CITY KICK OFF WITH A THREE GOALS WIN.

SATURDAY AUGUST 23RD 1958

CITY 3 WALSALL 0. 

It was raining steadily as Exeter City opened the 1958-59 season at St James's Park this afternoon with their first Fourth Division game, against Walsall. There were 6,000 spectators present to see Calland start the match against quite a storm.

Exeter City:- Hunter; Foley, MacDonald; Mitchell, Oliver, Harvey; Stiffle, John, Calland, Rees, Dale.

Walsall:- Woodward; Haddington, Gutteridge; Billingham, McPherson, Rawlings; Askey, Cochrane, Richards, Faulkner, Metcalfe.

Referee:- Mr J.Baxter of Royston. Linesmen:- Messrs G.Hoskin and H.Lye.

Exeter City could hardly have had a better start to their first season in the new Fourth Division of the League. Walsall, it is true, were a poor side, but the way the City fought, moved into position, and tried to find their men must have given their supporters plenty of hope. The defence as a whole was extremely compact, with the half - backs and especially skipper Arnold Mitchell, absolutely in control. The City's best forward was Rees, the effervescent Welshman, whose speed and determination gave Walsall's defence hardly moment's a rest. Rees, Calland, and Harvey (penalty) got Exeter's goals.

Southern League 
Hastings (away)

Atkins Saves Reserves A Point.

Sunshine, in contrast to the weather in Devon, greeted Exeter City Reserves and Hastings United at Hastings Pilot Field this afternoon for the first Southern League game of the season.

City Reserves:- Lobbett; Rutter, Whitnall; Butterworth, Packer, Carberry; Atkins, Hill, Rapley, Grinney, Robinson.

Twelve minutes' play produced a goal from Hastings, a free kick by Peacock being bundled through by Taylor and Vizard between them. Another goal, by Burgess, was ruled out through an offside decision against Taylor. Atkins saved a point for Exeter when he equalised in the closing minutes of the game.


South Western League 
Bodmin Town (a)

Young Forwards Shine for Bodmin
Bodmin Town 3-0  Exeter City "A".
(report from Cornish Guardian)

Five members of Bodmin's last season defence were on show, which meant dependability and determination in the rear division, and these qualities were soon re-vealed by centre-half Jimmy Gynne, left-back John Shirley and left-half Jimmy Underwood. This was a happy augury for the tough campaign ahead, but most of the home fans, one felt, had come along to watch Bodmin's "new look" forward line which con-tained five new faces and had a pronounced accent on youth. Youth and enthusiasm are assets which can lift an average attack to a first-rate one. At this stage of the season it would be foolish to tack the rating of "first class" on a forward line who, until Saturday, had never before played together, but there is little doubt that the young Bodmin front line has the makings of a real striking force. Youth and enthusiasm accounted for all the Bodmin goals. The first one-a real beauty from outside-left Horner-put the home side's nose in front before the in- terval. The second and third goals were genuine "follow-ups" by outside-right Keith Lintern and inside-right Dave Warne-and were things which just did not happen when the county town club were making heavy weather of it towards the end of the 1957-58 season.

What of Exeter City? Nine young amateurs and two experienced professionals completed their line-up but their early introduction to the Priory Park mud, particularly at the Laun- ceston Road end of the ground, soon bogged up their confidence and reduced them to very ordinary mortals. They were well led by Andrews-who ought to have got a goal in the first half and was foiled of another in the second period only by the quick thinking of Jimmy Gynne. But generally the St. James' Park bunch were prone to make that one pass too many. By contrast, Bodmin cut out the frills and got the goals. With neither Ian Wark nor Gordon Moxham available for the match, Bodmin may yet have an unusual problem on their hands -the problem of who to leave out as the season progresses.