TWO GREAT GOALS BY JOHN:
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 31ST.
MILLWALL LUCKY TO ESCAPE HEAVIER DEFEAT.

EXETER CITY 3 (JOHN 2 MITCHELL)
MILLWALL 1 (SHEPHERD)

On Wednesday evening the City won their first match of the season with a magnificent 3-1 victory over Millwall, and Exeter's manager Mr Dodgin has a problem on his hands. That is the extraordinary state of affairs after this game, played at St James's Park. The explanation: young reserve inside-left John scored two great opportunist goals but apart from that was not very impressive. What can be Mr Dodgin's choice? For by the week-end the experienced signing Iggleden is expected to be fit. And if so can he be left out in favour of John? But despite that problem there can be nothing but pleasure in the City camp after this victory. For all but the first phase of the game the City were superior to a team weakened by injury to Hazlett, the outside right, and also the inability of Hurley, the centre-half, to get leave from the Army. Millwall were in fact lucky to escape defeat by a wider margin. The poor shooting by the City forwards on four occasions, and brilliant goalkeeping by Finlayson on three occasions stopped the City score from mounting up.

EXETER CITY:- Hunter; Walton, Doyle; Davey, Harvey, Mitchell; Simpson, Worthington, Burke, John, Buckle.

MILLWALL:- Finlayson; Jardine, Anslow; Hencher, Short, McDowell; Summersby, Pacey, Shepherd, Mackay, Summers.

Attendance 10,761, receipts £1,109. 3s. 9d.

Millwall took the lead in the seventeenth minute when Angus Mackay, not really excelling against his old club, slipped the ball through the centre from the left. Shepherd half miskicked, and the direction of the ball surprised Hunter. Although he got his hands to the ball it ran onto the upright and into the net. Had the Millwall player connected properly Hunter would probably have saved the shot. Mitchell from 30 yards out scored the equalising goal, and at half time it was level pegging, one goal each. In the sixtieth minute of this fast and thrilling game came the big moment, when John beat the Millwall defence to steer the ball into the net wide of Finlayson. It was all City in the last thirty minutes, and five minutes before the end John scored another great goal, crashing the ball past the helpless goalkeeper from Burke's centre.