Nearly 30,000 fans flocked to City’s two Easter games with local rivals Torquay as the promotion race hotted up at the end of March 1964.  

The Grecians, second in Division 4, hosted the Gulls on Good Friday where an all ticket 16,141 saw a 0-0 draw. Exeter had the ball in the net three times but all were disallowed. Tony Court in the Express and Echo wrote ‘it was a typical, scrappy derby match that was full of petty fouls and misdemeanours’.

The return game was played on Easter Monday and 13,655 were at Plainmoor for a 1-1 draw. Dermot Curtis gave Exeter the lead after diving full length with a header. Sixth placed Torquay equalised just before the half hour mark and stalemate followed. Court commented ‘the teams stumbled through this match, so anxious not to lose’.

City dropped to third with the top five clubs separated by just one point. But a good run at the start of April lifted the spirits. A 3-1 win at home to Newport, a 0-0 draw at Stockport and then a 1-0 away win at Chesterfield left Exeter top of the table for the first time in the season.

All was looking good as Bradford Park Avenue made the trip to Devon on 18 April. But with talisman Alan Banks out injured City stuttered to a 3-2 defeat. Court reflected that ‘Exeter were so anxious to avoid mistakes that they let Bradford get away with too much’.

The following Tuesday saw the penultimate game of the season at home to Chesterfield. If there were growing doubts after the Bradford game they were soon swept away as the Grecians marched to a stunning 6-1 victory. Court enthused ‘It has been a long time since a crowd stood to cheer an Exeter City team off the pitch, but they did so at the end of the game’.

One of those doing the cheering was Bill Jarman. Now in his nineties, Bill recalls “I took my father, who was pretty ill at the time. It certainly bucked him up to see six goals”.  

The win had put City on the verge of promotion for the first time in the club’s history.  But they still needed a point at third placed Workington in the final game. It was going to the wire!

Promotion Factfile

City broke a number of records in the promotion season. In bagging 25 points away from home (only two points for a win back then) they bettered the 22 netted in the 1932-3 campaign (when Exeter finished second in Division 3 South) and 1953-4. City’s defence was the best ever – only conceding 37 goals. That broke a long standing record going back to the 1913-14 Southern League season when 38 were let in.