RUTTER SETS IT ALIGHT

Saturday, September 14th 1974.

Torquay United 2 (Tearse, Myers)

Exeter City 2. (Rutter, Jennings)

Report by Gordon Hines
(Sunday Independant)

THREE second-half goals after Dave Tearse had given Torquay United an interval lead, gave this game at Plainmoor last night all the excitement that is associated with a local derby. Exeter, despite their constant pressure, looked to be slipping to defeat when, in the space of a minute they put a completely fresh complexion on the game with two goals from right-back John Rutter and left-winger Nicky Jennings. It was Rutter who really set the game alight. Trying his luck from all of 40 yards in the 67th minute, he unleashed a thun- derbolt that goalkeeper Mike Mahoney didn't see until it was too late. Mahoney was bending his back for a second time with- in 60 seconds when Jennings sneaked behind the Torquay defence to latch on to a pass from centre-half Jimmy Giles. Jennings, who scored a hat-trick against Swansea in the League Cup last month, didn't need a second invitation to take the ball up to Mahoney and gracefully slide it into the cor- ner of the net. It was no more than Exeter deserved, yet they were to be denied outright victory when Cliff Myers was the first to reach an up-and-under in the Exeter goalmouth and equalise with a 71st-minute header. Doubtless City goalkeeper Bob Wilson will be kicking himself, because it was his handling offence outside the Exeter 18-yard area which led to Torquay's Andy Provan taking the indirect free kick which was to ultimately reach Myers.

It was truly a dramatic second-half after an open- ing 45 minutes in which it looked as though Torquay manager Malcolm Musgrove's decision to play big men up front had come off. Musgrove toyed with the the idea of bringing Eddie Rowles back into the Plain- moor firing line, but chose instead to persevere with the much taller Brian Greenhalgh alongside equally towering Tearse. His decision reaped rich rewards after just 14 minutes when the presence of Greenhaigh in the Exeter penalty area. distracted City's attention from Tearse. Tearse was subsequently unmarked when Provan's measured cross arrived eight yards from goal and he was able to select his route past Wilson with a powerful and excellently judged header. Exeter at that time could consider themselves unlucky. They lacked players who had Torquay's willingness to take pot-shots at goal, but they pressured United into making constant distributive mistakes. Torquay, for some baffling first-half reason, allowed acres of space for City to steam-roller their way from defence, and it was nothing unusual in the first half to see Exeter central defenders Jimmy Giles and Keith Clapham joining forces in attack. But there was no one up front during the first half for Exeter to cash in on their long sessions in Torquay's part of the field. Nicky Jennings sent in two half-hearted headers in an attempt to unsettle Mahoney's cool, but City's only first-half goal-bound effort of note came from Tony Morrin. It was a minute after Tearse had given Torquay the lead and Morrin's left- footed drive passed only a fraction outside the United's goal. Torquay, on the other hand, rarely messed about once their attack spotted the whites of the posts. Myers and Phil Sander- cock both went inches within scoring, while Tearse directed a header that also went wide. Exeter's Lammie Robertson was booked during the first half for ungentlemanly conduct.

TORQUAY
Mahoney; Twitchin, P.Sander cock; Myers, Ellison, Stocks; Kennedy, K.Sandercock, Greenhalgh, Tearse, Provan.
Sub: Morrall.

EXETER CITY
Wilson; Rutter, Hatch; Morrin, Giles, Clapham; Neale, Bowker, Robertson, Joy, Jennings.
Sub: Hodge.

Attendance 5,306

FA Youth Cup
Exeter City v Newport County 

Newport knock City out of Youth Cup

BY TONY PHILLIPS

Exeter City are out of the F.A. Youth Cup competition. This afternoon they were beaten 3-0 by Newport County at St. Jamess Park in the second qualifying round. Although the young Exeter side worked hard, their Welsh opponents had too much experience.

Exeter City: Peters, Cabral, Ridley, Harris, Cottrell, Weeks, M. Green, D. Green, Gray, Sanders Tombs. Sub.: Williams

Newport County: Smith, Barrell, Morgan, Dix, Short, Lopatgui, Beatttle, Preece, Howells, Channing. Hillberg. Sub: Roberts.

Referee: R. Rimmer (Shepton Mallet)

Newport looked the more organised side in the early stages and they might have gone ahead quickly following a defensive mistake by Exeter, Howells missed his opportunity when he put his shot wide. After 11 minutes, however, Newport went ahead through LOPATGUI, who beat Peters with a low shot. Channing made a fine run beating two players, but when he laid the ball back, it was just cut out by the Exeter defence. Weeks and Gray were work- ing hard for Exeter, but apart from having to take out a cross, Newport's goalkeeper was rarely in action. Newport continued to have more of the play, and when Hillberg went in behind the Exeter defence, his close-range shot was well saved by Peters. Then Lopatgui had a cross shot brilliantly saved by Peters. Newport, however, con- tinued to dictate and they scored a second goal in the 43rd minute. It came following a run across the Exeter penalty area by PREECE, who then hit a shot from just outside the penalty area to increase Newport's lead.

Half-time:
Exeter City 0, Newport County 2.

Newport increased their lead in the 65th minute when PREECE scored with a well-taken shot after Peters had pushed away a cross.

Result:-
EXETER CITY 0 NEWPORT COUNTY 3.