Tuesday May 1st 1956. 

DEVON DERBY WAS DISAPPOINTING.
BUT COLIN BEER SHOWED FLASHES OF BRILLIANCE.

Exeter City 2 (Mitchell pen,Simpson)   Argyle 2 (Morgan, Neil Langman).

Half-time 1-1.

The football season and the first City - Argyle Devon "Derby" - (new series went out with a thankful sigh at St James's Park. Second Division, or rather, ex-Second Division Plymouth Argyle, drew 2-2 with an under-strength City side, and in doing so showed in detail the reasons for their relegation. The first-half play was very poor.

CITY:- Hunter; Doyle, Mitchell; Packer, Harvey, Porteous; Simpson, K.Thomas, C.Beer, Willis, Buckle.

ARGYLE:- Dyer; John, Jones; Robertson, P.Langman Wetton Davies, Morgan, Swiggs, Neil Langman, Twissell.

At last Exeter have found someone who knows how to score from penalty kicks, their skipper, Arnold Mitchell, who gave Exeter the lead. Mitchell does not stand on ceremony, he just despatches the ball into the back of the net by the quickest possible route. Morgan equalised right on half-time when Hunter dropped the ball, and the Argyle inside right steered it home. Exeter took the lead again three minutes from time when Simpson headed Buckle's corner kick into the roof of the net, then lost it less than a minute from the final whistle, Langman beating Hunter from 30 yards range. One of the pleasing features of the game was the form of Colin Beer, one of the most promising young players on the City's books. Some of his work, especially in the second half, was brilliant.