Wednesday, January 16th 1929. 
CITY'S REPLAYED TIE  Wintry Setting for the Match at Leeds 
HEAVY FALLS OF SNOW
Leeds United 5 Exeter City 1.

Three inches of snow fell at Leeds on Tuesday night and a small army of men was employed by the United club to clear the entire Elland Road playing area, a work which was completed by 1.15 p.m., and the spectators who afford to pay for seats in the grandstand assembled in the open could not on snow covered terraces, with the snow from the playing pitch banked up against the railings, so the scene for the replayed Cup-tie was a very wintry one. A keen wind blew diagonally across the ground, but the sun shone out from a cloudless sky. The Exeter City party travelled up yesterday, and stayed at Sheffield last night, completing the journey to Leeds by noon today. They found that about one hundred and fifty excursionists from Exeter had arrived in the city at 9.30 a.m., and were freely sporting the red and white favours.

Applications for Grand-Stand Seats.

An indication of the great interest taken in the match locally and throughout the whole surrounding area was the fact that there were endless applications for seats in the grand-stand. All the morning the Leeds United telephone had been engaged, and enquiries were being made from miles away as to whether it would be possible, on account of the weather, for the match to be played. There were one or two changes in the teams as compared with Saturday's match. Exeter had Clarke at right half for Pollard (injured) but decided that Holland should again play in goal. All the City players were in excellent fettle with the exception of Lowton, who was still suffering from a boil on his neck. Leeds United had Cochrane at outside left in place of Mitchell (injured), this being their only alteration. The teams therefore were:

LEEDS: BLUE & WHITE.
Potts Townsley Menzies Edwards Hart Reed Turnbull White Keetley Wainscoat Cochrane

REFEREE:- Mr H.E.Gray, of London.

Cameron Houghton Doncaster McDevitt Purcell
Dennington Pool Clarke
Miller Lowton
Holland
CITY: RED & WHITE.

The ground was marked out with light blue so that the touch-lines and the half way line could be distinguished from the snow, patches of which remained on the field, despite a generous sprinkling of sand. The playing pitch, which is much wider and slightly longer than the one at St James's Park, was frozen hard. The Leeds United ground, in Elland Road, is one of the largest in the north of England, with a huge grandstand on one side, and accommodation in this and on the spacious terraces and banks for about sixty thousand people, and in fact is comparable in size altogether to the Blackburn Rovers' ground. There were twenty thousand present at the start of today's match. Exeter came out first to a good ovation from the crowd, and the cheering was renewed in a greater volume of course when Edwards led out the Leeds players. McDevitt won the toss and gave the Grecians the advantage of the breeze. The ball was started by Keetley, but quickly captured by McDevitt, who slipped a nice pass down the middle for Doncaster, but Townsley cleared. "Hands" was given against Purcell, and Menzies, who took the free-kick, put the ball well down the field but Lowton sent to touch. The underfoot conditions were if anything worse than they had been at Exeter in the first match, and the players of both sides were slipping and sliding about on the treacherous surface.

Leeds Playing Nicely Together.

Turnbull, Edwards, and White, by clever triangular play enabled Leeds to put pressure on the Exeter goal, and Turnbull centred the ball smartly, Holland clearing. Holland in the next minute saved a certain goal from Keetley in a general bombardment by the Leeds forwards. Menzies was hurt in a collision but soon recovered. McDevitt marshalled the Exeter forces capably, but the United were playing nicely together, the forwards showing many clever touches. This only served to indicate the strength of the Exeter backs, however, with Pool also in grand form. Repeatedly Exeter tried to give Doncaster a through pass but the Leeds backs were alive to every move. McDevitt was penalised for a foul in midfield and Reed's free kick was placed to perfection. White headed goalwards but Holland jumped to save and clear in brilliant fashion. In ten minutes Leeds secured the lead. Keetley was put through with a ground pass from White between the backs and Holland dashed out and intercepted, but on the slippery ground could not gather the ball. Keetley completed his shot with an overhead kick, and Lowton, who had dropped back to the goalmouth, had the ill-luck to head the ball against the left-hand upright and into the net.

Houghton and McDevitt Impressed the Spectators.

A long spell of even play followed, and then the City applied pressure, but they only managed one scoring chance, and from this Doncaster shot wide. Further lively play by the City halves and forwards showed Leeds that they still had a long way to go. Leeds were driven back on the defensive and had to pack their goal to keep Exeter out. Clarke tried a long shot, and the ball dropped just in front of the crossbar, Potts tipping it over. The Exeter forward in their approach work were a cool and clever combination, and Houghton and McDevitt, always doing something good, greatly impressed the spectators. Doncaster was at fault with one good chance, shooting from too far out, and sending the ball yards wide. A lively move between Doncaster and Purcell caused Leeds anxiety on the left flank of their defence, and when Doncaster accepted Purcell's return pass a grim struggle ensued inside the penalty area, Hart eventually booting behind with Potts grounded. The resultant corner carried no danger, Potts saving.

Doncaster Gives the City Supporters Some thing to Cheer.

