Match 17
6th November 1971
Scunthorpe United (Home)
Exeter City 1, Scunthorpe United 0
CONTROL THE MIDFIELD, and win the game. Like all generalisations, that is not always true, but it is a good enough guide line towards soccer success. And that is exactly what Exeter City did in this game, possibly for the first time so completely this season, and the result was that they beat a very good side indeed.
But in getting that essential control Exeter were helped by the fact that Graham Parker, short, strong, as determined and dedicated a player as a side could wish to have, had one of those games that he will store up and remember with a smile of satisfaction.
The fact that he scored the goal that earned Exeter both points made him a likely con- tender for the title of the star man from the word go. But if that piledriver of a shot had not gone in, Parker would still have taken all the bouquets from this game.
Relatively small in stature he might be, but he was ten feet tall in tenacious talent in this match Time and again he tamed that Scunthorpe attack-and a smart and swift attacking force it was.
It was Parker's day, but the whole Exeter side produced an all- round performance that was a good deal better than has been seen in recent matches. Probably it was Exeter's best home performance,
Although there was only one goal, nobody can complain with the quality of the match as whole. It a was hard, keenly contested, but it was flavoured with football that was worth watching,
The manager ever-cautious player- John Newman was pleased. "I tried a new system and we were more organised. It certainly gives me more hope," he said.
It was indeed a showing to give everyone more hope. Of course mistakes were made, and Exeter missed some chances, but there! It the combination of hard work and good football that bring results, made all the more impressive because Scunthorpe were a side to provide worthy opposition. Indeed, if Scunthorpe had taken all their chances, they could have changed the pattern of the game, but Angus Davidson and George Kerr missed two cracking oppor- tunities at the start of the second
half, and they paid the penalty. After that Parker goal, when the game was eight minutes old-he picked the ball up from a throw-in and smashed in tremendous a drive from the edge of the box-Exeter had plenty of opportunities to have sewn up the game.
CONTROL THE MIDFIELD, and win the game. Like all generalisations, that is not always true, but it is a good enough guide line towards soccer success. And that is exactly what Exeter City did in this game, possibly for the first time so completely this season, and the result was that they beat a very good side indeed.
But in getting that essential control Exeter were helped by the fact that Graham Parker, short, strong, as determined and dedicated a player as a side could wish to have, had one of those games that he will store up and remember with a smile of satisfaction.
The fact that he scored the goal that earned Exeter both points made him a likely con- tender for the title of the star man from the word go. But if that piledriver of a shot had not gone in, Parker would still have taken all the bouquets from this game.
Relatively small in stature he might be, but he was ten feet tall in tenacious talent in this match Time and again he tamed that Scunthorpe attack-and a smart and swift attacking force it was.
It was Parker's day, but the whole Exeter side produced an all- round performance that was a good deal better than has been seen in recent matches. Probably it was Exeter's best home performance,
Although there was only one goal, nobody can complain with the quality of the match as whole. It a was hard, keenly contested, but it was flavoured with football that was worth watching,
The manager ever-cautious player- John Newman was pleased. "I tried a new system and we were more organised. It certainly gives me more hope," he said.
It was indeed a showing to give everyone more hope. Of course mistakes were made, and Exeter missed some chances, but there! It the combination of hard work and good football that bring results, made all the more impressive because Scunthorpe were a side to provide worthy opposition. Indeed, if Scunthorpe had taken all their chances, they could have changed the pattern of the game, but Angus Davidson and George Kerr missed two cracking oppor- tunities at the start of the second
half, and they paid the penalty. After that Parker goal, when the game was eight minutes old-he picked the ball up from a throw-in and smashed in tremendous a drive from the edge of the box-Exeter had plenty of opportunities to have sewn up the game.
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