So Easy for City 


Exeter City 4
Robertson 2 pens, Hodge Holman

Port Vale 1
Cullerton

Attendance 5,026

EXETER CITY will rarely harvest an easier two points than this.
Gordon Hines reports

They weren't so hot themselves but at least made hay while the sun shone and have now dropped only one point from their opening four games. That unbeaten sequence - taking City to second in the table behind Colchester never looked in danger against a shabby Port Vale, who looked even shabbier when they lost goalkeeper John Connaughton with a badly gashed leg that needed six stitches.

Striker Ken Beamish took over in that unfortu- nate 11th minute and Vale introduced substitute Mike Cullerton after a four-minute delay to see if the former Torquay 'keeper would return. Cullerton, in fact, scored. But it was only a consolation goal two minutes from time when Exeter 'keeper John Baugh was all at sea on a Bill Bentley cross and Cullerton punished the mistake. One error, however, did nothing to shake Exeter's undoubted authority. They were three goals up by then and even came back again

with a fourth from 19- year-old Harry Holman.

It was Holman's first League goal; accepted with relish after Tony Kellow's headed flick-on. It will also have boosted Holman's confidence as he bids to take over if Alan Beer takes off.

Exeter's main goal supply, though, came from Lammie Robertson, via the penalty spot. He beat his former Brighton team mate. Beamish in the 28th minute after full back Grahame McGillford was, in my book, harshly judged to have upended Kellow. Bobby Hodge scored the second just after half time with an angled shot that a recognised goalkeeper would be expected to keep out. Then up popped Robertson for the second penalty 14 minutes from time after centre half Dave Harris handled. Robertson stroked the ball beyond Beamish to round off another stirring performance and every Exeter player around him joined in the acclaim for his personal triumph on and off the penalty spot! Exeter have played better, but tackled the match in intelligent stages. They began by treating Port Vale with respect and, in the first half, were too shot shy. Yet with the arrival of the second goal, they switched to overdrive and so total was their command that very often they just took the Mickey. Vale, their heads dropping by the minute, could only chase and persist with their coarse style of play in which they weren't afraid to go in waist-high It inscensed the crowd but obiviously not Bridgwater referee Alex Lees. He let a lot go and finished with only one name in his book Harris for disput- ing the second penalty. He tried telling Mr Lees that it was impossible getting out of the path of the ball as it crashed against his hand. I tended to agree.