ECFC 3-0 Bristol Rovers Scorers: Myers, Casson, Compton Attendance: 5,500

Wednesday, September 9th 1925.

CITY:
Bailey; Pollard, Hawkins; Pullan, Crompton, Potter; Matthews, Kirk, Casson, Myers, and Compton.

ROVERS:
Whatley; Armitage, Haydon; Bowers, Wilson, Crichton; Gardiner, Phillips, Wilcox, Whatmore, and Lofthouse.

Referee:- Mr A.J.Bissex, of Midsomer Norton.

The Game 
Exeter City lost no time in bringing off their first "double" of the season. Bristol Rovers were the victims, being defeated by three clear goals in the presence of six thousand people at St James's Park, on Wednesday evening. The Grecians, with Casson at centre-forward for the first time, gave a very smart display in all departments, and over-played the Rovers to such an extent in the first half that although the scor looks substantial enough on paper, the visitors escaped lightly. When the teams met at Bristol on the last day of August the City did a great deal of attacking but could not score except from the penalty spot. The state of affairs was very different in the return match. Exeter's attack worked with surprising smoothness and individually and collectively the forwards were always looking for goals. It was a most refreshing spectacle. Casson's Cool Leadership. Often a whole lot of excellent approach work is wasted by blind finishing, but on Wednesday evening the feature of the game was the thoroughness of the scoring attempts by Myers, Casson, and Compton, these three especially. Whatley was frequently "on the rack." For each goal gained by the City the Rovers had half a dozen narrow escapes. It is a long time since the City forwards rounded off the team work as capably. Casson's cool leadership was an inspiration to the whole line, and the form shown must have put fresh heart into the club and its following. Kirk and Matthews had as much to do with the success as any other section of the team, but the ball did not often take Matthews in to a shooting position, and Kirk seemed generally content to forage and feed. His feeding was brilliant, and on this occasion he did not make the mistake of plying Compton with the ball at Matthews's expense. He kept both wingers in view, and invariably used the ball to great advantage.
The First Corner Brought a Goal.
Exeter had a lot of corners in the first half, nine or ten. They scored off the first, and the first only, at the end of eight minutes' play. Compton swung the ball across strongly, Matthews hooked it back across the front of the goal and Myers headed in, close to the post with Whatley helpless at the other end of the goal. Wheatley saved in quick succession after this from Kirk, Casson, and Myers, while he made frantic efforts to cover headers from Casson and Potter which missed the goal by very little. Bristol Rovers had a very thin time of it. Their half-backs were quite incapable of keeping the home forwards in check, and their backs were over-burdened with work. Thirty-three minutes of the game had elapsed when the visitors made their first attack, and then, from a free-kick for "hands" Wilcox made a good attempt to run the ball into the net but was brushed aside by Pollard. Bailey next saved from Lofthouse, but Exeter were at the Bristol end again, and after a series of corners Casson obtained his goal in clever fashion, beating Whatley to the ball as it came sailing in from Matthews, and heading low into the net. Bristol appealed for offside, but the referee would have none of it.

Second Half.

This opened with a Bristol Rovers revival. Twice Hawkins robbed Wilcox when he looked like scoring. Then, after fifteen minutes, came the most sensational goal of the three. From a throw-in just in front of the grandstand Kirk drove the ball hard across the Rovers' penalty area, Compton met it with a first-time kick, and Whatley hardly had time to sight the leather as it scorched into the top corner of the net. It was a great compliment to Ellis Crompton, surely, that the Rovers then took the big step of rearranging their attack, with Whatmore at centre-forward and Wilcox, the hero of 35 Northern Section goals for New Brighton last season, at inside left. It seemed almost as if Wilcox sighed his relief as he moved a few paces to Crompton's right and let Whatmore tackle the job of trying to elude the Exeter veteran. If Crompton was effective in the centre, however, so were Pullan and Potter on the flanks. As a matter of fact all three half-backs were right on top of their form, while Pollard and Hawkins were absolutely dependable, and Bailey also at his best.
The Exeter forwards began to ease up somewhat, and in the hope of snatching some degree of comfort the Rovers played their hardest. Whatmore showed more ability as a leader than Wilcox had done, and he and Lofthouse were the principals in several good moves, with Gardiner also alert and persistent.

The Crowd on Tenterhooks.
There was one tremendous Bristol attack which had the crowd on tenterhooks, and by which the Exeter goal escaped by the peel on its posts, so to speak. The move ended with Hawkins, on the goal line, making a desperate clearance from Whatmore.
Hawkins also got in the way of a shot from Phillips, and Bailey shook off a challenge from Wilcox as if the big Rover had been a featherweight. Phillips hit the upright, and Bailey fisted out a point-blank drive by Wilcox with great gusto.

Rovers Well Whacked in a Sporting Game.

Exeter became dangerous again, and Whatley saved brilliantly from Myers, while just afterwards a clever move by Casson and Matthews gave Compton an opening. He had Whatley all at sea with a precise lob, but the ball passed just over the crossbar. In a sporting game the Rovers were well whacked, and on this form there will be plenty of room in the team for Dick Jones, when he is available. Exeter City gave their best display of the four to date, and a continuance of such form will soon have its effect on the club's position in the League Table.