Saturday February 11th 1956.
At St James's Park.

EXETER CITY (JOHN) 1
WATFORD (WALKER, HERNON) 2.

Half-time City 0 Watford 1.

CITY STEP NEARER TO RE-ELECTION ZONE.

On a bone hard playing surface, Davey suffered a toe injury after just 15 minuteshe carried on for a few minutes but then went off for good, an X-ray at hospital revealed a dislocated toe. Davey's absence can take part of the blame for the City defeat. Doyle, Harvey and Mitchell were far and away the best players in a City side that did badly enough to send any raving, ranting City fanatic into despair, At half time despite the fact that City did well in the briefest of flashes, they did not look too bad, against a hard, icy wind they were only a goal down, that was a result of a 35 yard shot from Walker bach should never have beaten Kelly. With the wind behind them in the second half City in front of goal made mistakes that outclassed any misses that any City forward has made this season. John headed over from almost under the bar. Thomas shot over when it seemed hard to miss rather than scoreand to cap it all Murphy had his weak penalty shot saved by Bennett. The City goal in the 69th minute Some from a good header by John from a Rees corner kick, but within a minute Hernon had beaten Kelly to sad the scoring with a header. It was indeed a sad story, City deservedly dropped nearer the re-election zone,

Exeter City:- Kelly; Doyle, Mitchell; Dunne, Harvey, Davey; Thomas, John, Iggleden, Murphy, Rees.

Watford: Bennett; Bateman, Lock; Catleugh, Atkinson, Mitchell; Walker, Graham, Cook, Hernon, Marden.

Referee:- Mr N.C.Taylor, of Westbury on Trym

Attendance 4,207

• This match was played on a bone-hard pitch with a covering of frost, and some of Exeter's players wore rubber-soled boots. Fred Davey, who wore basket-ball boots, was in trouble after 20 minutes when he went down after a tackle. He carried on after treatment on the pitch but was forced to retire a minute or two afterwards. Exeter were doomed to finish the match with only ten men, for Davey had been taken to hospital with a suspected broken toe. Bennett saved a penalty taken by Murphy 10 minutes from the end.