MONDAY 23rd MAY 1966.

CLIFF HANGER FINISH.

What a cliff hanger finish to the season, Goal average could keep Exeter City in the Third Division,, but they may know their fate tonight, For City's only hope of salvation is for fellow strugglers Mansfield Town to lose their last two matches and for City to win their last game at Swindon Town on SaturdayMansfield play at home to Bournemouth this evening and if they only get one point then City will be relegated,

TUESDAY 24th MAY 1966.

EXETER CITY ARE RELEGATED

The 1965-66 season is over for Exeter CityIt ended in certainty of relegation at 9.10pm, last night as fellow strugglers Mansfield Town beat Bournemouth 1-0, This pushed City back into the Fourth Division where they came from just two seasons ago with such high hopes Exeter still have one game to play at Swindon on Saturday and they are likely to field an experimental side, now that the pressure is off for them,

THURSDAY 26th MAY 1966.

EXETER CITY RELEASE 14 PLAYERS.

Exeter City have announced their retained and transfer list, which shows that 14 players are to be released.

The list reads:
RETAINED:
Defenders:
Balson, Buckingham, Goad, Harford, Harvey, Ley, Smyth.

Forwards
Blain, Elliott, EvansKeeley, Kennedy, McLean, Stuckey.

Apprentices
Baglow, Broom, House, Richardson, Taylor, Whitfield.

RELEASED:
Anderson, Arbury, Barnett, Carter, Cavanan, Curtis, Fulton, McDonald, Mitchell, Peapell,
Rees, Riding, Rice, Tolchard,

FRIDAY 27th MAY 1966.

LEICESTER CITY WING HALF FOR CITY.

Exeter City are to sign a teenage wing half from a First Division club, He is 19 year old Dixie McNeil who has been with Leicester City for the past two years and has been a regular in their Combination League team. The two clubs have agreed terms and the player will be signing when he gets back from a Dutch tour his club are making. Almost 6 ft tall  and weighing 11½ stone, he is decribed as being hard working and a forceful player with a hard shot, There was only one surprise in the City retained and transfer list, that is they did not axe more than they have done. The average age of next seasons side has been reduced considerably. Five of the retained men are still teenagers. There are no goalkeepers retained, but that will be remedied in July because City have agreed terms with Charlton Athletic for former Welsh Under 23 International Ken Jones. He is another Jock Basford recommendation and is the fifth player to be signed from Charlton.

WEDNESDAY 1st JUNE 1966.

Alan Banks and Peter Shearing signed officially for Plymouth Argyle this afternoon. The players and the clubs had agreed to the move before the end of the season,

THURSDAY 2nd JUNE 1966.

THE END OF A CAREER.

What does it mean to a man who comes to the end of a 19 year old sports career? To Arnold Mitchell, the 37 year old veteran of Exeter City, it means stepping into a world of sharp contrast, For Arnold who has been transfer listed by the club a couple of months ago and has now been released, thinks he is finished with full time professional soccer. He admits that at his age he doubts if he will sign for another League club. Mitchell is keen to continue to live in Exeter with his family, so at 37 he has to start a new life, No more arriving at St James' Park before 10 o'clock, changing into a red track suit for two or three hours training five days a week. Maybe golfing or relaxing in the afternoons, but all the time building up to the 90 minutes climax of a Saturday afternoon, He admits it is a bit of a wrench leaving the City, but he could not go on forever. He is bound to miss the life at first but then with a bit of luck he may not have to give up playing completely. Mitchell would be quite happy to join a local non league club and go part time with them, Fifteen of Arnold's nineteen years in soccer were with Exeter City. During that time the Yorkshireman has won a lot of friends and a lot of respect here, It is a pity that he is being allowed to slip away from St James' Park almost unnoticed,

FRIDAY 3rd JUNE 1966.

EXETER BETTER SOCCER MOVE.

Part of the Exeter City soccer plan to bring better soccer to St James' park is to have the reserves in the Football Combination League for the first time ever next season. They applied for entry a couple of months ago and they will know their fate this weekend, If City do get elected, it will be a big breakthrough, for the league is not only a better training ground than the Western League, but it is a much bigger attraction to players thinking of signing for the club and will give City a regular chance to do some talent spotting,

MONDAY 6th JUNE 1966.

CITY SIGN A SPURS MAN.

Exeter City signed two players today. They are goalkeeper Ken Jones from Charlton Athletic and full back or wing half Ben Embery from Tottenham Hotspur, Jones the former Welsh Under 23 goalkeeper had agreed to sign for City a couple of weeks ago, but Embery's signing was pulled off by City's assistant manager Jock Basford and was a complete surprise, He is 22, and has been with Spurs for seven years, He was a regular in their reserevs that won the Football Combination League championship last season, He is just over 6' tall and weighs 11 stone,

UNLUCKY THIRTEEN.

