Sheffield Wednesday v Exeter City 

October 24th 1978 

Sheffield Wednesday 2 Exeter City 1.

A disappointed City side made the long trip back from Hillsborough to Devon with nothing to show, despite a plucky display which almost caught Sheffield on the hop. It could have been a different story though, for an Exeter team which at times made the running for lengthy periods, and which stunned the home supporters by taking the lead five minutes after the start of the second half. Neville's speed had the Sheffield defence in a tangle but Pickering managed to clear. Then Bowker took a hand and it was from his lobbed centre, headed on by Neville, that Kellow flicked the ball past Cox with a brilliant header to put Exeter one up against the run of the play.

Wednesday:- Cox; Blackhall, Smith, Pickering, Rushbury; Wylde, Johnson, Owen; Porterfield, Leman, Hornsby.

City: O'Keefe; Templeman, Giles, Roberts, Hore; Mitchell, Randell, Hatch; Neville, Kellow, Bowker.

But in the 73rd minute the inevitable happened and the pressure from Sheffield forged a chink in the Exeter rearguard. Hornsby, with a brilliant diving header converted a slide-rule pass from Blackhall. The relentless pressure continued and Exeter were being out-played more than in any game so far this season. But it looked as though the honours might after all be shared, until just three minutes from the end, when Sheffield introduced Lowey as the substitute, who came on in place of Johnson. It was the new man who bagged the winner for his team with a header into the net well wide of O'Keefe.


You can read the programme here