Hoo-Ray 

Exeter City 4
Pratt (3), Smith
Torquay United 3
Marshall, Hall, Sims

Report By Trina Lake

IF RAY PRATT had received a Roy of the Rovers annual for Christmas it could not have had a more dramatic storyline than yesterday's incident-packed Fourth Division Devon derby between Exeter City and Torquay United.

In true Roy style, Pratt scored two first-half goals which, combined with one from Kevin Smith, gave City a com- fortable 3-0 lead by half-time. Then Torquay came storming back in an inspired six-minute, second-half spell to draw level with goals from Gary Marshall, Derek Hall, and John Sims, only for Pratt, the hero of the hour, to clinch victory with a late winner that completed his hat-trick. It was the sort of stuff that schoolboy fantasies are made of perhaps on a slightly reduced scale. It was Pratt's second hat-trick of the season and takes his personal tally to 13 goals. His first strike gave City a dream start. With only two minutes gone Keith Viney swung over a corner, Jim McNichol headed it on and Pratt dived in to plant a close-range header firmly into the back of the net. A good Kenny Allen save from Trevor Morgan prevented City from increasing their lead three minutes later but the Torquay goalkeeper was left stranded for City's second goal in the 29th minute. Phil Coleman, making a steady debut at right-back, threaded the ball through to Morgan, he squared a perfect pass to Smith and the little striker calmly tucked away his second goal of the season with Torquay appealing, with arguable justification, for off-side. Smith did not have long to enjoy his success. In the 35th minute he was stretchered off with a suspected broken ankle. X-rays revealed no break but the joint is badly bruised to and he is unlikely to be fit for Saturday's home game against Hereford. Steve Harrower came on to join Danny O'Shea and Keith Viney in midfield and Pratt pushed alongside Morgan. The reshuffled formation proved just as effective towards the end of the first-half as the original one, increasing City's lead to three goals in the fifth minute of injury time. More good work by Morgan put Martin Ling away on the right, his cross was on by Danny O'Shea and there was Pratt, arriving on another late run deep into that dangerous far post area to force the ball home. Torquay looked dead and buried by that stage. They had enjoyed a fair amount of possession and forced plenty more corners than City but were painfully short of attacking ideas. John Sims as ever was the most skilful forward but nobody else was on his wavelength for most of the time. City looked capable of completing their demolition job in the second-half, espe- cially when the mainstay of Torquay's defence, John Impey, had to stay in the dressing-room with a back injury. Steve Pugh, Benny Laryea, and Sims all had efforts off target for Torquay and Allen had to save from his own full-back, Colin Anderson, whose sliced clearance almost put City 4-0 up. But all of a sudden the game took a fantastic twist and City collapsed into a quivering heap. The ripples of panic began in City's defence when Marshall's corner eluded everyone and ended up in the back of the net in the 71st minute after a sloppy piece of defensive work by McNichol. Two minutes later more slack play presented Tor- quay with another chance, but that should not detract from the way their second goal was scored. Hall picked the ball up a good 30 yards out and looped a deadly-accurate shot over Jeff Wood, right into the top corner of the net. Torquay could do no wrong at this stage and it seemed inevitable that they would equalise as City's game went to pieces. The predictable happened in the 77th minute. Mar- shall's free kick was drop- ped by Wood, Derek Fow- ler's shot was blocked on the line and in the scramble Sims forced the ball home. It would have taken a brave man to predict the final score with 13 minutes remaining but Pratt made himself as popular as Father Christmas with an an 81st minute winner. Ling's corner was flicked on at the near post by the hard-working Moragn, Pratt had a shot blocked but the ball rebounded back on to his chest and looped over Allen into the net. It was not a classic goal by anybody's standards, but effective and enough to secure City's first win after a 12-match barren spell. In truth neither side could feel particularly proud of their professionalism yester- day but they managed to conjure up a real Christmas cracker of a match in the real sense of the old cliche with excitement, tension, incident, and seven goals. But the underlying problems in both sides can give neither manager too much confidence as they prepare to move into 1985.

Exeter City:
Wood, Coleman, Viney, O'Shea, Marker, McNichol, Ling, Smith, Morgan, Pratt, Davies. Sub. Harrower (on for Smith, 35).

Torquay United:
Allen, McClure, Anderson, Dawkins, Fowler, Impey, Best, Laryea, Sims, Marshall, Hall. Sub. Pugh (on for Impey, 45).

Attendance: 3,925.