Origins

Celebrating 120 years of the Grecians – The St Sidwell’s United Story

16.  The demise of Exeter United

If there’s a pivotal season in the history of Exeter City Football Club, then 1902/3 is probably it. For it’s during this campaign that St Sidwell’s United became the city’s top club – a fact which led to the club adopting a more suitable name in 1904.

The association football landscape had looked very different in St Sidwell’s first season in 1901/2. There was no doubt that Exeter United was the top local club. Indeed, it was they who played at St James’ Park.  Exeter United competed in a ‘Senior’ league while St Sidwell’s were ‘Juniors’.

In that opening season St Sidwell’s played Exeter United’s first team twice in friendlies and lost 3-2 on both occasions. Exeter United held all the bragging rights.

Yet within just a few months all this was to change. The catalyst for the demise of Exeter United was an unusual one. As the Devon and Exeter Gazette reporter revealed in September 1902: ‘Exeter United are, I understand, without a pitch in consequence of the erection of the temporary building at St James’s Park.’

The temporary building in question was a large wooden hall to house the exhibition for the Co-operative Society’s 34th Annual Congress being held at Exeter’s Theatre Royal. The hall was erected in time for the opening of the exhibition on17 May 1902. It hosted a large display by Co-operative Manufacturers.

The problem for Exeter United was that the exhibition buildings were not taken down after the event and were still standing as the next football season was about to get underway. Exeter United couldn’t play at their home ground and finding a new ground at short notice proved impossible. As a result, Exeter United dropped out of their league and decided to play away friendlies instead.

One of these friendly games, on 25 October, was against St Sidwell’s United at their Pinhoe Road ground.  It was a game, according to the Western Times, to answer the question: ‘Who are the Leaders?’

And the emphatic answer was St Sidwell’s United who triumphed 3-0. The visitors were undoubtedly weakened by key players and officials having left the club. The goalscorers for The Grecians were Sid Thomas (2) and Jimmy Sillick.

The Devon and Exeter Gazette noted that St Sidwell’s United had ‘secured their first victory over Exeter United’ and ‘that they deserved their win is beyond question’. The report put the victory down to the ‘superiority of their forwards’.

The Western Times reflected:  ‘Which is the leading Club of the City? Nominally, the distinction belongs to Exeter United. Not only does that organisation bear the City’s name, but it had up to last Saturday held undisputed superiority over other Exeter clubs. Now, however, it has been displaced from its position by that wonderfully promising Club, St Sidwell’s.’

From that moment, as the Football Express later put it, Exeter United ‘faded out’.  St Sidwell’s continued to thrive, becoming a Senior club in 1903 and changing their name to Exeter City in 1904.