Serious Mishap to Visiting Player
GRECIANS City BRILLIANT START:
TWO GOALS IN FIRST SIX MINUTES V

Saturday, August 31st 1929.

EXETER CITY 2 (Hemingway Guyan)
LUTON TOWN 2 (Bedford Drinnan)
Half-time City 2 Luton 1.

Exeter City:- Alderson; Howson and Miller; Ditchburn, Mason, and McMullan; Purcell, McDevitt, Guyan, Hemingway, and Death.
Luton Town:- Harford; Kingham and Smith; Clark, Morgan, and Fraser; Daly, Yardley, Rennie, Drinnan, and Bedford.
The Luton Town party cut things rather fine when travelling to Exeter for this afternoon's opening match of the new football season at St James's Park. Leaving home about nine o'clock, they would have had a nice margin of time here before the game, but for the fact that the holiday traffic to the south coast caused delays on the railway, and the train ran into Exeter just half an hour late and only forty minutes before the time of the kick off. It was a big disappointment to the "Strawplaiters" that Peploe, their new amateur outside-left from Ilford, was unable to play for them today. After giving a brilliant performance in the practice game on Monday evening, he accepted the club's invitation to turn out today, but later found out that he could not get away from his work in the Ilford Electricity Department. Bedford, last year's regular winger, therefore played.

THE NEW PLAYERS.

Exeter City played the team announced in mid-week, with five of the new men included, namely Alderson (Sheffield United), Howson (Bath City), McMullan (Belfast Celtic), Guyan (Connah's Quay), and Hemingway (Torquay United). Luton Town has four players making first appearances for them, Harford, the goalkeeper from Millwall, Smith, left-back from Reading, F.G.Morgan, Irish International centre-half, from Notts Forest, and Drinnan, inside-left from Brentford. St James's Park was looking in splendid trim this afternoon, and although the thunderstorm this morning kept away some people who had intended coming from the outlying districts, the attendance was very good, about 7,000 being in the ground when the teams came out, and later increasing to about 9,000. A cordial welcome was given to the teams, Exeter City being led out by Charlie Miller, the newly-appointed captain, and Luton, in black and white, by their newly acquired Irish International, Morgan. Both clubs had a new goalkeeper, Alderson of Exeter wearing a blue jersey, and Harford a dark green one. The toss-up was won by Morgan, who then exchanged greetings with McMullan, like himself an Irish International. The opening exchanges favoured Luton, with Yardley and Drinnan prominent, but Bedford was offside and play returned to midfield. Then came a pleasurable sensation. Hemingway took over a pass from McMullan, and made ground smartly before transferring to Purcell, who beat Kingham and middled low into the penalty area, just too far in front of the goal for the ball to be intercepted by Harford. Three Exeter forwards were waiting, and to Hemingway fell the honour of rushing the leather into the net. This goal was scored three minutes after the start, and three minutes later the City got a second one, quite remarkably hooked into the net by Guyan as he was falling after being tackled by Kingham. It was a brilliant start to the season.

MORGAN'S UNFORTUNATE ACCIDENT.

The game had been in progress for twenty minutes when Luton Town met with a serious mishap, Morgan receiving a facial injury which bled freely, and which compelled him to retire to the dressing room for treatment. After 32 minutes Bedford scored for Luton, and at the same time Morgan made his return to the field with his head swathed in bandages. Yardley was reprimanded by the referee for fouling Mason. Numerous chances of increasing the score fell to the City forwards in the second half, McDevitt going the nearest with a header which just skimmed the bar, but five minutes from the finish Drinnan gained possession ten yards out and shot into the net by way of the upright, well out of the reach of Alderson. Exeter looked like having a sweeping victory this afternoon, and the concession of a point was greatly disappointing.

Western League
BRISTOL CITY RESERVES 2
EXETER CITY RESERVES 2.

Heavy thunderstorms during the early afternoon softened the pitch for today's opening match of the season at Ashton Gate, in the Western League. Henderson won the toss for the junior Grecians, who looked very smart in their brand new red and white jerseys.

Bristol City Reserves: Newlands; Holbrook, Hughes; Freelick, Barber, Smith; Jones, Perry, Thompson, Garland, Johnson.
Exeter City Reserves: Holland; Baugh, Shanks; Sheffield, Gurkin, Dennington; Armfield, Thomas, Henderson, Houghton, Doncaster.

Holland was early called upon, clearing a high shot from Perry, then Thomas, in the first Exeter attack, sent wide of the upright with Newlands beaten. Bristol took the lead when Holland was beaten at close range by Thompson from a centre by Johnson which the goalkeeper failed to catch. They went further ahead when Perry dashed in and scored with a fast ground shot. Shortly before the interval Houghton scored for Exeter, driving the ball past Newlands with great force, from Armfield's centre. Johnson in the second half put in a shot which struck the base of the Exeter right-hand upright, but Exeter gradually improved, and from a model centre by Armfield the ball was flicked on from Henderson to Houghton, who scored with a strong rising shot from close range.