CITY BEAT HIGHER DIVISION SHREWS IN FA CUP

An FA Cup triumph against Shrewsbury came in the middle of a very positive month for the Grecians sixty years ago.

After a poor October, City finally got their promotion push back on track in November 1963. The team did lose 1-0 to Rochdale in Alan Banks’ home debut but then things started to click. The next three League games were all won plus the FA Cup victory.  

A 2-0 win away at Oxford started the revival. ‘A transformation’ wrote Express and Echo football reporter Tony Court.  The goals were scored by Dermot Curtis and Alan Banks. It was Alan’s first goal (‘a great flying header’)for the club following his recent record transfer from Cambridge City.

In the League this was followed by a 1-0 victory at Newportwith another Banks goal. Court described it as a “slog in the mud” but commented that “Supporters are travelling to away games again and at last Exeter City are coming alive after four seasons of failure and frustration”.

The month was rounded off with a 2-0 success against Stockport. The goalscorers were Graham Rees and Banks.  Court said that Rees got a well deserved goal ‘when he nipped in between two defenders and cracked home a 20 yard shot’. The ‘indomitable Banks chipped the keeper’ for the second.

The FA Cup win came on 16 November against higher statusShrewsbury.  City were the underdogs and further handicapped as Alan Banks was cup tied. It couldn’t have started much worse when after just thirty seconds the visitors went ahead from Middleton’s ‘well placed shot’.

‘It was a start that was designed to shatter City’ reflected the Echo. But the Grecians dug in and Dermot Curtis levelled matters as he ‘slid a headed ball from George Northcott over the line’.

‘Gradually City came to grips with the Third Division side’observed Court. ‘The winning goal came in the 72nd minute from Des Anderson, who had never scored before in his career. A Cup dream come true’.  

Things were looking up. Court summed up the changing mood: ‘people are beginning to talk about the club again throughout Exeter and the possibility of promotion’.

Promotion Factfile

The home match against Stockport mentioned above was played on a Friday night (29th November).  The game was brought forward a day so as to avoid a clash with the visit of the New Zealand rugby team. The All Blacks were playing a South West Counties side at the County Ground on the Saturday. A healthy crowd of 7058 came to St James Park under the floodlights.