Argyle Dominant
AND WIN THE DEVON DERBY CUP TIE
City Defence Hard Worked: Attack Subdued

Saturday November 17th 1956.

EXETER CITY 0
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 2 (N.Langman, Rowley)

Half-time Exeter City 0 Plymouth 1. Attendance 16,500.
Referee, Mr B.Griffiths, of Wales.
EXETER CITY Hunter Doyle Ferrier John Harvey Porteous Buckle Thomas Mitchell,Currie Rees
PLYMOUTH ARGYLE
Harry Brown ,George Robertson, Pat Jones, John Williams, Peter Langman, Rex Tilley, Malcolm Davies, Eric Davis, Neil Langman, Peter Kearns, Jack Rowley

With the Devonshire rivals drawn together in the first round of the Cup it was a real "Derby Day" at St James's Park this afternoon. Over two thousand Plymouth Argyle supporters, festooned with green rosettes and scarves, gave the Park a proper cup-tie atmosphere. Tickets were going steadily outside the ground and at the St Sidwell Street blitzed site. There seemed every prospect of a near-capacity gate. The Argyle had to make one change in their team as Neil Dougall reported unfit and Davies was chosen to deputise. The City manager Mr Norman Dodgin announced that Mitchell would be at centre-forward and John at right half, with Willis excluded.  The Argyle's "five man band," consisting of a concertina, a rattle,  cymbals, and two drums, invaded the pitch and marched around. They were followed by a lone City supporter carrying a sign labelled "Up, Exeter!" It is a long time since such an atmosphere has existed at St James's Park. Jones won the toss for Plymouth, and Exeter kicked off towards the St James's Road end. 

ARGYLE ON TOP IN EARLY STAGES.

After Jones had halted Exeter's first probe they tried again and this time Thomas's centre went wide of the other forwards and into touch. It was then the Argyle's turn but Ferrier stopped Davis for Rees to complete the clearance. Hampered by John, Kearns put an attempted hook shot yards wide, but the Argyle were well on top in the early stages. And when first Mitchell and then Rees drove long passes into the middle no-one was in position to take advantage of them. Neil Langman was tripped as he tried to barge his way through but the free-kick came to nothing and a centre from Davies went out of play. Some of the exchanges were a little too heated, and the referee spoke to Rowley and John. Right after this Exeter had a shock when a sizzling shot from Langman clipped the top of the crossbar and sailed over. For a spell the City were packed in their own penalty area while the Argyle raided, and when the Grecians did get away Currie spoiled the move by running straight into Tilley. Jones headed away a cross from Currie, but so far there were no signs of the Exeter forwards giving any trouble. The Argyle supporters made themselves heard when Williams crashed in a great shot from 30 yards, and Hunter had to go sprawling across the goalmouth to stop it. When trainer Hanford came on to give treatment to Porteous a "comedian" in the crowd sounded the "Last Post" on a bugle. A grand interception by Ferrier almost gave Exeter the lead. Currie raced through the middle and latched on to a pass from Rees, but the Argyle skipper Pat Jones flung himself into the tackle and the ball was scrambled away.

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE AHEAD.

The Argyle nearly took the lead after 23 minutes, when Hunter dived to half-smother a shot from Kearns, who after recovering the ball drove his shot wide of an empty net. Currie, Exeter's scoring hope, could do nothing right. He let a ball from Mitchell go past him and muffed another chance which should have produced a goal. He seemed to have completely lost his confidence and nothing he tried to do succeeded. In the 35th minute the Argyle went ahead. Rowley after a tussle with Doyle eventually beat him by the corner flag and centred to Langman, standing ten yards from goal. The Argyle centre forward jumped high and directed an unstoppable header into the top corner, with Hunter failing to get anywhere near it. It was a goal worthy of the great occasion. Davies shot past the post in the next Plymouth raid, in which Ferrier was at fault, and Hunter saved a long shot from Williams. The Argyle, making use of every open space, were playing some good football, and continued to dominate the game as they had done from the outset. Rees netted from an offside position from Buckle's centre right on half time, which came with the score:
Exeter City 0 Plymouth Argyle 1.

