Match 01
17th August 1985
Port Vale (h)
LING RINGS IN SEASON WITH GOAL
Exeter 1-0 Port Vale
Match report by Trina Lake
Martin Ling started the new football season as he finished the old one in form and on target.
The talented 19-year- old winger's 26th minute goal earned Exeter City three confidence- boosting points at the start of an important Fourth Division season for the club.
But Trevor Morgan the other half of the deadly double act that proved so effective for City last season - nearly didn't make Saturday's game against Port Vale. Morgan, who helped set up Ling's golden goal chance, was only given the OK to play just over 24 hours before the big kick off. After a summer of soccer in Australia the big centre forward needed international clearance to resume his league career with City.
The club were on tenterhooks for the whole of last week with the Football Association making daily trans-global attempts to get the clearance through. It eventually arrived on Friday morning, freeing Morgan to spearhead City's attack. At times though on Saturday he must have wished he was still 6,000 miles away. He and the rest of City's forwards could hardly have had a more uncompromising welcome back than Port Vale's rugged defence dished out. Big John Williams, the man they nickname Giant Haystacks after the mammoth wrestler, and experienced Phil Sproson gave very little away to Morgan and Tony Kellow.
City's attack created a fair amount of danger but rarely. found the final penetration to capitalise on some neat approach work. Too many players bucked the responsibility of having a crack at goal when gaps opened up. The real success story of the afternoon for City was their disciplined and well organised defence. New signing Aidan McCaffery has brought composure and class to the heart of the back four and it seems to be rubbing off on the youngsters alongside him. He and Marker were rarely in trouble in the centre; non-contract right back Graeme Kirkup gave a sound performance, and young left back Phil King grows in stature with every game. He is confident and strong in the air and on the ground and his distribution keeps improving.
The influence of Alan Crawford in front of him with the options that the experienced winger gives the youngster is having a visibly steadying effect. City's main problem again seems to be in finding the right blend in midfield. Jim McNichol got through a tremendous amount of work as usual and Ray Pratt was eagerly looking for half chances behind the forward line. But the format looked vulnerable and lacked real invention. To cope with a better midfield than Port Vale's Crawford and Ling would need to curb their attacking instincts slightly and tuck in a little deeper to shoulder more defensive responsibility than they did on Saturday.
In general though manager Colin Appleton looks to be working along the right lines and is only a couple of new players away from having a squad which could challenge for success this season. "I was pleased with our overall performance. Port Vale are going to be one of the better sides in the league. Taking that into account we have to be quite optimistic about our own prospects," said Appleton. The game was watched by 2,868 people with a large section of the Cowshed closed off. The City boss hopes that Saturday's match gave them enough encouragement to come back for more.
"I think we entertained and gave value for money. We can do better in terms of putting our game together but it wasn't a bad way to start," he said.
City's attempts to play controlled and patient football were often frustrated by poor use of the ball in the danger zone. Pratt, last season's 20-goal top scorer, thought he had made the breakthrough in the 25th minute. The Welsh striker had another chance minutes later with a fine shot on the turn that was deflected for a corner. Webb wasted a fine opportunity to equalise in the 63rd minute when Paul Maguire set up a shooting chance but the full back blasted wildly off target. Port Vale replaced North Devon born Peter Griffith with Andy Jones in the 70th minute and the substitute looked livelier around the penalty area than any of his established team-mates. He forced a fine save out of Shaw with his first touch and drove a dangerous shot into the side-netting near the end.
City had chances to increase their lead in the las five minutes when Kellow twice caught Port Vale defence square. The first opportunity fizzled out when the Cornish striker opted to lay a poor ball off to McNichol rather than shoot and when he did have a crack from a similat position the ball flew straight at Arnold who gathered it with ease.
The Kellow of old would probably have buried both chances but at least he got into positions which caused panic in Port Vale's defence.
Exeter City:
Shaw, Kirkup King, McNichol, McCaffery Marker, Ling, Kellow, Morgan Pratt, Crawford. Sub: Walsh
Port Vale: Arnold, Webb Bromage, Hunter, Sproson, Williams, Griffiths, Earle, Browm Johnson, Maguire Sub Jones
Exeter 1-0 Port Vale
Match report by Trina Lake
Martin Ling started the new football season as he finished the old one in form and on target.
