It all came down to a simple equation in the last Division 4 game of the campaign - away at top four rivals Workington on Saturday 25 April 1964. Exeter needed a point to be promoted.

Hundreds of City fans made their way north the day before,with a train leaving St David’s at 5.30pm. Supporters paid a special return excursion fare of £3 10s. A coach left at 11.30pm. The team stayed overnight in Cumbria and were greeted at their hotel by telegrams and cards wishing them good luck.

Tony Court in the Express and Echo said ‘the game was a grim, grudging battle’ in front of 8,600 but that City ‘held on and made club history in doing so’.

Alan Banks, whose signing for City had transformed the season, was given the go ahead to play despite an injury. Quoted in Mike Blackstone’s ‘Grecians Going Up’ book Alan said ‘to be honest it wasn’t much of a match. Both teams would be promoted if it was a draw and that is how it ended – goalless.

‘Both sets of supporters invaded the pitch at the final whistle to celebrate and it took us some time before we were able to get back to the dressing room. The Workington directors brought in a case of champagne so that we could celebrate as well.

‘We then headed off to Carlisle to a hotel where we had an evening meal. The chef had made a large cake with ‘congratulations’ iced on it.  After travelling back to Exeter on the overnight train, we were greeted by hundreds of City fans at St David’s station’.

Long time supporter Fred Pound, then just 15, was one of those who made the trip north. His account of the season held on the Grecian Archive records how ‘the match was a nail biting affair. There is a lot of tension in the air. The noise from our support and especially from the rattles is great. The match seems to last forever, no one seems to care how bad it had been’.

‘We arrive back in Exeter in the early hours and some of us trek to St David’s to welcome the team back. We sleep on benches in the waiting room and are awoken by a din sometime later. There is a huge mass of fans which has made its way down, many waving banners. The most memorable one of which simply says ‘Thanks Banks and all the ranks’.

Promotion Factfile

Superstition ran deep all season. The players stuck to routines including sitting in exactly the same coach seat.  The team had a lucky record when Director Les Kerslake attended away games. Unable to get away early he drove overnight to Workington to avoid breaking the sequence.