The Grecian Archive

EXETER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

The following article, printed in the "Football Express" dated August 29th, 1908, is reproduced:

ASSOCIATION: NEW ERA OPENS FOR EXETER.

CITY TEAM'S PROSPECTS: FORMIDABLE FIRST HURDLES.

by "Rover".

"In ringing down the curtain last season I wrote: "It is my sincere trust that when I next address my readers in the columns of the "Football Express" it will be to discuss the prospects of Exeter City in its first season of the Southern League. In the past I have been told that I have often exaggerated the possi bilities of the Association code in East Devon, and coloured its progress, but I am content to let time prove whether such has really been the case."

The trust I then expressed has been realised. To-day, Exeter City takes its place as a centre of First Class Football, and the whole status of the game in this part of the West of England has been changed. We stand now, in importance, level with our Western rivals, Plymouth Argyle and Bristol Rovers, transformation has taken place so rapidly, its initiation and realisation were all a matter of three months - that and the one can hardly yet realise the vast influence and alterations which the change will carry with it.

I do not intend to go over old ground and discuss all the exciting events of the past close season and their all-important bearing on Exeter's welfare. You have heard these events already discussed, and Exeter has certainly had its due share of notice from all manner of writers up and down the country. In a way, the past is done with, and even a recital of the important happenings that led to Exeter being elected to the Southern League "at the top of the poll" at the memorable London meeting in May, is not what readers will be looking for at this momentous stage of Exeter City's history. A discussion upon the season's prospects will be read with more interest, and it is the future of Exeter City, therefore, rather than the immediate past (eventful as that has been) which shall form the chief subject of these, the first notes of another season."

Squad Photo from the 1908/09 season, in which Exeter joined the Southern League and went straight into Division One, finishing 6th.

Back row (left to right): A. Chadwick (manager), Ambler, Bulcock, Fletcher, Crelley, Banks, Copestake, Wake. Seated: Drain, Craig, Johnson, Watson, McGuigan, Bell, White. On ground: Tierney, Parnell.

Exeter also made it to the Second Round of the FA Cup where they lost away to Plymouth, 2-0.

League Position: 6th Played: 40, Won: 18, Drew: 6, Lost: 16 Goals For: 56, Goals Against: 65 Points: 42

1^st Team Results

02/09/1908	Millwall	A	D	2-2	Bell 2
05/09/1908	Bristol Rovers	H	D	3-3	Watson	Parnell 2
12/09/1908	Watford	A	L	1-3	Bell
19/09/1908	Norwich City	H	W	3-2	McGuigan	Chadwick (p)	Bell
26/09/1908	Reading	A	W	2-1	Bell	Watson
07/10/1908	Swindon Town	A	L	1-2	Copestake
10/10/1908	Leyton Orient	A	L	2-4	McGuigan 2
14/10/1908	Southampton	H	L	1-2	McGuigan
24/10/1908	Brighton & HA	A	W	2-1	McGuigan 2
31/10/1908	Crystal Palace	H	D	1-1	Bell
11/11/1908	Plymouth Argyle	H	W	2-1	Bell 2
14/11/1908	Luton Town	H	W	2-1	Bell	McGuigan
16/11/1908	Brentford	A	W	2-0	McGuigan	Copestake
28/11/1908	Portsmouth	H	W	4-1	Chadwick (p)	Copestake	McGuigan	Bell
12/12/1908	Northampton	A	L	0-1
19/12/1908	New Brompton	H	L	1-3	Bell
25/12/1908	Millwall	H	W	2-1	Bell	McGuigan
03/01/1909	Bristol Rovers	A	L	1-5	McGuigan
09/01/1909	Watford	H	W	1-0	Watson
23/01/1909	Norwich City	A	L	0-2
30/01/1909	Reading	H	W	5-1	Bell 3	Copestake	Watson	McGuigan
08/02/1908	Coventry City	H	L	0-3
13/02/1909	Leyton Orient	H	W	3-1	Bell 3
20/02/1909	Queens Park Rangers	A	D	1-1	Bell
24/02/1909	Queens Park Rangers	H	W	1-0	Parnell
27/02/1909	Brighton & HA	H	W	1-0	Bell
06/03/1909	Crystal Palace	A	D	0-0
08/03/1909	Southend	H	W	2-1	McGuigan	Bell
10/03/1909	Plymouth Argyle	A	L	0-4
13/03/1909	Brentford	H	L	1-2	Bell
17/03/1909	Swindon Town	H	L	1-4	McGuigan (p)
20/03/1909	Luton Town	A	W	2-0	Copestake	Watson
22/03/1909	Coventry City	A	W	1-0	McGuigan
24/03/1909	Southend	A	D	0-0
01/04/1909	West Ham United	A	L	1-4	McGuigan
03/04/1909	Portsmouth	A	L	0-2
13/04/1909	Southampton	A	L	0-2
17/04/1909	Northampton	H	W	2-1	Drain	Watson
21/04/1909	West Ham United	H	W	1-0	Copestake
24/04/1909	New Brompton.	A	L	1-3	Bell

Christmas Day Tram Football Specials (25/12/1908)

