ECFC 1914/15

EXETER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB
Season 1914-1915:

 In the summer of 1914 Exeter City made history, being the first English football club to undertake a tour of South America. This unique honour was bestowed upon the City by the League, that body making the selection at the conclusion of the 1913-14 season, and Exeter City were chosen, according to the League, as a club that was typical of English football.

The Exeter City party consisted of the following directors and players, numbering seventeen in all: Messrs McGahey, Parkhouse, and Middleweek, directors; J.Fort, F.Goodwin, A. Harding, H. Holt, W.Hunter, J.Lagan, R.Loram, W.Lovett, F.Marshall, C.Pratt, R.Pym, J.Rigby, W.Smith, S.Strettle, and F.Whittaker. They embarked from Southampton on May 22nd and after playing five matches in the Argentine and three in Brazil, and undergoing some unexpected and exciting experiences (of which more later) arrived in England, at Liverpool, to be precise, on August 9th, just one month before they were due to play their first League match of the new season.

The New Season

 ADVENTURE ON THE HIGH SEAS:

Fears were entertained for a few days that Exeter City would be without a League team this season, as nearly the whole of their players were on the sea returning from their Argentine tour when hostilities broke out, and consequently ran the risk of capture by the enemy or being held up at some port or other. But they have come safely through, arriving at Exeter on August 10th.

News that England was at war was received at Madeira, and the remainder of the voyage was most exciting, the ship, the Royal Mail steam packet "Alcantara," proceeding at night with all lights out, as previously described in the statement given by Mr M.J.McGahey.
It is considered by the officials that the tour has been most beneficial in all ways. It not only enabled the directors to retain the services of nearly the whole of last year's side, but has also served to bring about a most valuable understanding with Hunter, who is probably the most important of the new players engaged, for he was included in the tour party.

Of last season's players, fifteen have been re-engaged, together with three of the amateurs, Hunt, Lewis, and Pridham, while Cox, of the Devon Regiment, who played for the reserves on quite a number of occasions in 1913-14, is again available. Of the others, Kirby and Lee left the club as far back as October, the former joining Merthyr Town, whilst Lee returned home on account of the death of his father, and it is not known locally whether or not he has since played. Goddard went to West Ham in December in exchange for Fred Goodwin, whilst McCann was transferred to Bristol Rovers, Orr to Barry, and Brooksbank to Bristol City.

Former Grecians who have changed clubs include Bulcock, Crystal Palace to Swansea Town, whose manager now is Walter ("Big Walt") Whittaker, and Griffiths, Clapton Orient to Llanelly. It would appear from these moves that South Wales holds a big attraction for ex-Grecians.

The new engagements number six, comprising W.Hunter, a bustling, energetic centre-forward from Clapton Orient, and previously with Manchester United; W.Brown, a full-back, late of Rossendale club; William Goodwin, from Blackburn Rovers; Alfred Victor Green, like Goodwin, a centre-forward, from Rotherham Town; John Dockray, an outside-left, from Bury; and S.W.Cowie, an outside or inside right, from Blackpool.

EXETER CITY'S PLAYERS

Season 1914-15

Name

Birthplace

Height
ft.in.

Weight
st.lb.

GOALKEEPERS

 

 

 

R.Loram

Alphington

5 9½

11 4

R.H.Pym

Topsham

5 11

12 2

BACKS

 

 

 

W.Brown

Accrington

5 9

11 7

J.Fort

Leigh

5 9½

12 0

AHarding

Chesham

5 10

11 8

E.Hunt

Exeter

5 10

11 5

S.Strettle

Warrington

5 10½

12 4

HALF-BACKS

 

 

 

S.Cox

Plymouth

5 9

11 12

A.Evans

Bolton

5 10½

11 8

J.N.Lagan

Felling on Tyne

5 10

11 9

F.Marshall

New Mills

5 9

11 7

C.B.Pratt

Birmingham

5 9

12 3

J.Rigby

Bolton

5 8

11 8

W.Smith

Hyde

5 8

11 5

FORWARDS

 

 

 