At the annual meeting of the Football Combination League on Saturday, Exeter City polled thirteen votes in their bid to get elected to the competition for next season. They missed out by one vote and it was a big disappointment to the City club.

WEDNESDAY 8th JUNE 1966.

TWO CITY PLAYERS FOR YEOVIL TOWN.

Part timers Alan Riding and Graham Rees are the first two of the 14 players released by Exeter City in the Summer to go to another club, Yeovil Town have already signed Rees and it is expected that Riding will join them as well this week, Rees joined the City from the Pontypridd Youth Club in 1954 and his experience should be a great asset to the Southern League side,

FRIDAY 10th JUNE 1966.

ELLIS STUTTARD RESIGNS AS CITY MANAGER.

JOCK BASFORD TAKES OVER.

Ellis Stuttard has resigned as manager of Exeter City Football Club, Assistant manager and trainer Jock Basford has been appointed manager in his placeMr Stuttard was appointed manager in January 1965 when Jack Edwards resigned, but at the end of last season with seven matches remaining, the City directors decided to hand over control of the team to Jock Basford, while Stuttard had a general manager's role, Mr Basford has refused a contract, preferring to work without one. He will have complete control of the team, players, and training, and as part of the new set up he will have a new trainer and the asistance of existing helper Bert Edwards as a part timer. The board of directors are offering the players a new wage structure, with a levelling out for a first team squad, equal to the best in the Third or Fourth Divisions. There will also be a very good incentive bonus for the players if they can get to the four promotion places in the Fourth Division.

SATURDAY 11th JUNE 1966.

SPURS WINGER FOR CITY.

Another player is on his way from White Hart Lane to St James' Park. This time it is a left winger, 21 year old Roger Smith, Like full back Ben Embery, who signed from Tottenham earlier in the week, Smith has come right up through the junior sides, to become a regualr reserve team player.

TUESDAY 14th JUNE 1966.

CITY WILL SIGN TWO DEFENDERS.

Exeter City have signed another defender and again he is young and from a higher grade club, he is 21 year old wing half Ken Thompson from Ipswich Town, Born in Suffolk, Thompson has made about 20 first team appearances, Ipswich being his only professional club. A six footer, he is a strong attacking wing half who can play on either side of the field,

BARNETT GETS FIXED UP.

Another Exeter City player has got fixed up with a club for next season, Goalkeeper Alan Barnett, is the third of 14 players released at the end of last term to sign for another club, and unlike Alan Riding and Graham Rees, he has signed for a League club - Torquay United. He was signed by former City manager Jack Edwards, now at Plainmoor, from Grimsby Town and Edwards has always had a high regard for the player.

FRIDAY 17th JUNE 1966.

CITY OFFER O.A.P.'s CUT PRICE SEATS.

Exeter City have introduced a new scheme so that old age pensioners will be able to get a grandstand seat at St James' Park for just about one shilling per match, The scheme outlined today by Secretary Dick Miller, provides for pensioners to buy season tickets at £2,10s, instead of the normal £7 or £8. Including reserve matches as well this is a tremendous savingSeats available for this idea are limited and there will be no choice of selection. It will be first come first served,

CITY SIGN A GOALKEEPER AND A WINGER.

It was less than a month ago that Exeter City were left with 14 professionals. Today they have signed two more players to bring their staff up to 22. The players are, Peter Godfrey, a right winger from Chesterfield, and John Smout, a goalkeeper from Crystal Palace, Godfrey, 22, started his career at Charlton Athletic, but only made one League appearance before moving to Gillingham, In the three years with the Kent side he made more than 100 first team appearances, then being transferred to Chesterfield wher ehe made 30 appearances last seasonBorn in Woolwich, he is 5'6" and weighs just over 10% stone, Goalkeeper John Smout, 24, has spent only one season with Crystal Palace, but has been strongly recommended to Exeter City as cover for Ken Jones from Charlton Athletic, one of City's first close season signings.

MONDAY 20th JUNE 1966.

CITY SIGN ARSENAL HALF BACK.

, Another First Division groomed youngster signed for Exeter City today, Ernie Wilkinson, a 20 year old half back from Arsenal, who becomes the ninth close season signing, Wilkinson, a six footer, weighing 12 stone, has come right up through the ranks of the Highbury youth teams and has been a regular in Arsenal's Football Combination side, He can play in any of the half back positions