Bristol Rovers 0-0 ECFC
Attendance: 9000


BRISTOL ROVERS v. EXETER CITY

Details:

Bristol Rovers  0 Exeter City 0

Played on Saturday, November 3rd,
at Eastville, Bristol.

Attendance 9,000.

Referee: Mr E.C.Sambrook, of Swansea.

Rovers: Whatley; Armitage and Haydon; Furniss, Rose, and Walton;
Chance, Phillips, Woodhall, Whatmore, and Pattison.

City: Bailey; Coleburne and Charlton; Hunter, McIntosh, and Gilchrist;
Matthews, Kirk, Davis, Gallogley, and Shelton.

DESCRIPTION

Immunity from injuries and therefore a settled combination in great measure explains the steady success of Bristol Rovers and other clubs highly placed in the Southern Section of the Third Division. If Portsmouth had not visited and defeated the Rovers last Saturday there would have been the added excitement today of seeing how the Grecians, with their record of casualties and their complete ineptitude in away engagements, fared against a club with nothing but success to its account in home matches.

But Portsmouth ruled otherwise by their l-0 win at Eastville, and today the Rovers were out to make amends at the expense of Exeter City. With two centre-forwards, Edmondson and Batten, on the injured list the City were in something of a quandary, and Davis, who did exceedingly well when called up for first team duty last season, and who has been showing fine pace and dash in Southern League football lately, was selected for the position. Harry Kirk made a welcome re-appearance after the illness which left him out of the Brighton matches. Gallogley was moved to inside-left, and Murray left out. With Dockray still unavailable by reason of the ankle injury he received at Luton three weeks ago, Shelton carried on at outside-left.

Excursion fares were the order of the day at St. David's, and a large company of supporters journeyed from Exeter and surrounding districts. These encounters between the Grecians and the Rovers have always aroused great interest in the South-West, right from the day when the Bristol eleven came to Exeter and opened the St. James's ground as a professional club's headquarters, away back in September 1908.

Exeter City Hopeful.

It was another stormy day. A howling wind swept the muddy flats of Eastville from end to end, and the blood red corner flags pulled hard at their stout white staves. Portsmouth's visit, a week ago, attracted 15,000 spectators, but when the Grecians arrived on the ground today there was hardly a soul about. But fifteen minutes later the crowd came rolling in.

Despite the handicap of the Rovers' formidable record, the City were hopeful, and Alf Matthews declared that they had been defeated at Bristol since he joined the Devonians. There was the novelty of a cinematograph operator on the ground, his arm working steadily as the Grecians took the field, and moving pictures of the match are to be shown at the Exeter Hippodrome next week.

There was a tumult of cheering as the Rovers came out, in white Hunter won the toss, and the City had the wind in
the opening half. Smartness was the their favour in shirts and blue knickers.
keynote of the Rovers' football, and they were very quick off the mark. Bailey had to use his wits to clear a back-pass from Hunter with Woodhall following up at top speed, and Bailey's kick upfield was volleyed back again by Haydon to Pattison, who cannoned the ball off Charlton and won a corner.

Whatley Saves on the Goal-Line.

Exeter City could make little headway, and the Rovers were soon pressing again. Phillips drove against the side netting. Then the City made a bit of a show, Kirk securing the ball and giving it to Davis, but an appeal for offside by the Rovers was allowed, and a free-kick given. Twice more the Grecians got through, Shelton and Davis co-operating finely, and a beautiful left foot shot, low and directed towards the corner of the goal, was saved by Whatley on the line. The goalkeeper then made another thrilling save, a shot from Gallogley being fielded close to the upright. The City were swinging the ball about confidently, and when Bristol Rovers were penalised for a foul Gilchrist swerved the ball to Gallogley, who put it through for McIntosh to miss the posts by a fraction with a thunderous drive.

Bailey fielded a long shot from Whatmore, then dived across his goal to turn a centre from Rose around the post. The corner led to some excitement, but eventually the ball was scrambled away, and a long forward pass by Charlton changed the venue. Davis went past Armitage at great speed, and his fierce rising shot missed the top of the post and the crossbar by inches only. The game was fought out at a great pace, and Exeter's forwards, well backed up by the halves, particularly Hunter, made things hot for Whatley and his colleagues. From a goal-kick Chance got clean away for the Rovers, and Bailey cleared his centre with a first-time flying kick into touch.

Second Half.

Bailey was given a special ovation when the teams filed off at half-time, having distinguished himself worthily in the City goal. It had commenced to rain five minutes before the interval, so the City now had this in their faces as well as the unabated gale of wind.

Play restarted in lively fashion, and Matthews won a corner off Haydon, but a long clearance by Rose transferred the play to the other end, and Bailey made a wonderful save from Phillips when all seemed lost.

Davis surprised Armitage by his speed, and ran up the left wing unchallenged, but there was no-one in the middle to receive his pass, and Armitage cleared at leisure.

Escapes at Both Ends.

Woodhall next broke through cleverly, but Bailey covered him in expert style, advancing from his goal and forcing the Bristol man to shoot wide. Away raced Exeter, Kirk giving Matthews a lovely pass. The winger returned the ball correctly, but Kirk slipped in the act of shooting. The ball was retrieved by Shelton, who took careful aim and steadied himself but then fired over the bar.

The wind had suddenly died down, and the rain ceased. Kirk gave Matthews another shrewd pass, and Whatley jumped high to fist out the young winger's dropping shot. Excitement ran high, for both teams were straining every nerve and there were escapes at either end. The Rovers won a brace of corners, and following the second one Bailey saved capably from Phillips, who never lose a single chance of shooting. Kirk next looked like opening out a scoring opportunity when he dribbled through into Bristol territory with the ball seemingly glued to his toes. He held on too long in the end, however, and was robbed. Whatley saved from Davis, and Exeter kept pegging away with nothing to show for their work. Then from a quick and sudden breakaway the ball was flashed upfield through the Combination of Chance, Phillips, and Woodhall, and the eventual shot, by Phillips, was punched up in the air by Bailey. Coleburne then made a miraculous clearance from right underneath the bar, the ball having spun backwards over Bailey's head and hands.

CITY RESERVES V BRISTOL ROVERS RESERVES.

Southern League.

Details

Exeter City Reserves 0 Bristol Rovers Reserves 0

Played at St James's Park, Exeter. Attendance 1,500.

Referee: Mr J.J.Jughes.

Exeter: Pavey; Pollard and Flynn;
Crawshaw, Crompton, and Potter; Wray, Murray, Lievesley, Lowson, and Lendon.

Bristol: Murphy; Wragge and Sambridge; Wainwright, Cotter, and Smith; Hammond, Smeaton, Taylor, Gough, and Lea.

Description

Exeter Reserves made a somewhat remarkable last-minute change, Lievesley playing centre-forward and Wray outside-right. Cotter intervened cleverly for the Rovers when Lievesley was going through, and he saved the situation again by heading out a strong centre from Shelton, from Lowson's pass.

Exeter continued the more aggressive side, Murray especially showing clever footwork. He also displayed his shooting power when he drove the ball fiercely against one goalpost for Lendon to hit the other one from the rebound.

A swirling wind and occasional showers of rain made conditions difficult for accurate footwork, and Murray seemed to be the only forward on the field who could keep the ball on the floor. The game was in fact relieved of its matter-of-fact style solely by Murray, who was the "artist" of the match, and by the excellent defensive work of the veteran Crompton.