29th January
On this day in:-
1955
Three reasons why Exeter City had to sell Honiton-born star half-back Maurice Setters were contained in a statement issued by Mr. S. H. Thomas on behalf of the club's directors. They were:-
Financial necessity; The fact that the player would soon be called up for his National Service; and the interests of Setters himself. It was common knowledge that Exeter City's attendances of 7,000 regulars was insufficient to keep the Third Division South club going, with ever mounting costs. Indeed, MrThomas said that Exeter needed an average crowd of 11,000 and they therefore had to turn to other means of keeping the Club in business. No fee was disclosed for the transfer of Setters to West Bromwich Albion, but it was thought to be in the region of £3,000.
1957
Exeter City were keen to stage floodlit friendlies at St James' Park but revealed some of the difficulties they were encountering. One Czech side had offered to play the Grecians for a match guarantee of £750, plus two nights hotel expenses for a party of 20. Just to cover that payment alone, City would have had to take £1,000 at the gate, when they would be lucky to make £600. Another club, German side, Essen, said they wanted a guarantee of £600, which would have meant that the Grecians had to attract an attendance of 6,000 just to break even. The St James' Park floodlights were not up to standard as recently had been set out in a Football League circular to all clubs. City secretary George Gilbert said that no team had ever complained about the floodlights.
1962
Exeter city chairman Reg Rose launched a public appeal, mainly to traders and businessmen of the city to raise money for the Club through an issue of £5 loan receipts. "We desperately need money not only to carry on, but to enable us to plan for better football," said Rose. "Our position is particularly aggravated by the millstone of old debts and commitments, lack of credit and the exhaustion of club assets. If football is to continue at Exeter, then the responsibility of its future must rest with the whole community who must be prepared to share some of the burden."
1965
Star forward Alan Banks tore up his transfer request and was ready to sign a new two-year contract, The player and his wife travelled back to Liverpool over the weekend and had a serious talk. The outcome was that his wife did not want to leave the Exeter area, and following more discussions with City manager Ellis Stuttard, Banks said he was happy to remain playing for the Grecians." Meanwhile it was announced that Jack Edwards, who had resigned as manager at Exeter City two weeks earlier, had been appointed as head scout for Torquay United for the South of England.
1969
Exeter City signed Torquay United centre-forward John Rowlands on loan. The player had been unable to break into the Plainmoor side after having signed for them from Mansfield Town during the summer of 1968. Rowlands would fill the gap left by Alan Banks who had to undergo an operation to his injured knee., Banks was City's leading scorer with 16 goals in 24 League and Cup games and would be sadly missed.
1971
In a Press statement Exeter City revealed that it was an immense cost to run a football club out on a limb in the westcountry and there was no way to reduce the costs. The only remedy was to try and obtain greater revenue as the amounts saved by any economies were comparatively small in relation to indebtedness. The wage bill at St James' Park was nearly £800 per week. But this was the tip of the iceberg for the Club had spent £47,500 in the past eight months, just in running costs alone. The previous season, fund raising totalled £8,687 and this would have to be greatly increased if the Club were to balance the books.
1981
23-year old Chelsea full-back John Sparrow signed form Exeter City for a fee of £10,000. City manager Brian Godfrey said that Sparrow would part of an important policy of making sure the Club had a strong playing squad. Sparrow had watched the Grecians FA Cup victory over Leicester City before agreeing to sign, the fee being paid for out of the massive gate receipts that City had generated from their Cup run.
1984
Exeter City were planning to investigate the possibility of building extra crowd control barriers at St JamesPark. The news came in the wake of the 24 arrests made during and after the club's home fixture with Bristol Rovers the previous weekend. City secretary Chris Davey said the club intended to examine the feasibility of erecting further structures that would make crowd control more efficient. He said that the club would be meeting with local police and also seeking quotations from firms to carry out the work. Matchday reading at St James' Park was slammed by one prominent collectors magazíne which described the Exeter City programme as desperate. It went on: "It is appreciated that financial constraints determine that clubs revert to traditional dated style issues, but Exeter must surely have turned the clock back too far! Very limited content, minimal colour Awful."
