Luton v City

THURSDAY 1st DECEMBER 1966.

LUTON END EXETER CITY'S CUP HOPES.

F. A. Cup Round One Replay.

LUTON TOWN 2,
Read; Thomson, Jardine; Conboy, Moore, Slough; Johnson, Pleat, Riddick, Rioch, Whittaker(King),

EXETER CITY 0
Smout; Smyth, Ley; Wilkinson, Harford, Thompson; Godfrey, Keeley, McLean, McNeil, Blain,

Scorers: Luton: Rioch, Pleat,
Attendance: 7,078,

Exeter City's bid for an F.A, Cup run ended at the first hurdle at Luton Town, The defeat illustrated City's plight at the moment, not taking their chances, Luton came out and attacked in the first half and got both their goals. After 7 minutes Rioch scored with a terrific volley following a corner, Pleat scored the second goal after 37 minutes. City were hardly in the game in the first half. They really struggled on a pitch that was saturated after torrential rain, The game could easily have gone to extra time if City had taken their second half chances, George McLean, Jimmy Blain, Peter Godfrey, and Ray Keeley all missed good opportunities, Godfrey had another shot cleared off thew line, they might have got a couple of goals in the last 10 minutes when Luton goalkeeper Read went off injured and was replaced by Slough, City were faced with a pretty impossible task when they went two down but they did begin to fightback in the second half. They started to swing the ball about a lot more and now it was the turn of the Luton defence to come under pressure, but the home side had a great adavantage, their two goals. And City could not get goals,

Summary 

By floodlight, kick off 7.30 p.m. Exeter City are out of the Football League Cup, and out of the F. A. Cup. So now they have to aim for one thing in the next five months, and that is getting themselves off the bottom of the Fourth Division, The City's bid for a Cup run (which would have meant a second round match with Bristol Rovers) came to an end at Luton when they lost by two goals to nil in the first round replay. And this defeat illustrated the City's plight at the moment, that of not taking their chances, especially at St James's Park. Because the fact is that they should never have had to replay at Luton. The game should have been won last Saturday.