EXETER CITY 5
TORQUAY UNITED 0.

Saturday, December 31st 1927.

Torquay United today paid their initial visit to St James's Park as a first class club, and so the game inaugurated a new series of "Devon Derbies." The Magpies have been having a lean time of it in the Southern Section, and have not been helped by the postponement of matches on account of bad weather. In encountering Exeter City at a period when the Grecians are on top of their form the Torquay players drew some inspiration from the fact that Coventry won at St James's Park at the beginning of this month, and they reflected also that their the state of the playing pitch at Exeter, as elsewhere, was such that anything might happen.

The Exeter City Directors have, in fact, been concerned this week with the bad state of the ground. The prolonged frost, following on the heavy Christmastide programme, preserved all the deeply marked footprints of the players in a most extraordinary fashion, and yesterday the playing pitch, especially down the centre, was one big mass of footprints, ridges, and slides.

A heavy roller was set to work, and forty tons of sand from a local pit was spread over the most dangerous parts of the field. Then came this morning's thaw and the accompanying rain. And at mid-day the sun shone brightly across a softening playing pitch, on which the red sand and rain water stood out in glistening patches from the brown mud and still snowy edges. In the corners of the field the green turf looked inviting by contrast.

The quick change in the weather came in time to quicken interest in the match also, and a big crowd was expected to witness the keen struggle between the Devonshire neighbours for League points which Exeter wanted to help them in their promotion race, and which Torquay coveted to assist them in getting away from the danger zone at the other end of the League table.

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

Torquay United:- A.W.C.Bayes; Cook and Price; Gough, Davis, and Connor;
Pattison, Wellock, Ringland, Turner, and Thomson.

Referee: Mr F.W.Reeve, of Devonport.

Several changes were made by Torquay from the eleven which lost to Mr Mavin's new team, Crystal Palace, on Tuesday, and special interest attached to the new centre-forward, Ringland, from Cuper, Scotland. Four of the City players wore knee pads for protection. There were 7,000 spectators present when the teams came out, and McDevitt beat Cook in the toss. Ringland kicked off for Torquay, facing the slanting sunshine. The ball at once skidded trickily on the treacherous surface, and there was a thrill in the first minute when Vaughan forced his way through to the Torquay penalty area, and Dent must have scored if he had not been beaten by the mud. Exeter kept up the pressure, and Connor made a timely clearance from Purcell. Then from a throw-in Dent forced a corner, but this was cleared. Vaughan took the ball from Davis, who was slow in getting it away. Then Mason kicked well up the field and Price fell over in the mud, the ball crossing the line about a yard wide of the posts.

The quickness and accuracy of Exeter's football and the thorough understanding of the team was telling on the play, and Gee and Compton led the way in one of several fast attacks. Connor's headed clearance from Compton's centre left the Torquay ex-skipper in a dazed condition, and he had to go behind the goal-line for treatment.

Exeter Score Four Goals.

The Torquay goal fell at the end of twenty minutes, Compton being the scorer. Under pressure Cook had passed back to Bayes, but the ball beat the 'keeper and went over the goal-line. With the resultant flag-kick Purcell whipped the ball well across and Compton let drive with great force. The leather skidded against Cook and flew into the net. Four minutes later Dent increased Exeter's lead, tapping the ball into the goal as it stuck in the mud near the penalty spot. The Exeter halves and forwards played brilliantly for a spell, and McDevitt delighted the crowd by taking the ball clean through the Magpies' defence and neatly steering it across the goalmouth and into the net. More good football by Exeter resulted in Dent scoring again from close range. Gough was spoken to by the referee for an incident arising from an encounter between that player and Compton.
Half-time:
Exeter City 4 Torquay United nil.

Second Half.

A mistake by Mason on the resumption let Ringland clean through, but with a great chance the new centre forward shot weakly, and Holland saved without difficulty. Davis was stunned in heading out a free-kick by Pollard, and had to retire for treatment behind his goal. Gee and Compton led a smart attack, Vaughan then taking the ball through to the goal-line. He passed to Purcell, whose shot was fielded by Bayes.

