ABERDARE ATHLETIC 3 EXETER CITY 1.

Played at Aberdare on Saturday, March 26th 1927. Great interest was taken in South Wales in clash between Aberdare Athletic and Exeter City at Ynys Park today. The party of excursionists from Exeter was doubly welcome, as helping to swell the receipts on a ground where very meagre attendances have been the rule this season. Exeter had to take the field without McDevitt, who ricked a muscle in training on Thursday, and Phoenix was chosen to fill the vacancy at inside right. Morgan was picked at outside right for Aberdare in place of Sheldon, and Len Evans in goal in place of A.J.Brown. Owing to distress underlying the community in the district, the attendance was very low, not more than six hundred people being present when the teams turned out. The ground was sodden, and a gale from the north-west swept pitch from end to end. We The red and white streamers of the party excursionists from Exeter the playing Exeter were the only signs of cheerfulness in a drab and dismal setting.

Aberdare Athletic: L.Evans; H. Brown and Brophy; Edwards, Bell, and Nicol;
Morgan, Beevor, Jones, Burnham, and Callaghan.

Exeter City: Randall; Lowton and Charlton; Ditchburn, Pool, and Miller;
Purcell, Phoenix, Blackmore, Lievesley, and Compton.

Referee: Mr J. V. Pennington, of Reading.

Aberdare won the toss, and the City had to face the wind at the start. They very nearly got through at the outset, but Brophy cleared with a powerful kick. Then the Darians took play straight to the other end, and Callaghan skimmed the City crossbar with a powerful drive from an oblique angle. Twenty minutes had passed, mainly in favour of Exeter, when Brophy handled the ball in the home penalty area, and the referee immediately awarded a spot kick. Evans had no chance of saving Lowton's hefty shot, and so Exeter took the lead. Beevor scored the equaliser ten minutes later from Callaghan's centre, and in the ensuing play Charlton was injured and had to be assisted off the field. The team was re-arranged with Miller at left back, Lievesley right half, and Ditch burn left half. Fifteen minutes from the end the City suffered a double blow, losing both Pool and Ditchburn with injuries, and it came as no surprise when in the final few minutes Jones scored twice to give his side a rather fortunate victory.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE
EXETER CITY RESERVES 2
WEYMOUTH 3.

Rain was falling steadily at St James's Park this afternoon, when the teams came out to begin their Southern League match, and the gate numbered 1,000 spectators, including the band. Pullan won the toss, and Exeter at once threatened danger, and within a couple of minutes had taken the lead as the result of a very neat move by the inside forwards. Walker initiated the attack, feeding Thompson with a pretty pass right across the field. The ball was then turned over to Dent, who went on to beat Holland with a shot into the roof of the net. Swingles then got going on the right, and after stalling off all opposition he swung over a centre which Bailey failed to gather. The goalkeeper got to the ball, but only managed to push it out to the feet of Pitman, who netted easily. Further goals were scored by Walker for Exeter, and Pitman for Weymouth. In the second half Holland saved a penalty kick taken by Good for hand-ball by Gibbs. Bailey again failed to clear a centre from Swingles, and Stallard was on hand to tap the ball into the net for the winning goal.

City Reserves:- Bailey; Pollard and Potter; Pullan, Good, and Garratt; Newman, Thompson, Dent, Walker, and Parkin.

Weymouth: Swingles, Bell, Stallard, Pitman, and Caswell. Holland; Gibbs and McVee; Huddy, Pillinger, and Brown;

Exeter's play deteriorated beyond all measure in the second half, and the outcome was that they lost a game which they should have won easily. They could not have played much worse than they did in this half, and some of the men seemed as if they were too tired to move. The frequency which the Grecians passed to opponents was amazing, and it was no wonder that most of the spectators left long before the end.

VISIT OF BOLTON WANDERERS TO ST JAMES'S PARK.

His countless admirers in and around Exeter will have an opportunity of again seeing Dick Pym in action on Wednesday next, when Bolton Wanderers will appear at St James's Park in connection with Bob Pollard's benefit. In a letter to a well known Exeter sportsman Pym states that he is most eagerly looking forward to once more appearing in front of a Devon crowd. The chance of seeing "Pincher" on the scene of many of his former triumphs will ensure a bumper attendance, all for the good of the cause. Unfortunately the Exeter crowd will not get the chance of seeing Joe Smith, the famous English International of Bolton Wanderers, as after many years with the "Trotters" he has now been transferred to Stockport County.

