Brighton & Hove Albion 3-0 ECFC Attendance: 11000

Defeat of Exeter City

BRIGHTON WIN BY THREE GOALS BUT HAVE SOME LUCKY ESCAPES

Wednesday September 6th, at Hove.

BRIGHTON 3 EXETER CITY 0.

Last season: Brighton 3 City 1.

Exeter City suffered defeat at the hands of Brighton and Hove Albion at the Goldstone Ground on the above date by three clear goals. The teams were :

BRIGHTON & HOVE
Hayes
Jenkins Feebery
Neil Coomber Little
Groves McAllister A.Jones Moore I.Jones

Referee: Mr E.E.Small, of Bristol.

EXETER CITY
Fryer
Pollard Ackroyd 
Crompton Southway Clarke
Matthews Vowles Devlin Mathieson Dockray

In the first half Exeter City's defence was shaky, there being a great deal too much lofty kicking, but there was little wrong with the front and intermediate lines.

Brighton, whose goal had many narrow escapes, were lucky to be two up at the interval. Exactly half an hour had elapsed when Moore received the ball
from I.Jones and shot, Fryer saving on his knees. Before the City goalkeeper could recover himself A.Jones had dashed in and fired the leather into the vacant net.

Mathieson a Brilliant Opportunist.

Exeter set about an equaliser in earnest, Vowles shooting wide and Devlin over the bar. A free kick against Brighton, taken by Mathieson, who was a brilliant opportunist all through, went two feet over the bar.

Then Brighton took play to the Exeter end, and a centre from I.Jones was met by McAllister, whose shot glanced off the inside of an upright and into the net. It was a lucky goal, to say the least.

Stout defensive work by Ackroyd repelled the Brightonians, and the safe hands of Hayes were in evidence when he fielded a first timer from Devlin which carried plenty of "powder."

Following a free kick against one of the Brighton defenders Mathieson put in a beautiful shot, which was tipped over the bar by Hayes, and the teams crossed over with the City two goals in arrears.

Second Half.

Five minutes after the restart Brighton were three up, and once again they had all the best of luck. The third goal was scored by Moore, with a shot which hit the post and skidded into the top of the net.

Exeter City, if possibly a little inferior to Brighton up to this stage, now gave the home defence a hot time. The whole team showed up well with an excellent football display, and Crompton in particular was an inspiration to the rest of the players.

Mathieson twice gave Hayes hefty shots to negotiate, and the home goalkeeper had to run out quickly to punch out a centre from Matthews, with Devlin and Mathieson waiting in the goalmouth.

Brighton rallied well under pressure, but the City continued to force the game, and after Mathieson and Devlin had either missed or had their attempts saved by Hayes the Grecians came within an ace of scoring when Crompton from 25 yards rattled the crossbar with the best shot of the match.

Exeter, though beaten by a decisive margin, were a wonderful team of triers, with the chief honours going to Ackroyd, Crompton and Mathieson. Brighton had a smart left-wing pair in I.Jones and Moore, a dashing centre half in Coomber, and steady backs in the old Grecian, Jack Feebery, and Jenkins, while Hayes was a very fine goalkeeper.

CITY RESERVES v. MILLWALL RESERVES

In warm weather, and before a crowd of a thousand spectators, Millwall Reserves opposed Exeter City Reserves in Southern a League match at St James's Park on Wednesday afternoon. Matthews was away at Brighton with the Exeter "chiefs," and Crockford was restored to the forward line, leaving a vacancy at left - half which was filled by "Scotch" Hutchings, of Heavitree United.

Millwall, who drew at Plymouth on the opening day of the new season, and who were beaten at home 2-1 by the Pilgrims at the week-end, made several alterations from the team first chosen, not the least interesting being the removal of Regan from left half to inside left. The teams lined up at 3.30 p.m. as follows:

EXETER RESERVES

Dart
Flynn Bell
Rigby Mitton Hutchings
Camble Crockford Parsons Newberry Shelton

Referee: Mr F.W.Reeve, of Devonport.

MILLWALL RESERVES
Crawford
Tilling Hart
King Collins Stanton
Taylor Green Hannaford Regan Pither

Rigby won the toss in competition with Stanton, and Millwall started facing St James's Road and the sun. Percy Newberry got the City forwards moving with a nice pass to Shelton, but Hart cleared. The Grecians attacked again, and from Camble's centre the ball was met by Newberry, but the shot carried no power, and Crawford saved without difficulty. At the other end Hannaford, a burly centre-forward, drove over the bar with a sudden surprise shot, and Dart won applause with good saves from Hannaford and Taylor.

Continuing the pressure Millwall scored after ten minutes, a shot from Pither being turned on to the crossbar by Dart, whence the ball rebounded to Green, who drove hard for goal only to see his shot saved by Dart. This time the leather cannoned off the City goalkeeper and went to Taylor, who shot before the custodian had time to recover, and the ball curled into the net. Millwall Two Up at Half-Time.

The kicking of the Exeter backs was generally very poor, and this gave an unnecessary advantage to the tall Millwall players. in a game in which the ball was seldom kept low. A few minutes before the interval a fine centre from Taylor was converted by Regan with a fierce shot that Dart scarcely saw. At half-time the Lions led by two goals to nil.

Exeter came near to reducing the arrears on the resumption, and during a scramble in front of the Millwall goal both Parsons and Hart were injured, but resumed. After fifteen minutes' play Pither scored for Millwall, who won by three goals to nil.