The talented 19-year- old winger's 26th minute goal earned Exeter City three confidence- boosting points at the start of an important Fourth Division season for the club.
But Trevor Morgan the other half of the deadly double act that proved so effective for City last season - nearly didn't make Saturday's game against Port Vale. Morgan, who helped set up Ling's golden goal chance, was only given the OK to play just over 24 hours before the big kick off. After a summer of soccer in Australia the big centre forward needed international clearance to resume his league career with City.
The club were on tenterhooks for the whole of last week with the Football Association making daily trans-global attempts to get the clearance through. It eventually arrived on Friday morning, freeing Morgan to spearhead City's attack. At times though on Saturday he must have wished he was still 6,000 miles away. He and the rest of City's forwards could hardly have had a more uncompromising welcome back than Port Vale's rugged defence dished out. Big John Williams, the man they nickname Giant Haystacks after the mammoth wrestler, and experienced Phil Sproson gave very little away to Morgan and Tony Kellow.
City's attack created a fair amount of danger but rarely. found the final penetration to capitalise on some neat approach work. Too many players bucked the responsibility of having a crack at goal when gaps opened up. The real success story of the afternoon for City was their disciplined and well organised defence. New signing Aidan McCaffery has brought composure and class to the heart of the back four and it seems to be rubbing off on the youngsters alongside him. He and Marker were rarely in trouble in the centre; non-contract right back Graeme Kirkup gave a sound performance, and young left back Phil King grows in stature with every game. He is confident and strong in the air and on the ground and his distribution keeps improving.
The influence of Alan Crawford in front of him with the options that the experienced winger gives the youngster is having a visibly steadying effect. City's main problem again seems to be in finding the right blend in midfield. Jim McNichol got through a tremendous amount of work as usual and Ray Pratt was eagerly looking for half chances behind the forward line. But the format looked vulnerable and lacked real invention. To cope with a better midfield than Port Vale's Crawford and Ling would need to curb their attacking instincts slightly and tuck in a little deeper to shoulder more defensive responsibility than they did on Saturday.
In general though manager Colin Appleton looks to be working along the right lines and is only a couple of new players away from having a squad which could challenge for success this season. "I was pleased with our overall performance. Port Vale are going to be one of the better sides in the league. Taking that into account we have to be quite optimistic about our own prospects," said Appleton. The game was watched by 2,868 people with a large section of the Cowshed closed off. The City boss hopes that Saturday's match gave them enough encouragement to come back for more.
"I think we entertained and gave value for money. We can do better in terms of putting our game together but it wasn't a bad way to start," he said.
City's attempts to play controlled and patient football were often frustrated by poor use of the ball in the danger zone. Pratt, last season's 20-goal top scorer, thought he had made the breakthrough in the 25th minute. The Welsh striker had another chance minutes later with a fine shot on the turn that was deflected for a corner. Webb wasted a fine opportunity to equalise in the 63rd minute when Paul Maguire set up a shooting chance but the full back blasted wildly off target. Port Vale replaced North Devon born Peter Griffith with Andy Jones in the 70th minute and the substitute looked livelier around the penalty area than any of his established team-mates. He forced a fine save out of Shaw with his first touch and drove a dangerous shot into the side-netting near the end.
City had chances to increase their lead in the las five minutes when Kellow twice caught Port Vale defence square. The first opportunity fizzled out when the Cornish striker opted to lay a poor ball off to McNichol rather than shoot and when he did have a crack from a similat position the ball flew straight at Arnold who gathered it with ease.
The Kellow of old would probably have buried both chances but at least he got into positions which caused panic in Port Vale's defence.
Exeter City:
Shaw, Kirkup King, McNichol, McCaffery Marker, Ling, Kellow, Morgan Pratt, Crawford. Sub: Walsh
Port Vale: Arnold, Webb Bromage, Hunter, Sproson, Williams, Griffiths, Earle, Browm Johnson, Maguire Sub Jones
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