ECFC 0-0 Boscombe (Bournemouth)
FA Cup Q4

F.A.CUP:
FOURTH QUALIFYING ROUND

City v Boscombe

Saturday, November 18th.

At St James's Park, Exeter.

EXETER CITY 0 BOSCOMBE 0

For the vast majority of the Exeter City club's supporters, today's match at St James's Park, with Boscombe providing the opposition in a fourth round tie in the Qualifying Competition of the F. A. Cup, was regarded merely as the prelude to something more exciting in the next round. The Football League club was naturally expected to dismiss from the competition Boscombe, the representative of the Southern League.

For the first time since the 1913-14 season Exeter City were drawn to play at home. It is noteworthy that the club has not won a cup-tie since that season, nor have they been called upon to play at such an early stage in the tournament. But repeated non success on the playing field has brought the inevitable penalty of being squeezed further and further away from the magic First Round of the Cup Competition Proper.

EXETER'S EMERGENCY GOALKEEPER

For today's match Exeter City utilised the services of a full back as goalkeeper, Harry Fryer being ill in bed with a severe cold. Andy Flynn, from Mexborough, who has been assisting the Reserves regularly at right back, undertook the duty, and was expected to shape well, he having made a good impression both in practice and as an emergency goalkeeper in Southern League games. Otherwise the Grecians were at full strength.

Boscombe were represented by their best team. They beat the Millwall Reserves by 3-1 at New Cross as recently as Monday last, and as the "Lions" defeated Exeter City Reserves at St. James's Park by three clear goals earlier in the season the Hampshire club rather fancied their chances of bringing off a sensational win, particularly as the Grecians' first team dropped to the extent of six-nil at Norwich only a week ago. In the matches this season between Boscombe and Exeter City Reserves the score was 2-1 to the home team in each case.

It is interesting to note that the Boscombe XI included at inside-left W.E.James, a player who figured on the extreme wing for Portsmouth on the F.A.Cup occasion of nine winters ago when the City won a sensational victory by four clear goals.

Boscombe, travelling this morning, reached the Exeter ground

in excellent time. They were attended by a large company of their

supporters, full of sound and fury. The weather was brilliantly

fine, and the ground in good trim.

There were four thousand spectators present when the players came out at 2.25 o'clock, and Boscombe, who followed Exeter out, were heartily cheered by their friends in the grandstand. There was a special cheer from the Exeter following for Andy Flynn, who although lacking some of the inches of which Fryer can boast, at the same time looked a very sturdy and alert customer in his blue goalkeeper's jersey. Ellis Crompton won the toss, and the visitors had to face sun and breeze in the opening half.
EXETER CITY
Flynn
Pollard Ackroyd
Rigby Mitton Crompton
Matthews Kirk Mathieson Crockford Shelton

Referee: Mr R.Lethaby, of Bristol.

Linesmen: Messrs T.J.Pitt and C.F.Ellis.

Wakeley Meyer Davey James Phillips Wingham Matthews Butt
Lamb Saxton
Heron
BOSCOMBE

Crockford checked Boscombe's initial move, and Shelton raced through and centred, for Saxton to clear. Exeter maintained their pressure for a few moments, and Mathieson put in a drive which Heron cleared, though with some difficulty.

After seven minutes the City experienced hard luck in failing to open their account, Matthews giving Kirk an opening which was taken on by the inside-right. He shot strongly, but Heron dived across and pushed the ball out. Shelton then dashed in and shot, and the ball hit Mathieson and sailed over the bar. Mathieson and Kirk between them won a corner, but it was badly placed. Saxton planted the ball up-field, and Boscombe, kicking strongly when they got the chance, made rapid headway, and Davey shot wide of the posts. Pollard and Ackroyd were nervous about their deputy goalkeeper, and were so determined on preventing the ball from reaching him that their general work suffered somewhat. Another corner was won by the Exeter right wing, and this was cleared by Heron. Both teams were playing typical Cup-tie football, and though the game was fast and furious, there was very little science so far. A free kick, twenty-five yards out, resulted in Boscombe's Matthews driving the ball several yards over the bar.

MATHIESON'S SKILL

A corner fell to the visitors, but Phillips's flag kick went behind the goal. Phillips made up for this a moment later, for cutting in and shooting hard, he just missed the far upright, with Flynn beaten. Encouraged by these events Boscombe redoubled their efforts, and play was of an end-to-end character.

Mathieson's skill non-plussed the Boscombe defenders on more than one occasion, but strive as they might Exeter were unable to force the ball home, although the Irishman came very close to a goal on one occasion when he hooked an awkwardly bouncing ball just over the bar.

The attendance had risen to about seven thousand, and the fortunes of the play were followed with great enthusiasm. The City had a long spell of attacking, but Heron was not severely tested, and the half-time whistle blew with the score:

EXETER CITY 0-0 BOSCOMBE

The visitors had every reason for self-congratulation at the state of affairs when the interval arrived. In defence they had played better football than Exeter, while their attack, though lacking good combination, was full of thrust.

Exeter's inside-forwards had been very ragged in their work, and the defence was totally unable to forget that Flynn, and not Fryer, was in goal. The question now arose as to whether Exeter would be able to score at the "impossible end," where they had not netted the ball up to this morning.

After five minutes Matthews raced down the wing and centred to the goalmouth, where Mathieson headed just wide. Maintaining the pressure, the City inside forwards showed great eagerness, but Heron and his backs covered each other well, and the nearest to a score was a free-kick by Crompton which went over the bar. A gilt-edged chance of taking the lead fell to Boscombe a moment later, but after breaking through the defence Davey, with only Flynn to beat, drove the ball wildly over the crossbar.

At the other end the Grecians subjected their visitors to a period of severe pressure, and shots from Rigby, Crockford, and Mitton followed one another in rapid succession, but were of no avail. A sharp dash from midfield saw Kirk go through unopposed, but his fierce parting shot was a couple of yards wide. Despite numerous attacks by the Grecians, the Boscombe defence remained unbeaten, and the match will now have to be re-played on the Boscombe ground on Wednesday.

SOUTHAMPTON RESERVES v. CITY RESERVES

Southern League

Three thousand spectators witnessed the match at The Dell this afternoon, between the reserve teams of Southampton and Exeter City.

Exeter made three changes from their advertised side, and the teams lined up as follows:

Southampton:

Monk; Hough, Hooper;
Christie, Campbell, Willmott;
Blyth, Cooper, Meston, Johnson, Andrews.

Exeter City:-
Dart; Southway, Bell;
Richards, Clarke, Litten; Lendon, Camble, Parsons, Vowles, Dockray.

Southampton scored about five minutes after the start, Cooper racing through and eventually passing to Blyth, who centred the ball across the goalmouth with Johnson and Meston both offside. They were not pulled up, however, and Johnson netted. Dockray and Clarke both tested Monk with long shots, but the bulk of the play was with Southampton, for whom Cooper headed a nice goal from Blyth's centre. Cooper scored the third goal with a fine oblique shot from outside the penalty area, which left Dart helpless. Half-time: Southampton 3 Exeter City 0.

The second half went much the same way as the first, with the Saints getting three more goals without reply. After Johnson had beaten Dart with a hefty first-timer Cooper got the ball into the net, whereupon the referee disallowed the goal but signalled a penalty. This was converted by Andrews. Meston, a minute from the end, added the sixth.

Result:
Southampton 6 Exeter City 0.