Exeter City v Luton 

CLEVER GOALKEEPING BY FRYER

Saturday, December 10, at St James's Park.

EXETER CITY 0 LUTON TOWN 1.
Attendance 4000
Last season: City 1 Luton 0.

The visit of Luton Town at St James's Park would have been the means of Exeter City getting a very big "gate," had it not come so quickly on the heels of the Cup-tie on Wednesday.

Luton are placed third in the Southern Division of the Football League, and have a brilliant side, with three Internationals in their forward line. Exeter fielded the same team that were rather unluckily put out of the Cup Competition on Wednesday, with the exception that Fryer kept goal instead of Watson, who cried off owing to the development of a thigh injury which he sustained in the first of the two cup matches.

Vowles and Dockray were still absent, also through injuries sustained at Bristol. The match was started at 2.30 p.m., before an attendance of 4,000, Jimmy Green kicking off for Exeter City in the direction of the "Football Express" half-time score-board.

EXETER CITY
Fryer
Stewart Pollard
Rigby Mitton Brown
Newman Crompton J.Green A.V.Green Congdon

LUTON TOWN
Bailey
Lennon Tirrell
Foater Walker Roe
Hoar Mathieson Simms Butcher Bassett 


The clouds were heavy and the light bad, with the playing field shrouded in mist.

Luton, on the run of the game, may be considered rather lucky in taking both the points. It has to be admitted that they played the better football, but the Grecians had an equal share of the exchanges, and were, furthermore, reduced to ten men during part of the second half. However, the substitution of Fryer for Watson was in no way contributory to the weaking of the City team, for Fryer put up the finest exposition given by an Exeter goalkeeper this season. The only goal was scored five minutes before half-time, and the point was well deserved. Following a veritable bombardment of the City goal, the ball was swung across by Bassett, and dropped at Butcher's feet. Fryer made a gallant effort to smother the ball, but the old West Ham forward's quick shot beat the custodian, and in a trice Luton were one goal up. Luton pressed steadily after this, the work of their inside forwards being very smart.

ALF GREEN INJURED

Early in the second half Exeter struck a piece of bad luck, for Alf Green was lamed in a tackle, and had to leave the field. He returned after about twenty minutes, limping badly, and kept on till the finish, but he was little more than a passenger in the closing stages.

Despite the loss of Green, the second half produced a great improvement in the City's play. Time and time, led by Congdon and Newman, they would swoop down on the Luton goal, but only to be met with a stubborn defence.

Fifteen minutes from the finish Newman rounded Tirrell on the touch-line and drove the ball across the goal-mouth. Jimmy Green jumped high and flashed a beautiful header a few inches over the bar with Bailey beaten. Another centre from Newman was put across with unerring accuracy and Bailey pushed the ball away, but there was no-one near enough to send it back into the unguarded goal, and Lennon kicked it out of danger.

NOTES ON THE GAME

It was a rattling good game, in which the City had none of the good luck and most of the bad.

Luton are a good side, and the work of Butcher, Mathieson, and Simms in the quarter of an hour before the interval would have done credit to any trio of inside-forwards.

The Grecians gave a strong and thrustful display, Jimmy Green and Crompton being always eager for work in front of goal, while the wingers, and Newman particularly, rendered fine service.

Alf Green was badly hurt in a tackle with Lennon and although he returned to the field was a injured for the rest of the game.
Mitton and Rigby were in fine fettle, and made light of the work required of them. The Luton Town forwards were seen at their best in the close-passing game, and were dangerous anywhere near the penalty area. It was a sad day from the club's point of view, for two more valuable points conceded at home is a heavy loss indeed. The display of Jimmy Green deserves a paragraph to itself. He has come on in leaps and bounds since his arrival here from the North End club of Preston, and in today's encounter, as in the Cup replay, he exhibited fine dash and courage, and a greater degree of skill than heretofore, and his performance won the approval of the spectators.

Fryer, brought in to replace the injured Watson, displayed a rare talent for goalkeeping, and probably saved Exeter City from a much heavier defeat.

LUTON RESERVES v. CITY RESERVES

A goal scored shortly before the half-time interval, and the utmost consistency in attack and defence from the breather right up to the time of the final whistle, gave the Reserves two most welcome and valuable points in their Southern League encounter at the Luton ground, against the "Strawplai ters's" Reserves.

Although the first team went under, fighting gamely to the end, there is some measure of consolation in the fact that the second string kept the flag flying.

Their performance was a particularly fine one, the team, as a whole, displaying good football. Due to Watson's injury, and the consequent promotion of Fryer, the City goal was guarded by Reg Loram, the old Grecian reserve, and he gave a fine display.

The backs and the intermediate trio constituted a very sound defence. The only goal of the match came through Percy Hill, but a goal by Bullock, which was disallowed for offside, was thought to be a finer effort than that of Hill.

Edge was the pick of the forwards, who were a sharp and lively quintette, and the 3,000 spectators had plenty to enthuse over.

The Exeter team was:-
Loram,
MacKechnie, and Gaskell;
Siddall, Hookway, and Wilson;
Edge, Hill, Bullock, Williams, and Kelland.