PLYMOUTH ARGYLE 1
EXETER CITY 2. 

Tuesday, December 27th 1927.

There was a poor attendance for the return match at Home Park, Plymouth, this afternoon. Stanbury and Preston were injured, Lee and Logan coming into the Plymouth side, while Exeter were the same as yesterday.

Plymouth Argyle: Lee; Cosgrove and Russell;
Logan, McKenzie, and Hardie; Matthews, Bland, Forbes, Leslie, and Edmunds.

Exeter City Holland; Pollard and Miller; Ditchburn, Mason, and Gee; Purcell, McDevitt, Dent, Vaughan, and Compton.

Exeter City brought a good number of supporters with them, and there was a vigorous snowball fight between the rival sections of the crowd. The Argyle won the toss, and started with the breeze behind them, although the slippery state of the ground, still covered with snow, was an equal handicap to all the players. Exeter were surer in their steps, and played a better combined game in the early exchanges. Eventually Forbes got Matthews away, and only by falling on the ball was the City goalkeeper able to protect his charge. With the Argyle playing well, and Cosgrove and Russell frequently getting their forwards on the move with long kicks upfield there was plenty of excitement for the crowd, and Bland early on distinguished himself with a fine shot at a difficult angle. Holland just managed to tip the ball over the bar, and the corner, taken by Matthews, was unproductive.

The Argyle maintained a strong attack and Holland brought off two excellent clearances from Bland, one at full length. Suddenly there was a breakaway by the City, which took immediate effect, after 19 minutes. Cosgrove slipped up in the snow and slush, and the ball went to Compton, who had followed up. The City left-winger only half-kicked the ball and it slithered into the net in spite of a despairing dive by Lee to reach it. Exeter were a little fortunate to get the lead, for Plymouth, and especially Bland, had had several chances and wasted them. Forbes next missed an easy chance and Bland an absolute "sitter." Tempers at this stage were become frayed, and Russell was twice spoken to by the referee for fouls and general roughness.

Half-time: Argyle 0 City 1.

Second Half.

Shortly after resuming the Grecians added to their score, breaking through in full formation from their own half of the field. McDevitt fed Purcell, who cut in from the wing and shot, lifting the ball over the goalkeeper's head. Russell tried to head the leather away, but in so doing only succeeded in landing it in his own goal. Immediately afterwards Logan put Forbes through in the middle with a long ground pass. Forbes continued the move by providing Leslie with a ball which the Argyle inside left headed into the Exeter net.

The leading clubs in the Southern Section of the Third Division are now placed as follows:

Millwall
Northampton Town
Exeter City
Plymouth Argyle
Charlton Athletic
Swindon Town



SOUTHERN LEAGUE
CITY RESERVES v ARGYLE RESERVES, AT ST JAMES'S PARK.

Both sides made several changes for the return Southern League match today, and in bitterly cold weather 3,000 spectators witnessed a keenly contested game on a pitch largely covered with snow, and churned up like a ploughed field in places. The Argyle took the lead in five minutes. Charlton handled near the penalty area, and following up the free-kick Bowden scored with a capital shot. The City then pressed hotly, Jenkins truck a goalpost, and McDade must certainly have scored twice if Smith had not made a remarkable intervention, the ball being put behind for a corner each time.

Lowton Equalises.

In twelve minutes Lowton equalised from a free-kick on the edge of the Argyle. penalty area, and two minutes later a mistake by Smith enabled Andrews to get clear of the Argyle backs and score a pretty goal. McDade after 32 minutes got clean away from a position which looked very much like "offside" to steer the ball past Sings as he advanced from his goal. Shortly afterwards Plymouth came very near to scoring, Grozier lifting the ball into the untenanted Exeter goalmouth, but Charlton booted it right off the line. It was then seen that Grozier, in shooting, had fallen in the snow and damaged his arm. In subsequent play Jenkins struck the post with a good shot, and Warren scored a lovely goal with a forceful low drive. Andrews hit the post with another crashing shot, and at half-time the City led by 4-1.

Second Half.

Grozier was removed to the Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital for examination. It was feared that his shoulder-bone was cracked. McDade increased Exeter's lead to five soon after the change of ends. Sings made two splendid saves from Andrews, who was receiving clever support from Parkin and McDade. A tremendous wave of cheering greeted the news that Exeter City chiefs were leading the Argyle at half-time at Home Park. Jenkins with a neat shot close to the upright completed the scoring, and the result at the finish was:

Exeter City Reserves 6
Argyle Reserves 1.

The City Reserves are now fourth in the Southern League table with 18 points from 17 matches. Plymouth Reserves are tenth with 13 points from 15 games.


EXETER CITY MAKE HISTORY.

The First "Double" at the Argyle's Expense.

