On this day in:-

1946
Exeter City s Third Division South fixture at Leyton Orient was abandoned due to the fading light, with just nine minutes (including injury time) remaining. The O's were leading 2-1 at the time, but the referee, George Searle, would appear to have made the right decision to abandon proceedings as the Express and Echo reported: The light was so bad that no one could follow the flight of the ball!" It had been a bad tempered affair, with City's Stan Challis taken off on a stretcher following a heavy challenge, and injuring his backGeorge Wardle and Billy Mustard were also on the receiving end of some less than savoury tackling. Orient had taken the lead in the 15th minute through Pullen, and added a second when Roberts netted at the end of the first half. City had the better chances but could only manage a consolation goal from Challis just after half-time. Back at St James Park the City reserves were beaten 2-4 by Guildford City in a Southern League encounter, with Glyn Vaughan and Bill Windle netting for the Grecians.

1952
Illness prevented Sidney Thomas, Chairman of Exeter City FC from being present at the annual meeting for the first time since the club had been formed in 1908. In a letter to shareholders he mentioned the greatly improved outlook since the appointment of Norman Kirkman as player-manager and he promised that if early season attendances. were maintainedthe directors would not hesitate to spend money on players. The meeting of the smallest on record since 1908, as only 15 shareholders were present. They were told that the club's wage bill for the year was £16,400 and that there had been an overall loss on the club's activities of £2,927.

1957
Exeter City manager Bill Thompson was answering his critics as the team had allegedly been playing with less spirit than they had done for many a year. "Team spirit is an abstract thing." said Thompson, "It is hard to get. It is easy to lose. It cannot be regained by one solitary move. It can only come through gradual building up of confidence and loyalty between all staff at the City and because of that it is a job for everyone, not just the players."

1964
It was announced that Arsenal would be playing a friendly against Exeter City the following month to officially switch on' the new £8.000 floodlights at St James' Park. The Grecians were planning to play a series of floodlit friendlies against English and continental sides providing the City fans showed their support for such fixtures. Arsenal, who were due to play Manchester United on the preceding Saturday, were to travel down to Devon on the Tuesday and stop at the Imperial Hotel in Exmouth. After playing the match on Wednesday evening they would return to London the following day. It was reckoned that City's new floodlight system would produce ten times the light than the old set, which was one of the first to be installed at a Football League club in 1953. Meanwhile City manager Jack Edwards efforts to bring Welsh Under-23 international Reg Blore to the club had been met with a second refusal by the player himselfExeter had agreed a fee of £6,000 for his transfer from Blackburn Rovers.

1966
Negotiations between Ron Blindell and Exeter City FC with regards to a takeover deal collapsed after his offer had been rejected by the directors on 3-2 vote. Mr Blindell said: "I was prepared to take over as chairman of the club putting £20,000 either on a mortgage or the purchase of the ground The club had to pay neither interest, nor rent if they were making a loss and the directors loans remained as they were, interest free for a minimum of five years. "During all the discussions there was a desire by three of the existing directors to pull out their money from the club. I would not agree to that, except to say that a repayment would be made within a specific number of years. It would have been a case of me putting in £20,000 just to pay back three directors leaving little for the club itself. Another sticking point was my proposal that all the shares should be pooled, including mine, so that no one person had more shares than another."

1974
Peter Hatch gets his first City goal in the 2-1 defeat away at Crewe. 

1978
A dispute between Exeter City manager Bobby Saxton and forward Harry Holman came to a head. Saxton said that Holman had walked out of the club the previous Friday following training and had not returned. He had not been heard from or reported for the previous weekend when selected for a City reserve team match at Saltash United. Holman had been on the transfer list since the beginning of the season following a dispute over pay. Holman was believed to be upset about not being able to get back into the first team and felt that he was going to have to move to another club for League footballThe dispute came at a bad time for City, as due to suspension and injuries, they were reduced to just 12 fit players for the FA Cup tie at Brentford.

1983
More FA Cup 1st round misery as city lose to Maidestore, away 2-1 in a replay having been held 1-1 at SJP

1988
Exeter City Football Club received a welcome boost in their fight against the proposed Government scheme to introduce a compulsory nationwide membership scheme for Football Barry McNamara, the Barton Ward's Conservative representative on Exeter City Council agreed to liaise between City FC and Exeter MP John Hannam in the hope of getting him to influence Sports Minister Colin Moynihan against enforcing a scheme for all of the Football League's 92 clubs. It was estimated that it would cost between £80,000 and £100,000 to install special turnstiles at St JamesPark for the proposed card scheme and Mr. McNamara pointed out: "Exeter City already have debts exceeding £400,000 The cost of this scheme could force the club into liquidation"
 
1989
Exeter City manager Terry Cooper snapped up winger Tony Coyle, initially on non-contract formsThe skilful Scot had more than 300 Football League matches to his name at Stockport County and Chesterfield after moving south from Albion Rovers. Coyle had been released by Stockport in the summer and playing for Northwich Victoria . He was openly surprised to receive an offer from the Grecians. Cooper, explained: "I was cleaning the windows at home when it suddenly came to me, so dashed up the motorway and signed Tony Coyle. It just came off the top of my head."

1990
Popular mid fielder Danny Bailey joins reading for £50,000.

1992
The continuing behind the scenes troubles at Exeter City FC were expected to come to a head at the forthcoming annual meetingThe accounts we're expected to come under close scrutiny after revelations that that City had been informed by the Football League that a transfer embargo had been placed on them until they paid an outstanding amount to player Gary Chapman. City had been taken to task over a £10,000 signing on fee for the player, the debt being publicly exposed by the Professional Footballers Association, who according to City chairman Gerald Vallance: "Have used the Press to put pressure on the Club. Chapman will receive his money with his wages at the end of the month."

1993
Ivor Doble was officially installed as chairman of Exeter City Football Club at a meeting of the club's board of directors. It was a welcome return for Mr Doblealong with fellow director Murray Couch. "I am overjoyed and just relieved the situation is now over," said Mr Doble. "These have been two or three absolutely wasted years for Exeter City. I don't predict what am going to do, but I just want to get in there and see what the situation is."

Birthdays