1971/72 

Pre-Season and Pre-Season Friendlies 

MONDAY 12th JULY 1971.

THE HOWELLERS WERE NOT SO HOT. FRIENDLY. (Charity Match).

THE HOWELLERS 4. EXETER CITY 11,

A sweltering Saturday afternoon, a goal nearly every time you sucked your ice lolly. These were the golden goodies laid on for the many Summer football fans who went to the Civil Service ground in Exvick A team of actors from the Northcott Theatre in the blue strip and billed as The Howellers, after their non playing manager director Miss Jane Howell, were taking on Exeter City in a charity match  in aid of the Devon and Exeter Spastics Society. Though Miss Howell was not exhibiting her footballing skills, City player manager John Newman drafted himself into the Exeter side, Westward Television's Gus Honeybun kicked off with a little manual assitance from his handler and after an exploratory first 15 minutes, the goal rush started. City coasted to a 4-1 interval lead, one of the goals coming form goalkeeper turned goalgetter Bob Wilson, Jimmy Giles scored twice, and Mike Balson got the other, At half time Miss Howell disclosed that her team would employ a startling change of tactics, the result of which gave The Howellers three more goals in the second half, while Exeter City scored seven more. The match raised £33.95p.

TUESDAY 13th JULY 1971.

CITY PLAN TO BOOST THE KITTY,

An Exeter City Supporters Association has been formed. The purpose of the new association is to raise funds for Exeter City Football Club by adopting a professional approach to fund raising as nearly all the other League clubs have found necessary during recent years, City directer Walter Rice said that the income of the club had been far too low in the past to achieve anything more than meagre success, The club aims at promotion to Division Three and if this is to be achieved and the team was to resain there, new players and additional reserve strength was essential, Exeter City will have control of the association finances and the secretary Eric Budd, the official organiser of the social events, will be repsonsible to the club, Russell Thomas, Exeter City's secretary is the association treasurer, Membership of the association vill cost 15 pence and this entitles members to advantages including an 0.A.P's scheme giving reduced admission to matches at St James' Park, Coaches will be organised to avay matches. Activities include twice weekly bingo sessions, a Golden Goal competition, and a 200 club,

FRIDAY 23rd JULY 1971.

Exeter City winger Barry Rowan has offered to coach the Exeter Cathedral Schoolboy team for the coming season,

WEDNESDAY 28th JULY 1971.

CITY PAIR ALREADY ON THE GOAL TRAIL.

TORQUAY UNITED 1. EXETER CITY 3,

FRIENDLY. (Behind Closed Doors).

Scorers
Torquay Jackson,
Exeter Binney, Gadston, o,g.

Alan Banks and Joe Gadston, Exeter City's leading goalscorers last season, are back among the goals already. They each scored in this win over Torquay United at Plainmoor in a private friendly. The other goal was an own goal while Cliff Jackson netted for Torquay.

SATURDAY 31st JULY 1971. INTERESTING BUT MORE WORK TO BE DONE.
FRIENDLY

EXETER CITY 1
Wilson (Hewlett); Crawford, Stacey(Blain); Parker, Giles(Jim), Balson; Morrin (Giles (John), Banks, Gadston, Binney, Wingate (Morris),

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 2
Furnell (Balac); Davey, Harris (Sullivan); Hore, Darke, Provan; Brown(Rickard), Allen (Burnside), Hinch, Latchan, Hutchins (Bickle),

Scorers:
Exeter Morris
Plymouth: Hinch, Bickle,
Attendance: 2,815,

This pre season meeting between the Devon clubs was interesting enough, but never stimulating, simply because soccer without the edge of competition is like champagne without it's sparkle, Argyle were in command in the first half, while Exeter had the better of the second half. But certainly both sides on this showing will have to work harder to achieve anything this season. Hinch, who gave City Centre half Jim Giles a torrid time, put Argyle into a 4th minute lead after a cross from John Hore. The nearest Exeter came to replying in the first half was when a John Wingate header struck the crossbar, After the interval City started brightly and apply the sort of pressure on Argyle which was bound to bring it's reward, Fred Binney's brand of detersination won him the ball, he passed to Steve Morris, to chase onto and equalise, The result of the game was decided in the last 10 minutes with Plymouth coming into the picture again. Bickle unleashed a 25 yard pile driver that crashed into the net, City's new signings Steve Stacey, and Tony Morrin, both played well, Stacey looked a strong full back, while Morrin showed plenty of effort.

SATURDAY 31st JULY 1971.

INTERESTING BUT MORE WORK TO BE DONE. FRIENDLY

EXETER CITY 1,
Wilson(Hewlett);Crawford, Stacey (Blain); Parker, Giles(Jim), Baison; Morrin (Giles (John), Banks, Gadston, Binney, Wingate (Morris),

PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 2
(Balac); Davey, Harris (Sullivan); Hore, Darke, Provan; Brown(Rickard), Allen(Burnside), Hinch, Latchan, Hutchins(Bickle),

Scorers:
Exeter Morris,
Plymouth: Hinch, Bickle,
Attendance: 2,815,

This pre season meeting between the Devon clubs was interesting enough, but never stimulating, simply because soccer without the edge of competition is like champagne without it's sparkle, Argyle were in command in the first half, while Exeter had the better of the second half. But certainly both sides on this showing will have to work harder to achieve anything this season. Hinch, who gave City Centre half Jim Giles a torrid time, put Argyle into a 4th minute lead after a cross from John Hore. The nearest Exeter came to replying in the first half was when a John Wingate header struck the crossbar, After the interval City started brightly and apply the sort of pressure on Argyle which was bound to bring it's reward, Fred Binney's brand of determination won him the ball, he passed to Steve Morris, to chase onto and equalise, The result of the game was decided in the last 10 minutes with Plymouth coming into the picture again. Bickle unleashed a 25 yard pile driver that crashed into the net, City's new signings Steve Stacey, and Tony Morrin, both played well, Stacey looked a strong full back, while Morrin showed plenty of effort,

THURSDAY 5th AUGUST 1971. FRIENDLY.

