SATURDAY 11th SEPTEMBER 1976

VICTORY FOR CITY DESPITE INJURIES

Fourth Division

Exeter City 2 Rochdale 1

City team: Key, Templeman, Hooker, hore, Saxton (Clapham), Hatch, Robertson, Kellow, Morrin, Beer, Jennings.

Rochdale team: Poole, Hallows, Lacey, Hanvey, Summerscales, O'Laughlin, Melledew, Mullington, Whelan, Cooper
(Mountford), Tarbuck

Scorers: City: Beer, Kellow. Rochdale: Hanvey.

Attendance: 2,829.

It was a day of firsts for Exeter City. They won their first Fourth Division match of the season and Alan Beer scored his first goal, as City defeated Rochdale 2-1.

Beer struck with a superb goal in the 9th minute, and Tony Kellow hit the second, his sixth of the season in the 27th minute. Exeter lost Bobby Saxton with an aggravated muscle injury after only four minutes, and then goalkeeper

Richard Key turned his ankle and was heavily strapped for the rest of the match.

Exeter went ahead with the best goal seen at St. James' Park this season. Peter Hatch broke down the left and put over a cross for Beer who timed his run perfectly to head firmly into the net. Kellow's goal came from a pass by Lammie Robertson, the City striker shaking off a tackle and tucking a low shot into the net.