TORQUAY LEAD 2-0 THEN CITY MAKE IT A DRAW.
EXCELLENT DEBUT BY BRIAN BIRCH OF BARROW.

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 20th 1958

CITY 2 TORQUAY UNITED 2.

Devon "Derby-day" brought easily the biggest crowd so far to the Exeter ground this season for the fiftieth League encounter of the Grecians and Torquay United.

Brian Birch, aged 27, transferred to Exeter from Barrow yesterday, made his debut (and a very good one) at inside-left. Birch started his Football League career with Manchester United in 1949, and has since played for Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lincoln City, as well as Barrow, for whom he has scored 27 goals in 60 League games. There were close on ten thousand people present when Torquay kicked off against strong sunshine.

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

Torquay:- Gill; Bettany, H.Smith; Lewis, G. Northcott, Johnson; Baxter, James, T. Northcott, Mills, Pym.

Referee:- Mr P.G. Brandwood of Kidderminster.

The City did really well to fight back from being two goals behind. At one stage in the second half they were playing Torquay off the field and looked to be convincing winners. But that stage did not last quite long enough. The newcomer, Brian Birch, was impressive, especially in the first half, in both his use of the ball and his willingness and ability to take a shooting chance.
Goalscorers:-
Pym and Baxter (Torquay),
Calland and Rees (City).

SOUTHERN LEAGUE:
WEYMOUTH 2 CITY RESERVES 2.

Hill put in one very good shot early in the game at Weymouth today, but it was a very long time before anything else was seen of the City forwards.

Weymouth: Beal; Stevenson, Stocker; Sheppard, Langman, Anderson; McGowan, Gleadall, Heffer, Dobbie, Gaillard.

City Res:- Brown; Rutter, Whitnall; John, Packer, Carberry; Atkins, Pulman, Hill, Nicholls, Cruz.

Starting more briskly, Weymouth went ahead after 5 minutes through Dobbie, but Hill equalised two minutes from the interval. The same pattern of scoring was repeated by the same players in the second.

South Western League
20th September 1958.
Saltash (a)

Saltash drew but still need polish

Saltash Utd. 1, Exeter City 1

Saltash went close to scoring their first league win of the season in this wind-battered match, but that was more due to Exeter's sur- prisingly low standard than be- cause of any sudden general im- provement in the home team. Saltash still showed signs of badly needing extra zip and all-round polish. There was some excuse for a lack of Saltash co-ordination for injuries prevented goalkeeper McLaren, centre-half Evans and out-side left Nicholas from turn- ing out. Because of it three of the team were making their league debut: goalkeeper Hillson from Torpoint, right-half Severn-a powerful player from 42 Comando-and Oliver from the club's P. and D. side. All played well, with Hillson in particularly good form. In one lively first-half spell Hillson pushed out a hard drive for an uneventful corner, punched away a dangerous looking lob and then dived to save a tricky low shot. For most of the first half there was uninspiring end-to-end play with Exeter a shade on top. But after the interval Saltash improved a little and a weak Exeter defence gave chances galore. Disappointingly the chances were lost through too much hesitation and weak shooting. The only powerful Saltash shots went high or wide. Exeter went ahead after 33 minutes when inside-left Willey scored from a goalmouth skirmish. The equaliser came soon after the interval in an astonishing way. A corner kick, by Davies, bounced and trickled more than half way along the cross-bar before drop- ping for outside-right Cadd to breast over the line!

South Western League
22nd September 1958.
Penzance (h)

Exeter A 4-3 Penzance 

The Exeter scorers were Rackley, Haig and Andrews 2. 

Exeter Reserves 3 Cambridge United 3.

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24th SOUTHERN LEAGUE.

The City Reserves forced a draw with Cambridge at St. James's Park on Wednesday evening, but only because of goalkeeper Harry Brown. Dislocating two fingers when letting in the second Cambridge goal, a soft shot which he should have stopped, Brown came back to play on the right wing, Butterworth going in goal. And when the Reserves were 3-1 down in the second half Brown crossed one ball which Atkins pushed through for Robinson to score, and then put over another one from which Atkins headed the equaliser. Exeter's first goal was scored by Hill before the interval.