Howarth's goal tells. 

EXETER CITY 1, BLACKPOOL 1

Report by BY DEREK LEAN

Young Exeter utility player Frank Howarth, who has played in defence, midfield and attack picked up his first League goal of the season last night. It was enough to give his side a share of the points against promotion-chasing Blackpool. Howarth was up front partnering Trevor Morgan because of injury to City's regular strikers. Kevin Smith and Ray Pratt, and the 21st-minute goal he scored was affair. & spectacular. Ironically it came against the run of first-half play and Exeter looked far more dangerous in the second period when Blackpool, so anxious for a win, did not have as much of the play as they had earlier on. In that second-half with the scores level, Exeter strung together quite a chain of promising moves. In one raid Danny O'Shen turned his defender beautifully and chipped into the middle but Jim McNicol miss hit and skyed his shot over the bar. A Graeme Kirkup cross from the right spelt danger and Moritan's header was not far wide, while a little later both O'Shea and Morgan were not all that far off the target with headers. Even so it was still not all one-way traffic because Blackpool in in some fluent breakaway raids showed why they are in with a chance of Third Division soccer next season. Happily, for Exeter, goalkeeper Lee Smelt dealt expertly with a series of crosses, when Dave Windridge looked sure to score with a close range header. Keith Viney blocked it on the line. But in the main a battling performance gave Exeter a definite edge in the second-half, with McNichol scorching one shot inches outside, then driving another just over the top. Just before the final whistle Exeter came within a whisker of grabbing the spoils with an O'Shea cross from the left from Martin Ling, but the tricky winger's shot edged just outside the upright

Both skirmished in a scrappy duel. But then Blackpool started to get a grip on the game and Exeter's defence found themselves on the receiving end. Even so Blackpool could not find the finishing touch, despite them steady grow ing superiority. Viney had to come to the rescue to whip the ball off the line after Smelt in palming away a Kevin Stonehouse corner touched the hall on to the upright. Minutes later Windridge was just wide with a header then Smelt was in action again to deal with a header from Stonehouse. But Exeter broke away to rock Blackpool with sudden score It was vir tually City's first attack of the match. Two men intelligently dummied an O'Shea cross The ball fell to Steve Harrower who turned it back into the middle for Howarth to score with a diving header. That goal did not upset the pattern of first-half play because it was a case of Blackpool making the running but not getting the breakthrough they wanted. Finally it came when, in the 37th-minute a cross from full-back Duve Moore was volleyed against the crossbar by Windridge As the ball bounced loose In came Stonehouse to head in.

Attendance: 1,847.

Star players:
EXETER Lee Smelt,
BLACKPOOL: Kevin Stonehouse.