SECOND HALF SCRAPPY.

The City welcomed the return of Porteous who had been injured for a second time and off the field for five minutes, and a centre from the right wing was headed wide by Currie. A corner was forced on Exeter's left which Rees took short, but his pass to Currie was blocked. Neil Langman at the other end went full-length to a centre from Davies but missed the target. Even the Argyle were now taking on the City's look, and the game was becoming very scrappy with very little incident of note. The City could not get one single move going, and Neil Langman put a shot on the turn wide from one of the Argyle's few raids.

ROWLEY'S GREAT GOAL.
The City had a marvellous escape as Davies sprinted past Ferrier and slammed the ball low past Hunter. Doyle, standing beneath the cross bar, touched it clear. The return shot brought another hairbreadth escape. Hunter allowed a shot from Rowley to slip through his hands and Ferrier kicked it off the goal-line. There came two more corners to Plymouth, and from the second Rowley crashed in a great left-foot shot which rattled the net and put the Argyle two goals ahead in the 62nd minute. After an easy chance had been missed by Davis, Langman went bustling through past the City's bemused defenders and pushed the ball back to Rowley. The old English international shot hard and this time Doyle stood in the line of flight to deflect a pile-driver.
CITY'S LATE ATTEMPTS.
At this late stage in the game the City were trying a few attacks of their own, and after tricky work by Thomas the Plymouth goalkeeper in trying to catch a high centre nearly put the ball into his own net. Finally, Jones kicked behind as P.Langman went down injured. Rees took the corner, which was easily cleared, and with the play moving swiftly to the other end Ferrier was penalised for hand-ball. From the free kick Rowley lobbed a pass to N.Langman, who headed wide. At the other end Mitchell had moved up to an orthodox centre forward position and was pulled up for offside when Buckle put him through twelve yards from goal. Exeter should have scored from a move started by John in mid-field. But the ball was passed and re-passed wildly in front of goal and the chance was lost. Brown punched over a centre from Reees, and almost dropped the ball when the corner kick came in. He then had to fall to a shet slammed in at full force by Thomas, and Exeter were certainly on the upgrade now. The slowness of Currie ten yards from goal ruined a fine move, and in the next minute Brown stopped a hard shot from Rees. Exeter could not even get one consolation goal in the last minute for Currie again shot yards wide from close range and Thomas had a better effort headed away by P.Langman.

ARGYLE'S VICTORY WELL DESERVED. The City are out of the F. A. Cup, and there is no doubt that after this match they fully deserve to be. Plymouth Argyle were by far the superior team at St James's Park, and until the last 15 minutes their goal was never in danger. They took charge from the start, and though there was no really great football, they were far more competent, especially in positional play. The wide open spaces were taken full advantage of, and they directed passes to each other with far more accuracy than a bewildered looking Exeter City team. Both the Argyle's goals were very good ones, although Hunter it seemed was slow in coming out to meet the centre from which Langman headed the first. The City's defence was good, with Doyle and Ferrier outstanding. The forward line, unfortunately, simply did not exist. The Mitchell Plan never looked like succeeding and was abandoned in the second half. Exeter's goal-scoring "hope," Jim Currie, had his worst game for the club. Nearly fifty years ago Plymouth Argyle met Exeter City in the second round of the F.A.Cup and won by the same score, 2 goals to nil. One of the biggest mysteries of the moment is why Plymouth Argyle are bottom of the 3rd Division with only 12 points, seven places below the City, who have five points more.

Southern League 
TONBRIDGE BEAT EXETER CITY RESERVES.

The City Reserves' match at Tonbridge ended in defeat by 2 goals to 1. Exeter's goal, in the second half, was obtained by Phoenix.