1992
Family football was on the way back at Exeter City following the appointment of a new Football Community Officer. Former Royal Marines Physical Training Instructor George Kent arrived at St JamesPark aiming to promote the Club as a caring one and encourage crowds back to the game. City secretary Mike Holladay said: "This is a terrific" appointment. Hopefully it will help get the whole family coming back to the game." George Kent said his job was to bridge the gap between Exeter City FC and the local community and to show that the Grecians were a caring club. One of his plans for the future was the setting up of a segregated family area at St James' Park, possibly with reduced admission prices for youngsters.
1993
The Board of Directors were considering raising the cash to pay pressing bills to the Inland Revenue by using St James' Park as collateral. It had been recently revealed that the tax man was owed around £100,000One possibility was to mortgage the ground to raise the cash. With the club's bankers unwilling to advance any more unsecured loans, the ground was the only asset from which any cash could be raised. The City board, apart from a brief non-committal statement remained tight lipped. Financial Director Allen Trump told the Express and Echo: "I have no comment to make whatsoever because I strongly disapprove of the Club's financial matters being the subject of idle Press speculation."
1994
Terry Cooper was appointed as manager of Exeter City FC for the second time and immediately announced that he promised a major spending spree to save the Club from relegation. h pledged to start wheeling and dealing to bail Exeter out of trouble. "We need a quick injection of faces," he said. "We will train first thing on Monday and then I will be straight on the phone to try and bring players in. Before the end of the season we might get three or four newcomers, but it is imperative that we stay in this Division because we have worked so hard to get there. I watched the game against Bournemouth and it frightened me a little bit. The players must be better than that." Goalkeeper Peter Fox, in caretaker charge since Alan Ball left for Southampton, seemed certain to lose his job as assistant manager, as it was being widely tipped that Cooper would be bringing in his own assistant, Trevor Morgan, who had been his number two at Birmingham City.
Birthdays
1955
Three reasons why Exeter City had to sell Honiton-born star half-back Maurice Setters were contained in a statement issued by Mr. S. H. Thomas on behalf of the club's directors. They were:-
Financial necessity; The fact that the player would soon be called up for his National Service; and the interests of Setters himself. It was common knowledge that Exeter City's attendances of 7,000 regulars was insufficient to keep the Third Division South club going, with ever mounting costs. Indeed, MrThomas said that Exeter needed an average crowd of 11,000 and they therefore had to turn to other means of keeping the Club in business. No fee was disclosed for the transfer of Setters to West Bromwich Albion, but it was thought to be in the region of £3,000.
1957
Exeter City were keen to stage floodlit friendlies at St James' Park but revealed some of the difficulties they were encountering. One Czech side had offered to play the Grecians for a match guarantee of £750, plus two nights hotel expenses for a party of 20. Just to cover that payment alone, City would have had to take £1,000 at the gate, when they would be lucky to make £600. Another club, German side, Essen, said they wanted a guarantee of £600, which would have meant that the Grecians had to attract an attendance of 6,000 just to break even. The St James' Park floodlights were not up to standard as recently had been set out in a Football League circular to all clubs. City secretary George Gilbert said that no team had ever complained about the floodlights.
1962
Exeter city chairman Reg Rose launched a public appeal, mainly to traders and businessmen of the city to raise money for the Club through an issue of £5 loan receipts. "We desperately need money not only to carry on, but to enable us to plan for better football," said Rose. "Our position is particularly aggravated by the millstone of old debts and commitments, lack of credit and the exhaustion of club assets. If football is to continue at Exeter, then the responsibility of its future must rest with the whole community who must be prepared to share some of the burden."
1965
Star forward Alan Banks tore up his transfer request and was ready to sign a new two-year contract, The player and his wife travelled back to Liverpool over the weekend and had a serious talk. The outcome was that his wife did not want to leave the Exeter area, and following more discussions with City manager Ellis Stuttard, Banks said he was happy to remain playing for the Grecians." Meanwhile it was announced that Jack Edwards, who had resigned as manager at Exeter City two weeks earlier, had been appointed as head scout for Torquay United for the South of England.
