BURNLEY 3
Davis, Reeves, Taylor.

EXETER CITY 0

Half-time 1-0

Played at Turf Moor, Burnley.

Saturday March 5th 1988.

Attendance 6,052.

Burnley: Pearce; Daniel, Deakin; easy formal Britton, Davis, Gardner; Farrell, Reeves, Taylor, Comstive, Grewcock.

Exeter City:- Gwinnett; Harrower, Viney; Massey, Taylor, Watson; Carter, Cooper, Edwards, O'Connell, Rowbotham.

The great mystery of the afternoon was not why the City lost but why player-manager Delve elected to remain on the "sub's" bench while his side were being outplayed by Burnley in the second half. came And as Burnley's three goals from either free kicks or corners the City defence obviously has much to learn about defending against a dead ball.

Exeter started off well and a great shot by Viney from 20 yards shaved the goalpost. But Exeter's crossbar saved them in the 15th minute and again on the half-hour when two thundering shots bounced back off the woodwork.

Burnley's first goal, in the 35th minute, followed a free kick to the head of Davis, who despatched the ball into the net from his cranium.

The City came closest to equalising early in the second half when O'Connell headed powerfully but too high. A header by Reeves following a corner gave Burnley their second goal in the 59th minute. Twenty minutes from the end a shot from O'Connell beat Pearce only for the ball to stick in the mud in the goalmouth. Taylor (Burnley) was completely unmarked when he converted the third of his side's trio of headers following a free kick into the goalmouth by Daniel. Cooper wasted Exeter's chance of a consolation goal when he skied the ball high up on the terracing behind the Burnley goal.