SATURDAY 28th AUGUST 1976

CITY START THE SEASON ALL SQUARE

Fourth Division

Exeter City 1 Cambridge United 1

City team: Key, Templeman, Hooker, Hore, Saxton, Hatch, Hodge, Kellow, Morrin, Beer, Jordan.

Cambridge United team: Webster, Lyon, Baldry, Batson, Fallon, Howard, Horsfall, Spriggs, Biley, Finney (Tuddenham), Watson.

Scorers: City: Kellow.
Cambridge United: Biley.

Attendance: 3,606

Exeter City made a disappointing start with a draw their first home game in the Fourth Division this season. Although Cambridge United looked as though they are going to be a force this season, City should have won. because overall they had more of the game, especially in the second half.

Despite this territorial advantage however, they rarely looked like scoring as they failed to create chances. The Grecians lacked creative imagination to set up openings from the midfield area, and their game was too similar, too predictable.

Alan Biley had put Cambridge United ahead as early as the 8th minute with a superbly taken shot, and from then on Exeter knew they had a real fight on their hands. They gradually came back into the game and equalised nine minutes later, to deliver a perfect response.

Tony Kellow seized onto a defensive mistake, took the ball around the goalkeeper and pushed it into an empty net.

Exeter missed a great chance just before half-time when they were awarded a penalty, but Peter Hatch rather telegraphed his intentions with the spot kick and it was saved by Webster.