1969
Exeter City signed Torquay United centre-forward John Rowlands on loan. The player had been unable to break into the Plainmoor side after having signed for them from Mansfield Town during the summer of 1968. Rowlands would fill the gap left by Alan Banks who had to undergo an operation to his injured knee., Banks was City's leading scorer with 16 goals in 24 League and Cup games and would be sadly missed.
1971
In a Press statement Exeter City revealed that it was an immense cost to run a football club out on a limb in the westcountry and there was no way to reduce the costs. The only remedy was to try and obtain greater revenue as the amounts saved by any economies were comparatively small in relation to indebtedness. The wage bill at St James' Park was nearly £800 per week. But this was the tip of the iceberg for the Club had spent £47,500 in the past eight months, just in running costs alone. The previous season, fund raising totalled £8,687 and this would have to be greatly increased if the Club were to balance the books.
1981
23-year old Chelsea full-back John Sparrow signed form Exeter City for a fee of £10,000. City manager Brian Godfrey said that Sparrow would part of an important policy of making sure the Club had a strong playing squad. Sparrow had watched the Grecians FA Cup victory over Leicester City before agreeing to sign, the fee being paid for out of the massive gate receipts that City had generated from their Cup run.
1984
Exeter City were planning to investigate the possibility of building extra crowd control barriers at St JamesPark. The news came in the wake of the 24 arrests made during and after the club's home fixture with Bristol Rovers the previous weekend. City secretary Chris Davey said the club intended to examine the feasibility of erecting further structures that would make crowd control more efficient. He said that the club would be meeting with local police and also seeking quotations from firms to carry out the work. Matchday reading at St James' Park was slammed by one prominent collectors magazíne which described the Exeter City programme as desperate. It went on: "It is appreciated that financial constraints determine that clubs revert to traditional dated style issues, but Exeter must surely have turned the clock back too far! Very limited content, minimal colour Awful."
1992
Family football was on the way back at Exeter City following the appointment of a new Football Community Officer. Former Royal Marines Physical Training Instructor George Kent arrived at St JamesPark aiming to promote the Club as a caring one and encourage crowds back to the game. City secretary Mike Holladay said: "This is a terrific" appointment. Hopefully it will help get the whole family coming back to the game." George Kent said his job was to bridge the gap between Exeter City FC and the local community and to show that the Grecians were a caring club. One of his plans for the future was the setting up of a segregated family area at St James' Park, possibly with reduced admission prices for youngsters.
1993
The Board of Directors were considering raising the cash to pay pressing bills to the Inland Revenue by using St James' Park as collateral. It had been recently revealed that the tax man was owed around £100,000One possibility was to mortgage the ground to raise the cash. With the club's bankers unwilling to advance any more unsecured loans, the ground was the only asset from which any cash could be raised. The City board, apart from a brief non-committal statement remained tight lipped. Financial Director Allen Trump told the Express and Echo: "I have no comment to make whatsoever because I strongly disapprove of the Club's financial matters being the subject of idle Press speculation."
1994
Terry Cooper was appointed as manager of Exeter City FC for the second time and immediately announced that he promised a major spending spree to save the Club from relegation. h pledged to start wheeling and dealing to bail Exeter out of trouble. "We need a quick injection of faces," he said. "We will train first thing on Monday and then I will be straight on the phone to try and bring players in. Before the end of the season we might get three or four newcomers, but it is imperative that we stay in this Division because we have worked so hard to get there. I watched the game against Bournemouth and it frightened me a little bit. The players must be better than that." Goalkeeper Peter Fox, in caretaker charge since Alan Ball left for Southampton, seemed certain to lose his job as assistant manager, as it was being widely tipped that Cooper would be bringing in his own assistant, Trevor Morgan, who had been his number two at Birmingham City.
Birthdays
|
Edward |
Wade |
29/01 |
1901 |
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