HODGSON TEARS OPEN EXETER DEFENCE By EXONIAN

Exeter City 1, Bournemouth 3

THIS was not a happy ending to Exeter's Third Division programme. Bournemouth did in 30 minutes what only three teams have done in a match this season -put three goals past the Exeter defence. It was an unusual opening to a game for Exeter, whose defensive record this season has been excellent, and indeed, before this match Exeter with Gillingham had the best defensive record in the League. The man who put Bournemouth well on their way to this comfortable win was their top scorer, inside-right Ken Hodgson. After only 12 minutes he scored one of the best goals to be seen at St. James Park this season. Left- winger Crickmore raced away up the wing, sent over a fine centre and Hodgson's header was timed exactly.

ATTRACTIVE
Bournemouth's quicksilver speed and imaginative football quickly produced results and it found big gaps in the defence. After 20 minutes Hodgson was in action again. This time he raced away and ran 25 yards before hammering the ball past Shearing. Exeter were answering with atractive football and some of the approach work was well con- structed. But it was a different story when they got in front of goal. After 30 minutes Bournemouth burst through on his own to score a fine goal. In the second half Bournemouth faded and Exeter came more into the picture. After only eight, minutes George Ley scored from an Adrian Thorne centre.

2nd Match Report 

EXETER CITY 1
(Ley) 
BOURNEMOUTH 3
(Hodgson 2 Bumstead)

Wednesday April 28th: Exeter City's supporters have been waiting all the season to see a real goalscoring display. In this, the very last game, they got it, but from the wrong team. Fast moving and hard hitting Bournemouth tore through the left hand side of the City's defence three times in the first half, and got three goals.

Exeter City:- Shearing; Smyth, Fulton; Mitchell, Harvey, Carter; Welsh, Rees, Curtis, Thorne, Ley.

Bournemouth:- Best; Farmer, Coxon; Standley, Gater, Bolton; Bunstead, Hodgson, Coughlin, Archer, Crickmore.

Referee:- Mr E.T.Jennings of Stourbridge.

Bournemouth struck from depth, and struck quickly. One moment the ball was in their half, the next it was in the City's, and the next it was in the net! By comparison the City laboriously built up sound looking attacks which failed because Bournemouth were given too much warning of what they were going to do.