Origins, Celebrating 120 years of the Grecians – The St Sidwell’s United Story

2. The Association game arrives in Exeter

There is little doubt, as the nineteenth century developed, that rugby football was the prominent sport in Exeter. So much so that when Exeter’s rugby club was formed in 1872, it was simply, and confusingly for historians, called Exeter Football Club.
The association code made a slow start in the city and to start with was mainly played in educational and military establishments.
Probably the first organised proponents of the round ball game were at St Luke’s College – the teacher training institution in Heavitree Road. The College Football Club traces its foundation back to 1866 and claims to be ‘the fifth oldest football club in the world’. This was proudly stated on the front page of the programme for their final match at St James Park v a Chelsea X1 in 1978.
It was in local schools that games started to take off in the 1880s especially at Park House School in St Leonard’s under the enthusiastic leadership of its headmaster, Henry Tucker.  Matches were played against other Devon schools including Okehampton-based Moorside School and Regent’s Park School in Heavitree.
It was not until 1888 that a Devon FA was formed in Plymouth. A county team played Somerset on Cowick Fields in Exeter,but there was little interest in the game – a sign that the association format had yet to take hold locally.
Tucker, together with Alexander Stuart (below), new to the city and with experience as a Scottish FA official,
were determined to put the game on the map. They were both involved as an Exeter X1 travelled to take on Crediton in late 1888. A return match followed early in 1889 and then a game against South Staffordshire Regiment.  
After two close games with Crediton,Exeter were thumped by the Regiment 13-1.  The Exeter X1 ground to a halt.
Stuart, a sidesman at St Matthew's Church in Newtown, (Pictured here) then tried a new approach

 Rather than a city -wide team, in late 1889 he set up the first local civilian club – St Matthew's  AFC.  They played Collingwood House School (previously Regent’s Park) at the County Ground as a curtain raiser to a boxing event and then Devonport before a Boxing Day rugby match.
Given this upturn in activity, Tucker tried again to form a city-wide outfit, and so we find a new Exeter Association Club playing its first game in October 1890. This club played during two seasons until the untimely death of Alexander Stuart in November 1891.
It would not be until August 1893 that an Exeter club was formed again, and it was they who played the first known association football match at St James Park.