This object comes from a rare copy of the Express and Echo, printed on the 3rd of March 1931, which advertises Exeter City vs Sunderland on the big screen at the Kings Hall Picture House in St Thomas. Now this is not the only time a City match has been screened at the cinema. Just ten years ago our FA Cup tie with Manchester United was shown at the Odeon due to popular demand. However it was the first time this is known to have happened, and has parallels with the fixture against the Red Devils. The match itself was an FA Cup replay, against a top division side from the North, and attracted huge interest not only in the City, but also across the region. It was, at the time, the furthest that any 3rd division side had gone in the competition, and such was the popularity of the occasion that the new reported traffic to have come to a standstill around the City Centre. Those who got into the ground witnessed an incredible six-goal thriller, which saw the visitor’s progress to the semi finals at the Grecians expense. All was not lost however, as the club generated valuable gate receipts from the ‘official’ attendance of 21,013. A record which stands to this day, and doesn’t even include those who went back and watched it all over again at the flicks!

A History of City in 24 Objects, Cinema, Records