1^st Team Final Table

Pos	Team	P	W	D	L	F	A	GA	Pts
1	Northampton Town	40	25	5	10	90	45	2.000	55
2	Swindon Town	40	22	5	13	96	55	1.750	49
3	Southampton	40	19	10	11	67	58	1.160	48
4	Portsmouth	40	18	10	12	68	60	1.130	46
5	Bristol Rovers	40	17	9	14	60	63	0.950	43
6	Exeter City	40	18	6	16	56	65	0.860	42
7	New Brompton	40	17	7	16	48	59	0.810	41
8	Reading	40	11	18	11	60	57	1.050	40
9	Luton Town	40	17	6	17	59	60	0.980	40
10	Plymouth Argyle	40	15	10	15	46	47	0.980	40
11	Millwall	40	16	6	18	59	61	0.970	38
12	Southend United	40	14	10	16	52	54	0.960	38
13	Leyton	40	15	8	17	52	55	0.950	38
14	Watford	40	14	9	17	51	64	0.800	37
15	Queens Park Rangers	40	12	12	16	52	50	1.040	36
16	Crystal Palace	40	12	12	16	62	62	1.000	36
17	West Ham United	40	16	4	20	56	60	0.930	36
18	Brighton & Hove Albion	40	14	7	19	60	61	0.980	35
19	Norwich City	40	12	11	17	59	75	0.780	35
20	Coventry City	40	15	4	21	64	91	0.700	34
21	Brentford	40	13	7	20	59	74	0.790	33

FA CUP

Date	Opponents	Venue	Score	Att	Scorers	Round	Notes
1908/09
03 October 1908	Weymouth	Home	14-0	5000	Bell 6, McGuigan 4, Copestake 2, Watson, Parnell	1Q	Record score
17 October 1908	Longfleet St Mary	Away	1-1	5000	Copestake	2Q
21 October 1908	Longfleet St Mary	Home	10-1	1000	Watson 3, McGuigan 2, Bell 2, Copestake, Johnson, OG	2Q R
07 November 1908	Whiteheads of Weynouth	Home	4-0	3000	Watson 2, Chadwick (pen), McGuigan	3Q
21 November 1908	Kingswood Rovers	Away	2-0	3000	McGuigan, Watson	4Q	Played at Warmley, Bristol
05 December 1908	Barnet Alston	Away	3-0	3000	Bell, Parnell, Chadwick(pen)	5Q
16 January 1909	Wrexham	Away	1-1	4000	Watson	1R
20 January 1909	Wrexham	Home	2-1	5000	Chadwick (pen), McGuigan	1R Replay
06 February 1909	Plymouth Argyle	Away	0-2	20000	:	2 R

PLYMOUTH & DISTRICT LEAGUE
Reserve Results

Plymouth and District League
05/09/1908	P & D L	Woodland Villa	Away	3-1	Badcock 2	Singlehurst
19/09/1908	P & D L	Torpoint	Away	2-0	Pridham 2
03/10/1908	P & D L	Tavistock	Away	1-4	Drain
21/11/1908	P & D L	Looe	Home	1-1	Turner
28/11/1908	P & D L	Oreston Rovers	Away	0-1	:
05/12/1908	P & D L	Tavistock	Home	7-0	Badcock 4	Pridham	Drain	White
25/12/1908	P & D L	Plymouth Argyle	Away	1-4	Singlehurst
26/12/1908	P & D L	Plymouth Argyle	Home	1-2	Drain
02/01/1909	P & D L	Green Waves	Home	6-1	Letheren	Drain 3	Pridham	Turner
16/01/1909	P & D L	Liskeard	Home	2-2	Drain 2
23/01/1909	P & D L	Royal Marines	Home	3-2	Hill (og)	White	Eveleigh
06/02/1909	P & D L	Woodland Villa	Home	1-0	Turner
27/03/1909	P & D L	Royal Marines	Away	0-1	:
10/04/1909	P & D L	Millbrook Rangers	Away	0-2	:
12/04/1909	P & D L	Oreston Rovers	Home	0-1	:
14/04/1909	P & D L	South Staff Regiment	Home	3-4	Singlehurst	Eveleigh	McGuigan
17/04/1909	P & D L	Liskeard	Away	0-0	:
19/04/1909	P & D L	Torpoint	Home	0-1	:
21/04/1909	P & D L	Millbrook Rangers	Home	0-1	:
24/04/1908	P & D L	South Staff Regiment	Away	0-2	:			Played at SJP
26/04/1908	P & D L	Looe	Away	1-3	Eveleigh
28/04/1908	P & D L	Green Waves	Away	0-0	:

Reserve Table

PLYMOUTH & DISTRICT LEAGUE

	Final Table	P	W	D	L	F	A	Pts
1	Plymouth Argyle Reserves	22	16	3	3	65	24	35
2	Millbrook Rangers	22	14	5	3	48	20	33
3	Torpoint	22	13	6	3	54	24	32
4	Oreston Rovers	22	12	3	7	48	34	27
5	Royal Marines Light Infantry	22	11	4	7	35	27	26
6	Looe	22	7	7	8	35	38	21
7	South Staff Regiment	22	8	3	11	39	45	19
8	Exeter City Reserves	22	6	4	12	33	33	16
9	Woodland Villa	22	6	4	12	30	60	16
10	Liskeard	22	5	5	12	29	56	15
11	Green Waves	22	4	6	12	23	43	14
12	Tavistock	22	3	4	15	26	61	10