Saturday, February 18th 1928.
EXETER CITY 0 BRENTFORD 1
Fine weather favoured today's Southern Section match between Exeter City and Brentford at St James's Park, and the fact that the Exeter City Military Band dispensed music from a site on the playing pitch whilst the crowd was coming in, instead of on the bank to the left-hand side of the grandstand was itself sufficient to show that the ground had vastly improved in the last few days. For many weeks it has been too waterlogged for the band to venture out. The breeze was cool and mild, and with the turf in good condition at last there was every prospect of an exceptionally good game.

Brentford made no change from the team which beaten Crystal Palace 2-1, last Saturday, so that Harry Bailey, the former Exeter goalkeeper, was not among the players who journeyed to the south west this morning. Exeter included a new centre-forward, Tom Edwards, signed from Aberdare yesterday, and in the absence of McDevitt, who strained a thigh muscle at Southend, the position of inside right was entrusted to McDade, who is a very promising young player.

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

Brentford: Ferguson; Butler and Winship; Fletcher, Beacham, and Dearn; Berry, Lane, Watkins, Drinnan, and Douglas.

Referee:- Mr E.E.Small, of Bristol.

There was an ovation for Bob Pollard, when it was seen that he was captain of the Grecians for the day. He won the toss, but on this occasion it carried no advantage. There were 7,000 spectators. Brentford took the lead in thirteen minutes, Berry eluding Gee and crossing the ball just out of Mason's reach to Drinnan, who scored with a well placed low shot. Holland made his dive too late to stop the ball. The game was the poorest seen at St James's Park this season, far too much time being wasted in wordy passages between the Brentford players and the referee, to the detriment of the sport.

Exeter had the bigger share of the game but their attacks lacked the speed and precision seen in the moves of the Brentford forwards. Edwards made a very promising debut, his work being well executed, but he rarely received the ball in acceptable fashion, and had no luck. The "Bees" were fortunate to collect both points, and owed their success to the solid and determined defence of Ferguson, Butler, and Winship. So the star of hope which rose again as a result of the Grecians' victory at Southend has dipped once more below Exeter City's horizon.

SALISBURY CITY v EXETER CITY RESERVES.

Western League match at Victoria Park, Salisbury. Andrews, Parkin, and Kirk scored for the Reserves, who led by three clear goals at half-time. Jenkins ran down the wing and cleverly passed to Andrews, who netted the fourth and last goal midway through the second half, Exeter thus winning by 4-nil.

• F.A.CUP FIFTH ROUND: BLACKBURN ROVERS V PORT VALE. At Ewood Park in fine weather before 45,000 spectators. Roscamp, from Rigby's centre, netted for the Rovers after fifteen minutes. The Blackburn forwards spoiled some good moves by crowding in too closely on one another. Shortly before the interval McLean sent wide from a good opening. Blackburn were more persistent in the second half and Mitchell scored after seven minutes. Four minutes later Anstiss scored for the Vale, who played up well but were defeated in the end by two goals to one.

EXETER CITY PLAYERS WATCHED BY BLACKBURN. 

The play of Bob Pollard and Sam Mason in the cup matches with Blackburn was so good that some of the Rovers' directors have been present at all Exeter City matches since. Of Pollard quite a lot has been said in Lancashire, a typical example being: - "There was more than one club representative at Blackburn who would have signed him there and then could he have done so, for the smallest player on the field was the biggest, in the football sense."