EXETER CITY v. BRIGHTON AND HOVE ALBION
Saturday, November 14th 1925.
Exeter City, very much in need of a Football League victory, made a very interesting change in their formation for today's match at St James's Park, against Brighton. McDevitt moved up to inside left, Crompton resuming at centre half. Kirk and Potter also reappeared. There were 5,000 spectators when Charlton won the toss, the weather being dull, quiet, and frosty.
EXETER CITY 2-4 BRIGHTON AND HOVE
Teams
Exeter City. Pavey Pollard Charlton Potter Crompton Shelton Newman Kirk Blackmore McDevitt Compton
Referee:- Mr A.Richards, of Bristol.
Wilson Hopkins Gough Jennings Nightingale Little Hawley Wilkinson Jenkins Curran Webb
Brighton & Hove.
Dashing play by Charlton frustrated Brighton's early scheming, and when Exeter went to the other end a pretty pass from McDevitt gave Blackmore a good shooting chance, but he failed to get properly to the ball, which slipped harmlessly wide of the goal. The feature of the first half was the clever play of the Brighton forwards, and only McDevitt and Blackmore of the Exeter front rank were comparable. Five minutes before the interval Brighton took the lead, Hawley coming through in possession to score with a grounder after Wilson and Hopkins had beaten the defence.
Second Half.
Within two minutes of the restart Exeter were awarded a penalty for a foul on Kirk, and Charlton easily beat Webb from the spot. But the reply from Brighton was prompt and effective, for in the space of another two minutes they had scored as many goals. Hopkins accepted a centre from Nightingale and beat Pavey from about twenty-five yards' range, the goalkeeper making his effort to save far too slowly. Then from a scramble in front of the City goalmouth Gough stabbed the ball home, his shot meeting no opposition. The City were outplayed in the next few minutes, the skill and passing of the blue and whites causing the Grecians a prolonged spell of leather hunting and chasing. Exeter rearranged their team now, with McDevitt moving to centre half, Crompton left half and Shelton inside left. After eighteen minutes Brighton went further ahead. Hopkins with a wide pass gave his partner a clear field, and Wilson closed in on the goal and scored with a ball which cannoned off Pavey to the roof of the net. Kirk atoned to some extent for previous failures by beating Webb with a good shot from Newman's pass. Brighton were a vastly better team than Exeter, and fully deserved their success. McDevitt, whether at inside left or centre half, was the only man in the Exeter side to do himself justice. Pavey was at fault with all Brighton's second half goals.
WESTERN LEAGUE:
ARGYLE RESERVES v CITY RESERVES.
The Argyle led by two goals to nil at the interval in this Western League match at Home Park, goals having been scored by Batten and Cosgrove, the latter from a penalty. Deacon with a long shot scored the Argyle's third goal, and Myers got the last goal of the game with a good header from a corner by Bolam. Plymouth Argyle gave a trial at left half to McLean, a local. Both sides performed well on the heavy ground, and Plymouth could justly claim superiority. Healey and Macdonald, the Argyle wingers, were in splendid form, and gave their inside men plenty of openings, which were not taken the best advantage of Taylor saved magnificently from Lievesley, and from his clearance Healey made a run up the wing and passed to Batten, who headed the ball into the net well out of Bailey's reach. A penalty was awarded to Plymouth for a foul on Macdonald, and the Exeter players caused a mild sensation by arguing and gesticulating all to no purpose. Mr W.R.David, of Beer, remained adamant to his decision, and Cosgrove converted the spot kick.
Result:
Argyle Reserves 3-1 City Reserves
EXETER CITY'S ILL- LUCK
Destruction of the Grand-Stand at St James's Park
DISASTROUS FIRE
The grand-stand at St. James's Park was wholly destroyed by fire on the afternoon of Tuesday, November 17th, 1925 and with it all the Exeter City Club's football gear, damage to the extent of about £6,000 in all being done. The fire broke out shortly after two o'clock, and developed along the whole range of the building with such amazing rapidity that only a few of the books and the chairs from the Board Room were saved. This stroke of ill-fortune comes hard on the heels of the announcement that the Club had been drawn at home to play Swansea Town on Saturday, next week, in the F. A. Cup First Round. Actually, there was a stream of applications, by post and personally, the morning of the fire, for reserved seats for this Cup game, and the officials of the Club were busying themselves with preparations for the coming big event.