Holland advanced in risky fashion to meet a Torquay attack, but Pollard and Miller covered up strongly. Torquay profited now by the easier play of the Grecians, whose forwards had lessened their pace and slackened off a little. Pollard and Miller, however, were in fine fettle, and every Torquay attack was mastered.

Good Work by Bayes.

The attendance had been added to considerably since the game opened, and now totalled about ten thousand.
Exeter became dangerous again through clever forward moves, and more than once another goal appeared imminent. Bayes made a great save from Vaughan after a good move on the left wing, and when Purcell sent over a centre Vaughan again tried his luck and Bayes saved again. In a sudden breakaway by the Magpies a centre from Thomson gave Holland some difficulty, but the goalkeeper cleared, and then saved a long shot by Gough. At the other end Bayes gathered a centre from Compton, and kept out a header from Dent just under the crossbar. The City continued to do a lot of pressing, and with quicker shooting Compton and Purcell might both have scored. Their delays enabled the visiting backs to cover the ball. A series of four corners fell to the Grecians, and Bayes performed wonders in the Torquay goal. Pollard indulged in a little fancy play, much to the entertainment of the crowd but play was mostly at the Torquay end, and two minutes from the end, Vaughan scored Exeter's fifth goal with a nice header.

• Exeter City were in real promotion form in the first half of their match with Torquay, and the four goals before the interval were well earned. The visitors were out-pointed in every department except goal, where Bayes got through a mass of work very creditably. Later on the City forwards were inclined to dwell on their opportunities a shade more than necessary, and thus played into their opponents' hands.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE
BARRY 2
EXETER CITY RESERVES 2.

The Southern League match at Barry was played on a ground covered with snow to a depth of several inches. Jenkins gave Exeter the lead with a sudden surprise shot from fifteen yards, but generally the ball was lifeless in the snow, and good football impossible to play. Barry were awarded a penalty from which D. Davies equalised in twenty minutes, although Wainwright made a valiant attempt to stop the shot. Barry then went ahead through Gardiner, and McDade equalised.

Wednesday, December 28th 1927.

CITY RESERVES v NEWPORT COUNTY RESERVES.
SOUTHERN LEAGUE 

Exeter City Reserves played their fourth Southern League match of the Christmastide this afternoon, when, at St James's Park, they received a visit from Newport County Reserves, who are placed second in the competition. Both clubs were strongly represented, and the City attack was led by Phoenix. The ground was rough and frost-bound, and there were only 1,500 people in the grandstand and on the terraces. Five minutes after the start Phoenix brushed past Wetherby and ran clean through, but shot over the bar. The teams were well matched, and both made a commendable attempt to play good football on a well-nigh impossible ground. Wainwright saved finely from Taylor, but badly misjudged a simple shot from the same player a few minutes later, and the ball entered the net over his head for the opening goal to Newport Reserves.


Weak finishing by the Exeter forwards contributed to the continued success of the visitors, who swung the ball about hard and true. After Wainwright had prevented a shot from Barrett scoring the ball went to the other end where a grand opening was made by Parkin for Phoenix, but again Phoenix lifted the ball and Blakemore was able to tip it over the crossbar.

Second Half.

When play was resumed the City pressed their opponents hard, and the County goal had several narrow escapes before McDade netted the equalising goal from a pass by Kirk. Soon afterwards, following further good play by the Grecians, Jenkins crossed the ball to Phoenix, who tapped it into the net, thus giving Exeter Reserves the lead. The City Reserves were the better team in later play, but Newport Reserves defended stubbornly. Fifteen minutes before the finish, however, Pool lobbed the ball to the Newport goal and Kirk scored. Kirk netted a fourth goal five minutes later, when the ball was centred by Jenkins from the touch-line. Newport replied with a vigorous attack in which Harper scored. The result of a very entertaining game in bad conditions was
Exeter City 4 Newport County 2.