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

21. Our first Cup run

St Sidwell’s United got its first taste of Cup football during their second season.  On 14 February 1903 they were drawn at home to Plympton in the Devon Junior Cup first round, a game which drew ‘a capital attendance’ to their Pinhoe Road ground.

The Devon and Exeter Gazette reported that ‘The Saints anticipated holding their unbeaten certificate, but at the end of a finely contested game they had to admit defeat to a generally superior team by a goal’.  The 1-0 setback ended a run of 17 games without losing.

In the following season, 1903-04, St Sidwell’s competed in the East Devon Challenge Cup in line with their new senior status. And it proved to be a far more successful cup journey than the first.  

First up was 111th Battery Royal Field Artillery (RFA) at St James’ Park on 5 March 1904.  These were tough opponents, having finished second in the League, a place above St Sidwell’s.  But The Grecians were ‘now on top of their form’ according to the Gazette and secured a 2-0 victory.

‘The Saints played a dashing game, and their victory was fully deserved’, the paper observed. Sid Thomas scored both goals.

This took St Sidwell’s into a semi-final with Dawlish, played at the County Ground on 23 April. For the first time in our history extra time was played with the game scoreless after 90 minutes.  The Gazette’s verdict? – ‘Dawlish gave United a surprisingly good game and until the finish it was anybody’s match.’

St Sidwell’s finally broke the deadlock with ‘Eveleigh putting on the finishing touch from a scramble in the goalmouth’. Although the only goal was fortunate, ‘St Sidwell’s played the better football, and they deserved to win’.

And so back to the County Ground the following Saturday (30 April) for the final against 110th Battery RFA. It was a keenly anticipated match as, according to the Gazette, ‘competition throughout the season among the various clubs has excited considerable interest.’

The paper reported that ‘play was of fairly even character’, but the soldiers were 2-1 up at half time and held on to that lead to win the cup.  Wells scored St Sidwell’s solitary goal.

For the Gazette, ‘The Battery played with more judgement than the United and there is no doubt the best team won.  The whole of the Artillerymen acquitted themselves well.  On the other hand, the shooting of St Sidwell’s was erratic and weak, and the players lacked that dash which generally characterises their play.’

The ‘very handsome trophy’ was presented to the winners by Mr H A Willey ‘who remarked that it gave him great pleasure to hand it to a military eleven to hold it until next season’.

This was to be the last ever game played with the St Sidwell’s United name.  When the next season opened, it was Exeter City who took the field. And the opposition was none other than 110th Battery.