(1981/82)
Hopes and Expectations
Pre -Season
EXETER CITY will start the new soccer season in Yorkshire - on the ground where they suffered their heaviest defeat last season, writes MARTYN DEAN.
The Football League's fixture computer has presented them with a tough opening match at Huddersfield on August 29.
City lost 5-0 at Leeds Road back in April and will welcome the chance to get their revenge so quickly.
Their first home game in the League will be against Carlisle United on September 5, although they could be in action at St. James's Park before then in the first round of the league Cup which has still to be drawn.
September could prove to be quite a good month for the club with a couple of interesting local derbies against Swindon and Bristol Rovers.
Pre-Season Friendly
Exeter v Chelsea
21st August 1981
Attendance 3139
Exeter City's goalkeeper Len Bond could miss the start of the season. Bond was taken off after just 30 minutes of last night's friendly against Chelsea when he aggravated the groin injury which has ham- pered his pre-season training. Although it is still early days yet, there must be grave doubts about whether he will recover in time to play, at Huddersfield a week today.
"It is a bit sickening," admitted City's manager Brian Godfrey. "It is too early to say yet whether Len will miss the Huddersfield game. He has been putting ice packs on the injury and we shall just have to see how he is after the weekend. "I am not too worried because Ian Main has come into the side and done extremely well."
In fact, Main, who came on as a substitute for Bond last night, was one of the few success stories as City slumped to a 1-0 defeat. It was the first time City had lost in six friendlies and Godfrey said afterwards that it was easily their worst performance so far. "We just did not get going at all," he said. "Our passing was diabolical." City did have some excuse for their performance in that they were without Tony Kellow and Joe Cooke, who were both rested because of slight injury worries.
Even allowing for their absence, there is a great deal of work to be done in the next few days if City are to make an immediate impact.
at the start of the new season.
The most worrying department for Godfrey must surely be midfield where the influence of the club's injured skipper John Delve is sadly missed. Godfrey tried a couple more permutations in the engine room last night with out really looking like coming up with the smooth running machinery he is seeking. City still look fairly solid in defence, although there were times last night when Chelsea's superior pace had them in all sorts of trouble. They should still do reasonably well up front - but only if Kellow can recapture his brilliant goal- scoring form of last season.
Although last night's game probably posed more problems than it answered, it was not all bad news for City. Martyn Rogers showed just how much he has improved as a player in the last 18 months. He was switched to left back a position which caused him countless prob- lems when he first joined City at the start of the second half and did a tremendous job.
It now looks as if Rogers might cover for the injured John Sparrow at the start of the season with Tony Mitchell playing at right back where he is happier. As far as the spectators were concerned, the match was at least a big improvement on last week's friendly against Everton. Both teams showed a good deal more zest and deter- mination although it was Chelsea who provided most of the excitement.
They went ahead after just 15 minutes when their new skipper Micky Droy climbed above Bond to head a freekick from Colin Viljoen into the roof of the net. Chelsea went on to cause plenty of problems with their lively attacking skills. Alan Mayes a player City once tried to sign-was a particular thorn in their flesh. He was desperately unlucky with one brilliant second half solo effort in which he beat three players only to be thwarted by a magnificent goal line clear- ance from Martyn Rogers.
Colin Pates was also a little unfortunate to see his well-struck shot hit the underside of the bar and rebound to safety.
Peter Rogers and Ray Pratt, who had a fine game, had both forced good saves out of Chelsea's unorthodox keeper Petar Borota in the early stages, but the nearest that City came to scoring was a second half header from Dave Pullar which shaved the top of the cross-bar.
The Football League's fixture computer has presented them with a tough opening match at Huddersfield on August 29.
City lost 5-0 at Leeds Road back in April and will welcome the chance to get their revenge so quickly.
Their first home game in the League will be against Carlisle United on September 5, although they could be in action at St. James's Park before then in the first round of the league Cup which has still to be drawn.
September could prove to be quite a good month for the club with a couple of interesting local derbies against Swindon and Bristol Rovers.
Pre-Season Friendly
Exeter v Chelsea
21st August 1981
Attendance 3139
Exeter City's goalkeeper Len Bond could miss the start of the season. Bond was taken off after just 30 minutes of last night's friendly against Chelsea when he aggravated the groin injury which has ham- pered his pre-season training. Although it is still early days yet, there must be grave doubts about whether he will recover in time to play, at Huddersfield a week today.
"It is a bit sickening," admitted City's manager Brian Godfrey. "It is too early to say yet whether Len will miss the Huddersfield game. He has been putting ice packs on the injury and we shall just have to see how he is after the weekend. "I am not too worried because Ian Main has come into the side and done extremely well."
In fact, Main, who came on as a substitute for Bond last night, was one of the few success stories as City slumped to a 1-0 defeat. It was the first time City had lost in six friendlies and Godfrey said afterwards that it was easily their worst performance so far. "We just did not get going at all," he said. "Our passing was diabolical." City did have some excuse for their performance in that they were without Tony Kellow and Joe Cooke, who were both rested because of slight injury worries.
Even allowing for their absence, there is a great deal of work to be done in the next few days if City are to make an immediate impact.
at the start of the new season.
The most worrying department for Godfrey must surely be midfield where the influence of the club's injured skipper John Delve is sadly missed. Godfrey tried a couple more permutations in the engine room last night with out really looking like coming up with the smooth running machinery he is seeking. City still look fairly solid in defence, although there were times last night when Chelsea's superior pace had them in all sorts of trouble. They should still do reasonably well up front - but only if Kellow can recapture his brilliant goal- scoring form of last season.
Although last night's game probably posed more problems than it answered, it was not all bad news for City. Martyn Rogers showed just how much he has improved as a player in the last 18 months. He was switched to left back a position which caused him countless prob- lems when he first joined City at the start of the second half and did a tremendous job.
It now looks as if Rogers might cover for the injured John Sparrow at the start of the season with Tony Mitchell playing at right back where he is happier. As far as the spectators were concerned, the match was at least a big improvement on last week's friendly against Everton. Both teams showed a good deal more zest and deter- mination although it was Chelsea who provided most of the excitement.
They went ahead after just 15 minutes when their new skipper Micky Droy climbed above Bond to head a freekick from Colin Viljoen into the roof of the net. Chelsea went on to cause plenty of problems with their lively attacking skills. Alan Mayes a player City once tried to sign-was a particular thorn in their flesh. He was desperately unlucky with one brilliant second half solo effort in which he beat three players only to be thwarted by a magnificent goal line clear- ance from Martyn Rogers.
Colin Pates was also a little unfortunate to see his well-struck shot hit the underside of the bar and rebound to safety.
Peter Rogers and Ray Pratt, who had a fine game, had both forced good saves out of Chelsea's unorthodox keeper Petar Borota in the early stages, but the nearest that City came to scoring was a second half header from Dave Pullar which shaved the top of the cross-bar.
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