Wednesday 16th October 1957.

Floodlit Friendly Unexpected Nearly Happened

St. Blazey 4-5  Exeter City 

What a pity there were only a thousand people at St Blaise Park on Wednesday evening of last week to see St. Blazey almost bring off the unexpected. Presumably many people stayed home to watch Young England beat Young Rumania on television but it is doubtful whether they saw a more interesting and thrilling game than that at St. Blazey. 'The tension and the excitement grew quickly as the local boys fought back from being 4-0 down in the second half to lose by only one goal-5-4. Immaculate in their red and white special floodlit strip, purchased with the money a small band of supporters under Derek Billing had collected, St. Blazey looked a classy side as they lined up for the kick-off. But despite their drab shirts and shorts, it was Exeter who quickly proved that they were the team with the class so far as football ability went.

Scorning the subtleties and niceties one normally gets from League clubs in this type of match, they gave a display of power football. Fortunately for St. Blazey their finishing was often erratic and they found goalkeeper Alf Pearce in great form. So much on top were Exeter that for the first half-hour goalkeeper George Hunter touched the ball only by courtesy of his own defenders. By half-time Exeter had built up a 3-0 lead through Dilwyn Hill, Dave Robinson and Ian Atkins. All three goals were scored in the space of eight minutes-from the 17th to the 25th. Five minutes after the interval, Atkins made it 4-0. But by now St. Blazey had switched Johnny Orchard to centre-forward and Derek Billing (he came in for Basil Steer who had a cold) to his normal inside-right position. What a difference it made to the attack. A goal by Billing after eight minutes gave St. Blazey confidence, a confidence confidence that was not shattered by another by Tom Wilson a minute later to make the score 5-1. With their half-backs coming up more in support of the attack St Blazey fully extended the Exeter defence and got three goals-two from Orchard and a penalty from Bob Warren.
Report from the Cornish Guardisn 

Exeter City 
Hunter; John, Foley; Currie, Harvey, MacDonald; Wilson, Atkins, Rapley, Hill, Robinson.

Scorers
St Blazey:- Billing, Orchard 2, Warren (p)
Exeter City:- Wilson, Atkins 2, Hill, Robinson,