S.W.Cowie

Accrington

5 8

11 6

J.Dockray

Carlisle

5 9

11 0

F.Goodwin

Macclesfield

5 8

11 6

W.Goodwin

Staveley

5 9

11 0

A.V.Green

Rotherham

5 9½

12 4

H.Holt

Bolton

5 7½

11 4

W.Hunter

Sunderland

5 9

12 0

E.Lewis

Exeter

5 9

12 4

W.Lovett

Bolton

5 9½

11 0

W.A.Pridham

Torquay

5 8

11 7

F.Whittaker

Burnley

5 8

12 5

Squad photograph from the 1914/15 season,


Exeter ended this season 11th in the Southern League Division One and lost in the First Round of the FA Cup to Aston Villa.

League Stats Played: 38 Won: 15 Drew: 8 Lost: 16 Goals For: 50 Goals Against: 41 Points: 38

Photo 1 is the team v Aston Villa.

FA Cup First Round: Aston Villa (A), 2-0. Back Row Jimmy Rigby, Charlie Pratt, Fred Marshall, Dick Pym, Sam Strettle, Jimmy Lagan, Arthur Chadwick (Manager), Billy Smith. Front Row, Harold Holt, Arthur Evans, Goodwin, Lovatt, Dockray.

First team results

Record of First Team Matches.

Date 

Opponents:  

Venue:

Result 

Scorers:

Sep 5

West Ham United

home

3-1

Lovett 2, W.Goodwin.

12

Norwich City

away

1-3

W.Goodwin.

19

Gillingham

home

2-0

W.Goodwin, Lovett.

23

Northampton Town

home

2-1

Green, W.Goodwin.

26

Brighton and Hove

away

1-2

W.Goodwin.

Oct 3

Cardiff City

home

2-0

W.Goodwin, Green.

10

Crystal Palace            

away

0-0

 

14

Merthyr Town(*)

home

2-1

Green, Lovett.

17

Luton Town

away

2-0

W.Goodwin 2.

24

Portsmouth

home

1-1

W.Goodwin.

31

Swindon Town

away

0-4

 

Nov 7

Southend United

home

7-1

Green 3, W.Goodwin 2, F.Goodwin, Lovett.

14

Q P Rangers

away

2-0

Green 2.

21

Millwall Athletic

home

0-1

 

28

Bristol Rovers

away

1-2

W.Goodwin.

Dec 5

Croydon Common

home

3-1

W.Goodwin 3.

12

Reading

away

0-1

 

19

Southampton

home

1-2

Hunter.

25

Watford

away

1-1

W.Goodwin.

26

Watford

home

4-1

Dockray, Lovett, W.Goodwin 2.

28

Northampton Town

away

1-1

W.Goodwin.

1915

 

 

 

 

Jan  2      

West Ham United

away

1-4

W.Goodwin.

9

Aston Villa(**)

away

0-2

 

16

Norwich City

home

2-0

Dockray, Holt.

23

Gillingham

away

0-0

 

Feb 6

Cardiff City

away

0-1

 

10

Plymouth Argyle(*)

away

0-1

 

13

Crystal Palace

home

1-1

Evans.

20

Luton Town

home

1-2

Holt.

24

Brighton and Hove

home

1-0

Lovett.

27

Portsmouth

away

2-0

F.Goodwin, Rigby.

Mar 6

Swindon Town

home

0-1

 

13

Southend United

away

2-0

W.Goodwin, F.Goodwin.

20

Q P Rangers

home

0-1

 

27

Millwall Athletic

away

1-2

W.Goodwin.

Apr 2

Plymouth Argyle

away

3-1

Holt, Butler (through own goal), W.Goodwin.

3

Bristol Rovers

home

1-0

Holt.

5

Plymouth Argyle

home

1-1

Lovett.

10

Croydon Common

away

0-0

 

17

Reading

home

0-1

 

24

Southampton

away

0-3

 

(*) Southern Charity Cup.

(**) Football Association Cup.