Ground Deserted at One O'Clock.
On Tuesday morning such of the players as were not injured had a spell of match practice at St James's Park, and at one o'clock the ground was deserted, everybody having gone home to dinner. At two o'clock everything appeared to be as usual, from inside and outside the ground, for the clock had hardly turned the hour when Orchard, the groundsman, returned by the St James's Road entrance, and made his way along the enclosure to the stand. There was nothing unusual as far as he could see till he had almost reached the entrance door from which the players make their appearance on match days. Then he saw that the stand interior was filled with smoke. He dashed around to the back, by the managerial offices, where he encountered Mr Fred Mavin, the manager, who, having seen some smoke issuing from the back of the stand as he approached the Well Street end of ground from his home, had hurried to investigate the cause.
Volumes of Dense Black Smoke.
It was the work of an instant to unlock the doors behind the stand, but in that moment it was realised that the place was on fire. With volumes of dense black smoke belched out and swept away across the railway cutting, borne on a brisk easterly breeze. The groundsman immediately rushed for the higher entrance to communicate with the Fire Brigade, the telephone in the office being already out of the question. He had been caught by the smoke, however, and collapsed at the gate just as the trainer, Andy Tucker, arrived on the scene. Tucker lost no time in getting to the call box at the top end of St Sidwell's, but as it happened Superintendent W. Pett had already given the alarm to his Brigade.
At the ground, Mr Mavin, assisted by Mr W.Hawkins, of Howell Road, made a desperate attempt to save some of the Club's property, and actually managed to get the current books of the Club and few a chairs out of the office. But this work had to be abandoned very quickly, for in less than three minutes the whole structure broke into flames and blazed furiously from end to end.
Like a Gigantic Torch.
Crowds of people collected in Well Street and at the popular entrance to the Park, where they lined up on the terraces, and all the players arrived on the scene and watched the doomed structure burn out like a gigantic torch. The Fire Brigade were in attendance in about three minutes from the receipt of the call, but a considerable period of time elapsed before they could get to work, for the reason that the heat being exuded by the burning structure was so great that when the hose was run up into the ground by way of the Well Street steps it was burnt to a cinder, and another hydrant had to be put on. But no power on earth could have saved the grandstand once it became ignited in this fashion. The flames secured a firm hold almost in an instant, and the timbers everywhere were ablaze, giving the effect of as marvellous set-piece as has ever been seen at a pyrotechnic display.
Dressing Rooms a Raging Inferno.
The huge arched roof crumpled at the back and sank lower and lower. Fears were entertained that the whole of the top would slide off and fall into Well Street, but the girders at the front held fast. The flooring of the grandstand was quickly eaten up by the fire, and the dressing and training rooms were a raging, roaring inferno. The flames ate out the front of the stand till they extended to the "Football Express" Box at the corner, and this, too, was gobbled up. Across the pathway, adjoining, stands a refreshment booth, and this also was attacked by the flames, but the firemen were able to save this structure. Out on the playing field a big belt of the turf was scorched and blackened all along the front of the stand. The most likely theory at the moment is that the coke stove in the training room, near which some jerseys, etc., were drying, must have become over-heated in some way, and thus caused the conflagration. An adequate force of the Exeter City Police was very quickly in attendance to give all possible help, and the St John's Ambulance Brigade was represented by Supt. Bowden and Sergt. Arnold, the last named in fact treating the Exeter City trainer for shock, he having ventured too near the fire. A new stretcher, the property of the Brigade, was amongst the equipment destroyed.
A Serious Handicap to the Team.
Mr S.H.Thomas, the Exeter City secretary, said that the grandstand was insured, but not for its full value at present-day building costs. It was a very solid structure, and would cost £6,000 new to day. It is understood that the structure was insured for £5,000 with the Commercial Union Office. One of Mr Mavin's big regrets, from the sporting standpoint, was the
loss of all the players' kit. He said that the players will have tomplay in strange boots, which will be a serious handicap to the team.
Another Grand-Stand Fire Recalled.
Six or seven years ago the grand-stand at the County Ground, Exeter, was similarly destroyed in a very short space of time, and the new structure erected to take its place has only just been available for the supporters of the Rugby Club. The work of the Exeter City Supporters' Club in roofing in a section of the "flower-pot" terrace opposite the grandstand at St. James's Park will be of great value to the City Club in the present crisis.
Comments