• Blackmore Transferred 

BRILLIANT GOAL WHICH CLINCHED THE BARGAIN
Harold Blackmore, the 21-years old Exeter City centre forward, and a native of Silverton, shot his way into Bolton Wanderers' First Division team at ten to six o'clock on Wednesday evening, March 30th, when in the friendly match between the two clubs at St James's Park arranged for the benefit of Bob Pollard he scored a magnificent goal. Blackmore captured an awkward bumping ball, and although faced by Greenhalgh, brought the leather instantly under control, and in the next move sent the ball past Pym into the far corner of the net with a thunderous left-footed cross-shot. The goal was a characteristic effort on Blackmore's part, and it aroused high enthusiasm, because, added to the one obtained just previously by Purcell, it levelled the scores. Later on Blackmore netted the winning goal, but this was a simple affair, the opening having been provided by the other forwards. Blackmore's first goal was the one that really mattered from the point of view of the Bolton Wanderers officials sitting in the grand-stand. Negotiations between the two clubs had been in progress for some time, with Bolton being badly in need of a forward who can get goals. Rumour has it that the only difficulty in the way of a deal was the stiff price Exeter City put on the player's transfer, but any such consideration, clearly, was brushed aside by that goal of Blackmore's, and following the match the Wanderers' representatives secured the player's transfer at a fee believed to be £2,500.
Blackmore has been with Exeter City for some two and a half seasons, after al notable spell as leader in turn of the Silverton and Bradninch forwards in the Victory League and the East Devon League. This season he has set up a new record of scoring for an individual player of Exeter City with a total of 25 Football League goals. A powerfully-built player, close upon six feet in height and with weight to match, Blackmore should quickly make a name for himself along with the brothers Jack in front of Seddon, the famous England International centre-half, and with Dick Pym, the former Exeter City goalkeeper and captain, as a fully ex pierenced associate. It is officially stated that Blackmore will go straight into the Bolton first team, leading the attack on Saturday next at Burnden Park, in their First League match with Sheffield Wednesday.

Bob Pollard's Benefit Match.

There was a "gate" of seven thousand eight hundred for the benefit match in which the teams were captained by Pollard (City) and Pym (Bolton Wanderers). The wind blew in strong gusts from the St James's Road end, and as Pollard won the toss the Wanderers had to face the force of the wind and the slanting sun. The players of both sides kept the ball low in the first half, and gave one of the best displays seen on the ground this season. Bolton were the more polished side, their ball control, quick and accurate passing to positions, and cleverly executed movements being a sheer delight to the watchers, but Exeter City had a few men who were thoroughly at home in this class of football, and Ditchburn, Mc Devitt, Charlton, and Compton saw to it that splendidly, for fully an hour, but in the later stages of the game their football suffered by reason of the fact that a knee injury caused McDevitt to go slow, and also because Compton varied his play and instead of beating Haworth with a pass, as at the start, he tried to beat him with the ball, and the full-back was generally too good for this to succeed.
Bolton opened the scoring rather surprisingly in five minutes, Butler netting with a long shot at an acute angle. Randall appeared to be impeded by Smith, and neither the goalkeeper nor the centre-forward touched the ball past them and swerved as it flew into the net. At the end of thirty-one minutes Smith rounded off a swift and open Bolton attack by breasting through a very pretty goal. But visions of a Walk-over for the Wanderers were quickly dispelled, Exeter getting level inside another five minutes. First, from a corner placed by Compton, Purcell turned up in a quite unexpected place and headed a wonderful goal, and next Blackmore obtained the point which has set the whole "Soccer" population talking.

Second Half.

The teams crossed over on level terms, and Blackmore made the score 3-2 when clever play by Ditchburn and the inside forwards gave him a clear run through to the goal, and he tapped the ball past Pym at close quarters and in so doing registered the last goal of the game.

Exeter City:- Randall; Pollard and Charlton; Ditchburn, Pool, and Miller; Purcell, McDevitt, Blackmore, Lievesley, and Compton.

Bolton Wanderers:- Pym; Haworth and Greenhalgh; Nuttall, Seddon, and Thornborough; Butler, R.R. Jack, J.R.Smith, Gibson, and Vizard.

Referee: Mr A. W. Lamacraft. Linesmen: Messrs Webb and Curnow.

The spectators thoroughly enjoyed the artistic play of the Wanderers, and also
greatly appreciated the way in which the Grecians rose to the occasion. Apart from the City players already referred to, Lievesley played an excellent game and Purcell was also very effective at times. Pool played keenly and well, and Miller stuck to his guns pluckily in opposition to the brilliant Butler and Rollo Jack wing.
Charlton's defensive genius was an invaluable asset to the City, and Pollard
came along nicely towards the close. Randall, apart from the two goals against him, was a very capable goalkeeper. 

• 
  The Exeter City directors have selected the following team to play Gillingham in the Football League match at St James's Park next Saturday: Randall; Lowton, Charlton; Ditchburn, Pool, Miller; Purcell, McDevitt, Lievesley, Dent, Compton.