EXETER CITY 3.
Wilson; Crawford, Blain; Parker, Giles, Wingate; Morrin, Banks, Gadston, Binney, Morris
SWINDON TOWN 0.
Jones; Thomas, Trollope; Butler, Burrows, Mackay; Peplow, Harland, Horsfield, Nobel, Rogers.

Scorers
Exeter Binney 2, Morrin.
Attendance 3,649,

Exeter City's second pre-season friendly was a much better game than the Argyle encounter, when they defeated second division Swindon Town, This was a auch improved performance, there was more fluency about their game. In the opening stages Swindon troubled Exeter and Bob Wilson had to react quickly to save from Harland and then Burrows. City went in front after 22 minutes following a corner. The ball was only partially cleared and fred Binney blasted it into the net. The best goal of the match was scored by Tony Morrin in the 54th minute after a brilliant three man move involving Campbell Crawford, Alan Banks, and Binney. Five minutes from the end Jimny Blain played a glorious pass to Binney who cracked home the third City goal. Pre season friendlies are dangerous matches from which to make predictions for the long term, but so far, Exeter have scored for goals and conceded two in their two matches, and any 3-0 win must surely be a confidence booster. One small criticism is that City did tend to give the ball away too much in the second half. 

FRIDAY 6th AUGUST 1971.

CITY CUT THEIR LOSSES BY OVER £6,000.

Exeter City Football Club had a net loss of £1,888 last year compared with a net loss of £8,164 the previous year. The club's total deficit now stands at £52,400. The balance sheet sahows that the club's fund raising went up from £8687 to £11,311. The revenue from home gates dropped from £30,042 to £27,901, and there was also a fall in the share of away gates. There was a considerable total increase however in the F.A. Cup pool, the Football League Cup pool, and the Football League four per cent pool. The report states; In the opinion of the directors the market value of the land at St James' Park held as a fixed asset, is saterially different from the book value of £5,548 at 31st May 1971. It was impracticable to give to be precise as to the current market value of the land and buildings, but the directors estimated the value to be well in excess of £30,000,"

SATURDAY 7th AUGUST 1971.
FRIENDLY.

EXETER CITY 1,
AFC BOURNEMOUTH 3.


Bournemouth
Tilsed; Benson, Stocks; Davidson, Kitchener, Powell; Cave, MacDougall, Boyer, Miller, Sainty..

Scorers
Exeter Morrin,
Bournemouth MacDougall, Boyer 2. Attendance 2,145,

Bournemouth were a fast and good side, and they look like going a long way in the League this season, Their two main strikers, MacDougall' and Boyer, were all dangerous, RacDougall scoring in the 8th ainute and Boyer in the 54th and 76th minutes, faking evrything into account there was not much in it in the first half, City gradually grow in confidence as half time approached and Tony Morrin scored in the 29th minute, The visitors vere on top though in the second half and the St Lukes College goalkeeper Phil Hewlett who took over from Bob Wilson was kept busy, but how well he played. He could not be blamed for the goals and he pulled out two terrific saves, Only Fred Binney looked like scoring for City, his header was brilliantly saved by Tilsed, Tony Horrin again caught the eye in the City midfield, He always wants to be in the game and is a tough little character, he took his goal well, pushing the ball into the far corner with calm precision. During the game ten people were arrested and later charged following incidents in the Coushed,

7th August 1971
CECIL SMYTH A VICTIM OF A CRUEL WAR?

Has soccer claimed another victim in it's cruel war on professional footballers? It certainly appears that way in the Irish eyes of a player who was regarded as a bit of a legend during his eight years with Exeter City, For Cecil Sayth who switched to Torquay United in August 1969 is currently out of the game, out of a job, altogether, and is the forgotten man of Westcountry football, It seems incredible that Smyth's world should have collapsed so dramatically and with a comparatively short time. He had featured in over 300 League and Cup games for Exeter City his ambitions were set even higher when he signed for Torquay United, A spate of injuries and a loss of form turned his spell at Plainmoor into a nightmare and at the end of last season he was given a free transfer, Smyth has waited in vain throughout the Summer for offers from other clubs. Irish League Distillery offered him a chance to return and play for the team he began his career with, but he turned that down in the hope that he would eventually secure terms with a League club. Now he has begun to look around and see if any Western League club needs a full back or better still have a player manager available,

THURSDAY 12th AUGUST 1971.

STACEY HAPPY WITH EXETER SYSTEM.

Steve Stacey, Exeter City's close season signing from Bristol City has said he is happy playing anywhere in the back four and recognises the virtue of versatility when playing for a club with a small playing staff. At the age of 16 he joined amateur club Sneyd Park, was spotted and signed by Bristol City at first as a centre forward, In February 1966 he was transferred to Wrexham where he played in a variety of positions but mainly at left back. A fee of £22,000 took him to Ipswich Town and he made his debut against Liverpool, A hamstring injury restricted his league appearances but instead, after a period of going to Charlton Athletic on loan, returning to Ipswich, Stacey returned to Bristol City to sign for them in October 1970.