CUP FEVER COMES TO ST JAMES PARK

While the main menu was very much the tilt at promotion there is no doubt that the prospects of a cup upset set the pulses racing almost sixty years ago to the day. After beating Shrewsbury in the first round of the FA Cup the Fourth Division Grecians were drawn at home to Third DivisionBristol City on Saturday 7 December 1963.

One man who had the job of capturing the mood was Maurice Golesworthy, who wrote the extensive ‘Club Chatter’ pages of the match day programme. He was well qualified to do so having been born and raised within 200 yards of St James Park and seeing his first game there in the early 1930s. For 25 years after World War Two he worked in the press box, missing no more than half a dozen first team or reserve games. Maurice wrote the programme notes for 15 seasons and also co-authored the ‘Exeter City: A Complete Record’ book in 1990.

In his ‘Club Chatter’ for the Bristol City cup tie Golesworthyshowed his Grecian history credentials by saying that the visitors were ‘the 7th Club to appear on this ground who have previously figured in the Final of this competition’. The others were Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers, Derby County, Sunderland, Chelsea and Luton Town.

Maurice was very balanced in his programme notes noting that the Ashton Gate side had only lost one of their last 10 Third Division games, a run that had seen them shoot up the table from 16th to 6th place. ‘On the other hand’ he wrote ‘Exeter City are having their best season for five years, so there won’t be any lack of confidence on either side’.

Cup fever hit the city and a crowd of 15,077 packed into St James Park. It was the biggest 2nd round crowd anywhere in the country that day.  Sadly the majority were to be disappointed as The Robins won 2-0.

It was John Atyeo who did the damage with both goals.  Golesworthy had warned in his programme notes ‘the man we will have to keep a special watch on today, one of the most prolific goal-scorers in the game, big John Atyeo’.

Tony Court writing in the Express and Echo said ‘Bristol City proved to be the better side on the day and Exeter could not really grumble about failing to make the next round’.

A closely typed summary of the game has also been found, inserted into a copy of a match programme, in the Museum collection. This asserted ‘luck dealt Exeter two cruel blows’. Firstly an injury to Dermot Curtis and secondly when Atyeo‘after a shocking game, tapped in a mistaken goal kick’. One moment of joy was noted when City keeper Barnett saved a penalty: ‘He judged the spot kick brilliantly’.

Promotion Factfile

Exeter City reserves played the 1963/4 season in the Western League. Just a week before the Bristol City cup tie the twoclubs’ reserves had played out a 3-3 draw in that competition. All three Grecian goals were scored by George Spiers, who had signed from Irish club Crusaders that August for £500 plus 25% of any future fee.