EXETER CITY PLAYERS: GOALSCORERS

A total of exactly fifty goals was scored in the League matches, as follows:-
W. Goodwin 23, Green and Lovett, each 7, Holt 4, F.Goodwin 3, Dockray 2, Evans, Hunter, Rigby, each 1, Butler of Plymouth Argyle 1 (own goal). Green and Lovett each scored 1 in the Southern Charity Cup matches.

APPEARANCES IN LEAGUE MATCHES

Holt 38, Pym 38, Strettle 38, Smith 37, W.Goodwin 36, Marshall 36, Rigby 35, Lovett 32, F.Goodwin 26, Lagan 25, Dockray 23, Evans 20, Green 14, Pratt 11, Hunter 5, Cox 2, Cowie 1, and Harding 1.

F.A.Cup: Dockray, Evans, W. Goodwin, Holt, Lagan, Lovett, Marshall, Pym, Rigby, Smith, and Strettle, each 1.

Charity Cup: W.Goodwin, Holt, Lagan, Lovett, Marshall, Pym, Rigby, Smith, and Strettle, each 2. Dockray, Evans, F.Goodwin, and Green, each 1.

WHERE THEY PLAYED: LEAGUE MATCHES

Goal: Pym 38.
Right back: Marshall 36, Cox 1, Harding 1.
Left back: Strettle 38.
Right half: Rigby 35, Smith 3.
Centre half: Lagan 25, Pratt 11, Evans 1, Smith 1
Left half: Smith 33, Evans 5.
Outside right: Holt 38.
Inside right: Evans 14, Green 14, Hunter 5, Lovett 4, Cox 1.
Centre forward: W.Goodwin 36, Lovett 2.
Inside left: Lovett 26, F.Goodwin 11, Cowie 1Outside left: Dockray 23, F.Goodwin 15.

Final Table

Pos Team P W D L F A GA Pts
1 Watford 38 22 8 8 68 46 1.478 52
2 Reading 38 21 7 10 68 43 1.581 49
3 Cardiff City 38 22 4 12 72 38 1.895 48
4 West Ham United  38 18 9 11 58 47 1.234 45
5 Northampton Town 38 16 11 11 56 51 1.098 43
6 Southampton  38 19 5 14 78 74 1.054 43
7 Portsmouth 38 16 10 12 54 42 1.286 42
8 Millwall 38 16 10 12 50 51 0.98 42
9 Swindon Town 38 15 11 12 77 59 1.305 41
10 Brighton & Hove Albion 38 16 7 15 46 47 0.979 39
11 Exeter City 38 15 8 15 50 41 1.22 38
12 QPR 38 13 12 13 55 56 0.982 38
13 Norwich City 38 11 14 13 53 56 0.946 36
14 Luton Town 38 13 8 17 61 73 0.836 34
15 Crystal Palace London 38 13 8 17 47 61 0.77 34
16 Bristol Rovers  38 14 3 21 53 75 0.707 31
17 Plymouth Argyle  38 8 14 16 51 61 0.836 30
18 Southend United 38 10 8 20 44 64 0.688 28
19 Croydon Common** 38 9 9 20 47 63 0.746 27
20 Gillingham 38 6 8 24 43 83 0.518 20

*   West Ham United elected to the 1919-20 Football League.
** Croydon Common relegated to Division Two, but did not rejoin league after the First World War.

Reserve Team Results

Exeter City Reserves (City did not compete in a league)
05/09/1914 Friendly Plymouth Argyle Away Not Known  Scorers         
12/09/1914 Friendly Plymouth Argyle Home Not Known          
21/10/1914 Friendly St Luke's College Home 7-0          
31/10/1914 Friendly Plymouth & District X1 Home 4-1          
07/11/2014 Friendly Wellington Home 6-0          
19/12/1914 Friendly A Company 11th Regiment Away 0-2 :        
26/12/1914 Friendly Plymouth Argyle Away 0-2          
23/01/1915 Friendly Royal Medical Corps, Paignton Home 2-0          
27/02/1915 Friendly Army Pay Corps Home 6-0          
13/03/1915 Friendly Taunton Town Home 4-1          
10/04/1915 Friendly Royal Medical Corps, Paignton Away 1-1          
 

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