannan, then a free kick was conceded by Beanland but which came to nothing. A centre from Pleat found Wingate, who tried to lob the ball back to Banks, but Hardie clutched it out of the air. Many attempts to score by the City forwards were repelled by Hardie or his backs, and so far nothing much had been seen of the Park Avenue men as an attacking force. Exeter badly needed a goal, and it came after an hour's play, Giles cutting inside to score left-footed after his first shot had been pushed out by Hardie.
Hardie then saved well from the same Exeter player, and Hopkins was on hand to kick clear from the goalmouth after a prolonged raid by the home forwards. After 75 minutes the City got another goal when Banks fed Pleat, who centred for Wingate to score with a good header. Banks then had two opportunities of scoring but missed them both. Two minutes from the end Wingate got Exeter's third goal after Banks had had a shot parried by Hardie.