Wrexham Pay-Off: A Goal

4th March 1978 

Exeter City 0 Wrexham 1 (McNeill)

Attendance 4,722


Exeter City were dropped a colossal reminder that, if Alan Beer is sold t Leicester,
they must spend heavily on a replacement who can score goals Wrexham did spend when they sold Billy Ashcroft to Middlesbrough earlier this season. They, re invested £60,000 on Hereford striker Dixie McNeill. McNeill did nothing in 92 minutes to justify that price tag,
but in that injury-time minute he jumped beautifully to head in Bobby Shinton's free kick from out on the left. Needless to say, McNeill left every Exeter player shaking his head in disbelief at the third home game on the trot in which they called the tune but let the opposition fiddle the points. Yet Exeter had a hatful of chances to have reduced McNeill to a consolation goal and put the game into its correct perspective Alas, the opportunities came and disappeared with alarming regularity, Tony Kellow with at fault on two occasions in the second-half when he completely miskicked with the goal beckoning. His 50th minute blunder was especially crucial for Welsh international goalkeeper Dai Davies was on his backside after stopping a Keith Bowker shot with his legs. In the end, Lee Roberts followed up and, although timid, his shot still had to be cleared off the line by Wrexham player-manager Arfon Griffiths. Roberts, in fact, didn't do badly at all in his third game as temporary stand-in for the injured Beer. He won his fair share of aerial battles in competition with another Wrexham Welsh international, John Roberts, and showed some delightful and intelligent touches with his left foot. Yet he was also guilty of squandering a major chance in the first half with a close range header that he telegraphed for Davies to pull down just under the
bar.

Exeter City:- Key; Templeman and Hore; Weeks, Giles, and Roberts; Hodge, Kellow, Randell, Bowker, and Holman.

Wrexham:- Niedzwiecki; Hill and Dwyer; Davis, Roberts, and Thomas; Shinton, Sutton, McNeil, Whittle, and Cartwright.

Exeter City Reserves v Bridgwater

In the Western League match at St James's Park the City Reserves won a good victory over Bridgwater Town by 4 goals to l.