CITY’S LEAGUE CUP ADVENTURES

Tonight is only the fifth time in Exeter City’s history that the Grecians have reached the fourth round of the Football League Cup.  However it’s a competition that has provided many memorable nights.

Amazingly, when the Cup was first played in 1960/61, City were matched with Manchester United at home in the first round. No waiting for the big boys in those days. A crowd of 16,000 saw Graham Rees score in a 1-1 draw. No penalty shoot out either so it was up to Old Trafford for a replay which Exeter lost 4-1 (Jimmy Thompson penalty). So we are proud to be the first team to play Brazil and the first team to play Manchester United in the League Cup!

In 1968 City made it to the third round and visited Spurs at White Hart Lane. It was a remarkable game with Exeter becoming the only away team to score 3 goals there all season. Unfortunately Tottenham hit six, in front of 25,796. Alan Banks (2) and John Mitten were our scorers.

The Grecian Archive summarises City’s League Cup exploits by saying that ‘the best seasons have been 1973/4, 1978/9, 1979/80 and 1989/90 where they reached the fourth round’.  In 1973 Exeter went out 5-1 at Wolves, the eventual winners. The 1978 exit was a 2-0 loss at home to Watford in front of 14,740.

The following year took the Grecians to Liverpool where, wearing green shirts (now on display in the Museum), a 21,000 crowd saw us edged out 2-0. Our final fourth round defeat came against Sunderland in 1988. After taking a 2-0 lead through Darren Rowbotham and Steve Neville City were pegged back to 2-2 and lost the replay at Roker Park 5-2.

But what of the League Cup campaign in the 1963/4 promotion season?  On 4 September Exeter won 1-0 at Oxford United’s old Manor Ground before a crowd of 5688.  A local paper reported ‘Exeter City sailed into the second round for the first time in their history with a display of football which was the best of the season so far. The only goal was scored by John Cochrane ‘with a fine drive’ – it was one of only three games he played for the Grecians.  His career was cut short by eyesight problems.

That took City to Boothferry Park to play Hull City for the first time ever. The home side won 1-0 in a game attended by 9313.

In the programme notes the home club showed themselves good judges of the game writing ‘Under the guidance of Manager J Edwards, Exeter are gradually becoming a very useful side and it could well be when the honours are handed out at the end of the season Exeter City FC will be one of the recipients’. How right they were!

Promotion factfile

Making his debut for the Grecians in the Hull game in 1963 was apprentice Barry Redwood from Newton Abbot. Playing up front he went narrowly close to scoring twice. It was the only game he played in the promotion season and sadly he only went on to make one League appearance the following year before having to retire because of a head injury sustained in a Western League match at Bridport. Barry was awarded a Testimonial match against Swindon in 1965. His son Toby made 20 League appearances for City in the early 1990s.