OPENING OF THE SEASON

Saturday August 26th, at Ynys Park.

ABERDARE ATHLETIC 3 EXETER CITY 1.
Attendance 8000
Last season: Aberdare 0 City 2.

At Aberdare today the supporters of the Darians looked to the new team to avenge the defeat inflicted on the club by Exeter City last May. The Grecians left Exeter at nine o clock this morning by rail for Cardiff, completing the journey with a 26 miles char-a-banc drive through the villages of South Wales, beautiful still despite the seemingly endless chain of mining towns and villages, railway sidings and slag heaps. At Aberdare the afternoon was dull and the air chilly.

The ground looked in the pink of condition. There is a very large grand-stand and ample popular accommodation for the club's following. The teams were :

ABERDARE

Duckworth
Price Brooke Archibald Gillespie Anderson Tompkinson Rogers Martin Mayson Danskin

EXETER CITY

Dockray Crockford Devlin Vowles Newman Crompton Mitton Rigby Ackroyd Pollard
Fryer


Archibald won the toss, and Aberdare had the advantage of light breeze in the first period. Price distinguished himself in foiling Dockray twice in quick succession, and when the Grecians pressed again Devlin sent the ball behind. Clever play by Devlin ended in Crockford leaving the ball to Dockray, whose powerful shot rattled the crossbar with Duckworth helpless.

Aberdare then got going, and Price drove over, while a fierce shot from Martin saved saved by Fryer just afterwards. The home team were lively on their left wing and Exeter had to pack their season's goods are likely to prove as formidable a side as any in the South.

True, the Grecians's two last matches will be with Gillingham, but seeing that the Hoppers took three points from Exeter in the season last past, success in these games cannot be guaranteed. So Exeter City must "do it now." Points are never so difficult to obtain as when a club is down and fighting to rise. There is a wild scramble then for the top positions and to get away from the bottom. Exeter City must develop the habit of winning their home matches, and returning from their journeyings with as many points and as good a name as can be won by men who play the game. JIMMY RIGBY AND ANNO DOMINI.

It seems fairly certain right from the outset that one change might be advisable in the City half-back line.

No player more conscientious than Jimmy Rigby ever donned a football shirt, and he can still render splendid service in the event of an emergency. Always in condition, always consistent, and always sound in his methods, he is a model for the young players at the club. "Anno Domini," however, puts a period to everyone's service, and Rigby can hardly be relied upon to stick the strain. and pace of Southern Division soccer the season through.

BACKS AND HALF BACKS.

Outstanding among the new half-backs is Leonard Southway, the powerfully built player from Bristol City, and Bristol born.

Six seasons spent with the Ashton Gate club have endowed him with ripe experience, and he is now in his prime. Southway's best position is centre half, yet most of his appearances for Bristol during the past two seasons have been made at full back.

Horace Clarke, the former Chesterfield captain, is another man of proved ability, and in Richards, of Scunthorpe United, Exeter have secured a strongly built player of much promise.

The new full backs have yet to prove their worth in first-class football, but this division should certainly turn out to be a good deal stronger than that of last season, even if only because of the greater keen-ness of the players, and their desire to bring this department up to the same standard of excellence likely to be attained by the half backs and forwards.

The New Attack

Newport County parted with Devlin, amongst others, ostensibly because they wanted younger blood. They were also desirous of economising. Devlin is not now the dashing, tear-away player of a Vowles, who was however crowded out before he could shoot. Then Aberdare regained the lead with a penalty which never should have been awarded, for Martin dribbled through, but finding himself hemmed in, fell over and appealed for an imaginary foul. To the utter disbelief of the Exeter players the referee awarded a spot kick. Fryer saved Martin's first shot, but the centre forward got to the ball and scored with his second shot. Then, with six minutes left, and just after Crompton had given Duckworth a rare handful Martin scored Aberdare's third goal.

CITY RESERVES v BATH CITY

A crowd of three thousand welcomed the City Reserves in the first Southern League match of the new season, at St James's Park, where Bath City provided the opposition. The Reserves introduced P.Newberry, of Exeter Argyle, to the inside left position in the place of Vowles, who was deputising for Mathieson at Aberdare.

City Reserves:-
Dart; Flynn, Bell;Richards, Southway, Clarke; Matthews, Camble, Parsons, Newberry, Shelton.

Referee:- Nr E.E.Small, of Bristol.

Bath City:
Adams; Saunders, Smith;
Nuth, March, Burns; Thomas, Harrison, Bolston, Chivers, Woodward.

Southway, who captained the Grecians, was beaten in the toss by Nuth, but Exeter led off in dashing style, Matthews, Shelton, and Camble combining well. Bath City had an early escape when a drive by Shelton hit the crossbar, but the ball was cleared.

The crowd had increased to well over four thousand, and they cheered to the echo when a twenty yards' drive by Clarke netted the opening goal, Adams being hopelessly beaten by the speed of the ball. After thirty minutes' play Matthews sprinted along the wing with the ball in his possession and centred to Parsons, who flicked it on to Newberry for the Argyle amateur to find the net with a glorious first-timer.

Half-time: City 2 Bath City 0.

Richards and Saunders were both injured in a collision, and both reappeared after & short interval with their heads swathed in bandages and plaster.

Parsons scored for the City Reserves, who thus won by three goals to nil.