Harford is happy to lose wager

BRISTOL CITY 3, EXETER CITY 2
By Peter Godsiff


MICK Harford collected £45 on top of a rare win bonus for scoring two goals and laying on the winner in a pulsating match of thrills, good football and controversy at Ashton Gate.

The lean-and sometimes mean-stand-in-skipper also collected another booking for dissent and escaped the ultimate punishment when a high challenge on defender Tony Mitchell went unnoticed by the match officials. Harford was voted man of the match by sponsors JT Design Build and was handed a £50 cheque. But he has to pay a fiver to manager Roy Hodgson at training tomorrow. Harford explained: "The boss said he fancied me to score two goals so I said I'd give him £5 if I did. It was just as well I didn't ask for odds on getting a hat-trick for I certainly should have had one.

The goal that set up City's first home League win for four frustrating months ranks as one of the best for years. Ricky Chandler's perfect cross from the right was headed into the corner with the speed of a bullet. If a cracking left foot shot from Les Carter, which left Len Bond groping, had been allowed to stand in the 20th minute City would have scored another gem. But Harford was right in frent of goal in an offside position "I was half-way back to the centre circle in celebration until I realised I hadn't scored my first goal for City after all," said Carter. "Mick may have been offside but there was no way the keeper would have stopped that one. The decision was fair enough. But a minute later referee Daryl Reeves became the most unpopular man at the ground when he allowed a 12-yard shot from Les Roberts to count as the equaliser. Linesmen Tony Bailey (Hereford) had his fing raised for offside. Mr Reeves had algnalled a goal but consulted his colleague befcen confirming it. Neither official would talk about the decision, which Mr Hodgson described as "unbelievable. But Exeter's former City playar Martyn Rogers was within earshot. The referee said he was going to award us a penalty for a handling offence a moment earlier so decided to let the goal stand" he said.

Hostility was temperarily forgotten when City forged ahead a minute later. The other linesman, Ken Deane (Rhondda), signalled offside against City's attack but the refores everruled him and gave a corner. From the kick, Chandler's close-range shot was beatom out by Bond but Harford rammed in the rebound. And City, driven imperiously forward by Russell Musker and skilfully led by the Harford-Chandler duo, aided by Carter's pace on the flask, totally dominated the first half and were cheered eff at the break.

Half-time tea was slurped down quickly as no one wanted to miss a second of the action. But after 15 minutes City lost momentum in midfield, as they did against Portsmouth in the previous game.

Exeter, the most entertaining side in the country whose 26 League games have contained 105 goals this season, showed why they are so lethal in front of goal. They abandoned all semblance of concerted defending and swamped City with seven and even eight attackers surging forward. Bristol City had chances in break-aways helped by some strange offside decisions but Exeter deservedly levelled in the 81st minute when former Bath City striker Peter Rogers swept in a shot from Dave Puller. Almost from the kick-off, City scored the winner. Musker’s pass was gently eased from left and right by Hartford. Chandler all alone, whacked the diagonal pass firmly pass Bond. It looked like another offside goal. Certainly Exeter manager Brian Godfrey and all his players thought so. But Bristol City felt justice had been done after Exeter’s first goal.