With promotion achieved at Workington, the Grecians continued their celebrations with a Civic Reception at the Guildhall on Monday 27 April. Mayor Alderman W.G. Daw said “I congratulate all the players and I am sure the city of Exeter is very proud of you indeed”.

Club Chairman Reg Rose spoke about his hopes that “this would be the beginning not the end”. He said meetings were planned “so that the club will know just how far it can expand”.

There was, however, one bit of football still to be played. The following night saw a Devon Derby with Plymouth Argyle in the Final of the Devon Professional Bowl. A record crowd for the competition - 8,141- turned up at St James Park to celebrate promotion and see City crush Argyle 4-0 with a hat trick from Adrian Thorne and one from Alan Banks.  

Tony Court in the Express and Echo wrote ‘it was a complete triumph for the Grecians. They got the goals and were still defensively sound as ever. They needed to be as Plymouth had their full Second Division line-up’.

Before the start the Exeter squad did a lap of honour and were cheered all the way round the ground. The team (see picture) were presented with a cake on the pitch and entertained to dinner at the Buckerell Lodge Hotel after the game.  

A full programme was produced for the Final and Maurice Golesworthy in his ‘Club Chatter’ column said ‘Now that Exeter City have won promotion and Plymouth Argyle escaped relegation this evening’s game can be treated as a celebration match.

‘It’s congratulations all round to our boys for their sterling efforts this season and while we are passing round the bouquets let us not forget the man behind the scenes who has contributed so much to this grand promotion winning campaign – Team manager, Jack Edwards.

‘It has been this thoughtful Welshman’s careful study of tactics and his blending of the available manpower into his particular scheme of things that has been at the root of the Club’s success’.  

Another Welshman pleased with promotion was winger Graham Rees. He recalled in an interview in Mike Blackstone’s ‘Grecians Going Up’ book how Hughes Garage of Exeter gave the players the use of two cars, free of charge, to be shared between them for a week – a Ford Corsair and a Ford Zodiac.  The drive for promotion has secured a promotion drive!

Promotion Factfile

Nearly all the promotion team were retained for the Division Three season. The only regular to be transfer listed was John Henderson (22 league games), available for £3,000. John Edgar (6 games) was priced at £500 and George Spiers (5) at £250.