What a wonderfully good Christmas the Grecians have had! The Chiefs, with a programme of two away games and one at home, have captured the maximum points with a goals record of seven to one. Furthermore they have performed a League "double" at Plymouth Argyle's expense for the first time in the history of the meetings of the clubs and have broken the Home Park ground record which the Pilgrims had preserved during twenty-one months, in fact, since Bristol Rovers won there 2-1 on March 13th 1926.

This date is specially interesting because of the fact that Alf. Matthews was transferred from the City to Plymouth Argyle just in time to make hos bow as a Pilgrim in this match. He made an excellent impression, but the rest of the team was below form. From that date until last Tuesday, however, the Argyle remained undefeated at home. Some people perhaps take the view that they were unlucky to lose to Exeter City in the "Devon Derby" at Home Park, but the fact remains that the Grecians showed more clear cut decision both in attack and defence, and well deserved the two points.

Charlie Miller's Joy.

Probably the happiest member of the Exeter team on Tuesday evening was the City left-back, Charlie Miller, who joined the Grecians from Plymouth Argyle in the summer of 1926, and who has had a great share in the City's success of the Christmas holidays. Miller has made many appearances in the Exeter first team this season, and has never yet been on the losing side on any of these occasions. His exhuberance was immense when Purcell shot Exeter's second goal in the match at St James's Park on Boxing Day. Running across the field to give his congratulations to Purcell, the City left back gleefully slapped Forbes, one of his old clubmates, on the shoulder, with an "I told you so" expression on his beaming face. It was Exeter City's turn to succeed in the "Derbies," of course, and there can be no two opinions as to the merit of their victories. They won at Exeter and at Plymouth because of their superior football, and not because of the snow and the generally vile state of the playing surfaces. Had the grounds been dry and firm it seems reasonable to suppose that the Grecians would have still shown the same superiority.

Mason Makes Good.

Plymouth Argyle were unlucky in that they had to call up reserve players because of injuries to regular first team men. Probably the man they missed the most was Titmuss. Exeter had similar ill-luck last season when Compton was unfit, and of course it is all in the fortunes and misfortunes of the game. One factor that cannot have failed to impress every follower of the City is the capable way in which Sam Mason has stepped in to the centre half spot to strengthen the side at a really critical stage in the campaign. When he is experienced enough to show a shade more judgment in meeting the ball, and in the distribution of it he will be a great pivot. As John Henry Hill, the English International and ex Plymouth centre half, pointed out in the Press quite recently, the team which comes well through the Christmas programme can look forward with every confidence to a thoroughly good second half of the Soccer campaign. On the other hand, the Club which has a bad Christmas generally finds it a hard job to pull itself together and maintain its League position.

BIG PULL AT FULL BACK.

Other very comforting features of the Christmas games have been the sound anticipation, confidence, and at times sheer brilliance of Tom Holland in the Exeter goal. He certainly did much to make the City's victory possible in the match at Plymouth. The steadiness and cleverness of Ditchburn and Gee has also to be taken into account, together with the complete return to form of Vaughan, and the bright and forceful play of Compton and Purcell, and perhaps more than anything else the scheming, passing, and all-round soccer ability of Billy McDevitt. And as compared with the Pilgrims it is a fact that Exeter excelled most of all at full back. Russell and Cosgrove were whole-hearted enough, in fact Russell a bit too much at times, but their work was only half done. Their play was very much lacking in the constructive quality so essential to a team's success. In this respect Pollard and Miller carried off the honours with ease. They never neglected a single chance of turning the ball to good account.

THE "GATES" FOR THE DERBIES.

The great regret in regard to these Christmas "Derbies" is that there were so few people to see them. Perhaps it is really a matter for surprise that in the circumstances there were so many. Arctic weather is not conducive in the least to record "gates." Thousands of people from the outside districts just would not or could not make the journey on Monday because of the snow - - bound roads and bitter wind. The same applies to the return game at Home Park. So that instead of a party of 20,000 people at the Exeter City ground there were less than 10,000, and at Plymouth the gate was under 14,000, instead of somewhere in the region of 25,000. It is probable that through the sudden and complete onslaught of the biting east wind and heavy snowfall Exeter City have lost about £600 this week. These are the sort of blows a struggling club has to take with a smile.

MR THOMAS AND PROMOTION.

"The players are very keen," declares Mr S.H.Thomas. "You can take it from me that they are all out to win the championship, and if they do not do so it will not be for want of trying. They recognise that there are two or three other clubs out to do the same, and Millwall, of course, is the club which appears to have the best chance. But we have only to keep this form up away from home and, provided we have no home lapses, nothing can stop us.
"Our away record, I think, must be unique," Mr Thomas added. "We have only had two goals scored against us in away matches since September 10th, and I question whether any club in the League can say the same. As to the outlook, well, everybody is very happy here at the Park just now. The well known and easily recognised spirit of optimism is abroad, you know, and all that sort of thing. And, by the way, the players are just as keen on winning the cup-tie at Rotherham on January 14th as they are on winning the League Championship of the Southern Section."