13th February 1985

Barnard Hits Wrexham

Exeter 2, Wrexham 0

EXETER, fighting their way from the foot of the Fourth Division, looked too enterpris- ing and energetic for bottom- placed Wrexham from the outset. There was continual pressure in the oening minutes resulting in a gift goal scored by Barnard, whose eighth-minute shot from Pratt's pass slipped through Hooper's hands and legs. Five minutes later Barnard, on loan from Swindon, finished off the best move of the half. Morgan's centre from the right deceived Hooper and reached Pratt, who knocked it down to Barnard, whose shot was too powerful for the keeper's attempt at a parry. Wrexham's best chances of the first half resulted in a wild shot by Horne and a header from Steel which was cleared off the line by Pratt. Wrexham had their best spell in the last half an hour but could not turn their effort into goals. Horne's shot was well saved by Wood while Edwards's fine effort came off a post.

EXETER. Wood; Kirkup, Viney, O'Shea, Marker, McNichol, Ling, Harrower, Morgan, Pratt, Barnard.

WREXHAM. Hooper; Williams, Constive, Keay, Cunnington, Wright, Edwards, Horne., Steel, Charles, Rogers

Friendly 
Exeter City 0-3 Aston Villa 
16th February 1985

Attendance 2590 
Scorers:- Rideout 2, Gibson 

Villa's stroll in the Park

By TRINA LAKE

Match hungry Aston Villa enjoyed a worthwhile workout. Exeter City learnt a thing or two from the rare visit of top class opposition to St James's Park. A good crowd turned out to see the First Division big boys take on the Fourth Division minnows and swelled City's coffers into the bargain.

Plenty of plus points for Saturday's mid season freeze-beating friendly, but as a footballing spectacle the game left a lot to be desired.

As with just about all non-competitive games, there was precious little to write home about happening on the field and consequently very little atmosphere off it. Villa, desperate to get back into their stride after losing several games to the weather, did just enough and never any more to make sure they won this game. Paul Rideout scored in the sixth and 90th minutes, sandwiching a goal by Colin Gibson after 32 minutes, but several Villa players appeared to be strolling through the match. City did their best to bring things to life by keeping at the First Division side constantly, but the longer the game went on the less entertaining it became.

"The object of the game was to give Villa match practice, and to get a crowd like we did today was an added bonus, but the atmosphere wasn't the same," admitted manager Jim Iley afterwards. "But it was well worth putting the game on from everybody's point of view. Our lads have certainly learnt a lot today. Villa showed their class when they needed to," he added.

Iley warned his players before the match that the slightest mistake would be punished by Villa's full First Division side and his point was perfectly illustrated after just six minutes.

Nick Marker did well to dispossess England centre forward Peter Withe but sent a suicidal back pass which Jeff Wood had no hope of reaching and Rideout nipped in to score, calmly sliding the ball past the betrayed goalkeeper. City right back Graeme Kirkup, who seemed to be enjoying the challenge of marking Villa's highly talented if at times disinterested winger Mark Walters, made a couple of timely clearances early on and Danny O'Shea showed early authority in midfield before fading into virtual anonimity as the game wore on.

O'Shea's intelligent cross field pass in the 15th minute gave Martin Ling a goal opening but his first time shot was comfortably collected by Nigel Spink. O'Shea himself had a crack five minutes later but was about a yard off target with a 20 yard volley.

City were struggling to make any headway against Villa's tidy defence but Gordon Cowans showed how to split a back four in the 32nd minute with a perfect pass for Gibson to run on to and slot the ball past Wood to make it 2-0.

City's best reply came on the stroke of half time when Trevor Morgan rose high above Scottish centre half Allan Evans to head Jim McNichol's free kick just over the crossbar.

Keith Viney thought he had pulled a goal back for City just a minute after the restart. He hit a cracking low left foot drive that looked destined for the back of the net, but somehow at full stretch Spink managed to get a touch and turned the ball out for a corner.

The City left back showed his venomous shooting skills again in the 68th minute with a pile driver from the edge of the penalty area that flew just wide.

A minute later goal-hungry City were in the hunt again. Symon Burgher, playing against the club he dreams of joining one day, did well to rob Walters in the City's penalty area to sent Ray Pratt on his way, the Welsh striker forced an error out of Brendan Ormsby, but the Villa defender recovered well to clear the danger.

City made a double substitution in the 66th minute, bringing Steve Harrower and Kevin Smith on in place of O'Shea and Leigh Barnard. Ling dropped back into midfield and showed some fine touches but could make nothing of a couple of half chances that fell to him on the edge of the Villa box.

Villa replaced Gibson with Paul Birch in the 70th minute and their substitute nearly made his mark. He burst through in the 74th minute but could not get the ball fully under control and Wood, rather luckily, claimed it while lying on the floor.

Impressive full-back Tony Dorigo had a 76th-minute shot well saved by Wood and Ling fired just over the crossbar in the 88th minute as the game slowly fizzled out, but in one final gesture Villa scored their third goal.

Gary Williams' free kick from the right was nodded down by Withe and there was Rideout waiting to lash the ball into the roof of the net.

Exeter City: Wood, Kirkup, Viney, O'Shea, Marker, McNichol, Ling, Burgher, Morgan, Pratt, Barnard. Subs: Harrower (on for O'Shea, 66), Smith (on for Barnard, 66), Howarth (on for Pratt, 80), King (on for Burgher, 80).

Aston Villa: Spink, Williams, Dorigo, Evans, Ormsby, McMahon, Gibson, Rideout, Withe, Cowans, Walters. Subs: Birch (on for Gibson, 70), Glover (on for Ormsby, 75).

Attendance: 2,590.

Friendly 
Exeter City 1-3 Luton Town  
20th  February 1985

Attendance 1328

Pleaser for Pleat

Luton without a game for a couple of weeks because of the weather, got the workout they wanted for their Division One match at Newcastle on Saturday in this friendly with Fourth Division Exeter.

Manager David Pleat must have been happy with his decision to bring his men to his old club as they put on a fluent display of well constructed soccer. Dave Preece put them ahead in the 15th minute when he curled a free kick over the defensive wall into the corner of the net. In the 41st minute Mick Harford met a cross from Rav Daniel and headed in the second. Trevor Morgan pulled one back for Exeter in the 55th minute. But in the 79th minute Brian Stein got Luton's third goal.