CITY CRASH AT GILLINGHAM: FIRST DEFEAT OF 1963.

GOOD FRIDAY APRIL 12TH

GILLINGHAM 4 EXETER CITY 0

If the City lose the return game with Gillingham on Easter Monday then it will show that they cannot learn the simplest of soccer lessons. For the only reason they lost at Gillingham was that they forgot to play in the same way that they did throughout their undefeated run of nine home and away League matches. They forgot that the wandering of Henderson to the wings has caused more than half the damage to their opponents. For first Henderson, and then Pierce, at Gillingham, stood firmly in the middle of the field, and with no wandering and no switching of positions, the attack lost its guile and its punch. They forgot that a lot of their defensive success lay in Anderson taking up the role of a dual centre-half and providing more cover. For Anderson went aimlessly wandering up the field and the result was a defensive shambles. The idea of having two backs and two centre halves was Mr Spiers's, when he was the manager. The idea of the wandering centre-forward and the switching of positions in the attack was Mr Edwards's from the time he took over, and if the City players play according to the plans which have been laid down by the two managers then they will continue to be successful.

Gillingham:- Simpson; Hughes and Hunt; Arnott, Burgess, and Farrall; Ridley, Francis, Ballagher, Gibbs, and Pulley.

Exeter City:- Tinsley; Smyth and Patrick; Mitchell, Harvey, and Anderson; McMillan, Carter, Henderson, Pierce, and Jenkins.

• Exeter City Reserves at St James's Park beat Glastonbury by 3 goals to none, all scored by Graham Rees.