The Leeds defence was in a very tight corner just afterwards but Hart got the ball clear, and in Exeter's next attack McDevitt tried a shot, driving high over the goal. Leeds at last managed to open out the game again, but eleven minutes from the interval the Grecians got the equaliser. White handled in midfield, and with the free-kick Miller sent the ball to the Leeds goal-mouth, where Potts picked it up but delayed its clearance just long enough for Doncaster to nip in and kick the leather from the goalkeeper's hands and run round him and dribble it into the empty net. Potts was positively staggered at Doncaster's audacity and so were his colleagues. Exeter's little centre-forward had thus given the City supporters something to cheer, and though few in number they "let rip," and made themselves heard in the vast enclosure. Thrilling football was served up by Leeds in the next few minutes, Holland in fisting out from Wainscoat saving his side, but five minutes before the half time interval Leeds again secured the lead. Clever play by Turnbull and White led to a scramble in front of the Exeter goal, and from Keetley's short pass Wainscoat crashed the ball into the net, giving Holland no chance. The City were not discouraged, and engaged in two fast attacks before half-time, and a low shot by Doncaster had Potts in difficulties. The goalkeeper lost the ball, but managed to push it out to Townsley, who cleared. The Grecians were attacking hotly a minute before the interval, and Houghton cut between the backs and shot well, but Potts saved cleanly.
Half-time score: -
Leeds United 2(Lowton own goal Wainscoat)
Exeter City 1 (Doncaster)

Leeds opened up strongly when play was resumed and Holland was kept in busy action clearing his line and taking goal-kicks. When five minutes had gone by there came a tragedy for the City. Reed from a free-kick, forty yards out, tried a direct shot and Holland completely failed to gauge the flight of the ball. He could have saved with ease had he stayed on his line, but instead he ran out so far that he could not reach the ball, which passed over his head and under the crossbar. It was a "freak" goal, and in failing to save this shot Holland was just as much at fault as he was with the one scored by Menzies on Saturday.

More Bad Luck in Store.

Unhappily, there was some more bad luck in store for the City. Purcell gave the ball to Houghton, who made a sparkling advance which ended with a "neck and neck" race with Townsley. The Leeds right back charged into Houghton and bundled him over. Houghton, sliding yards on the frozen ground, pitched into the concrete wall behind the goal-line and was knocked out. He was carried off by the ambulance men with a badly injured foot. Against Exeter's ten men and holding a lead of two goals Leeds now did much as they pleased, sweeping forward into the Exeter territory in a series of fast attacks. Holland saved a severe shot from Turnbull, but then failed to deal with a low cross into the goal-mouth from the outside-right. He dived on the ball, but let it bounce from his grasp almost on the goal-line and Cochrane back-heeled it into the net. Cochrane next struck the crossbar after getting the better of Lowton, and a further long spell of attacking play by Leeds ended with Keetley firing over the bar from ten yards' range. With ten minutes remaining the Leeds total of goals was increased to five by Keetley, who cleverly turned a long centre by White into the Exeter net. Exeter tried again, McDevitt and Cameron shooting hard but missing the goal, and at the City end Holland saved two fine shots from White. Right on time Potts saved from Doncaster.

Comments.
Exeter City were again the victims of misfortune. Lowton headed into his own net for Leeds' first goal, and Holland let through their third. The game turned on this third goal, which placed Leeds in a secure position, and immediately afterwards Houghton was injured and carried off. His left foot was badly damaged and he played no further part in the game. Exeter played four forwards from this time onwards and were engaged almost the whole time in trying to keep the score down, until the last six minutes, when McDevitt and the other three forwards again became prominent. In the opening half Leeds, it is true, displayed more superiority, but though their play was more polished the City were the more lively team. Edwards was the outstanding player in the winning team, while Miller, Pool, Dennington, Houghton (until his injury) and Doncaster all did finely for the Grecians. The attendance at Elland Road was 23,000.

REFLECTIONS ON THE CUPTIES
Leeds Much Impressed by the Grecians' Grit
AND BY THEIR CLEVER FOOTBALL

Leeds United can play brilliant football when in the mood, but the club is not likely to travel far in the F. A. Cup Competition this season unless the back division shapes more competently than it did in the third round matches with Exeter City. Menzies and Townsley were not at all in good form at St James's Park, and in the re-play at Elland Road the goalkeeper was unreliable. Exeter City would have scored more than three goals in the two matches with a really good marksman among the inside forwards. There were many bright moves by the Grecians in the first half at Elland Road, when the City operated with astonishing ease on a frozen and very slippery surface, and often the ball was running loose in the Leeds goal-area. Doncaster showed himself a born opportunist, but Exeter's chance of success would have been doubled if there had been a sharp-shooter of the Wainscoat stamp to take advantage of the City's several momentary opportunities in the Leeds goalmouth. Similar concessions by the United defence in the next round, at Huddersfield next Saturday, and Leeds will find themselves eclipsed.

TOO MANY GOALS.

While Exeter scored three goals in these games (the one at Elland Road was only made possible by a blunder on the part of Potts) Leeds obtained seven, and it is a startling fact that no less than six of those seven could have been prevented. Leeds were amazingly lucky to get the two goals which enabled them to draw at St James's Park. They were lucky in four of their five goals on their own ground. The will to win on the part of the City team as a whole was well in evidence. All the players showed fine determination and tackled their task here and at Leeds with great spirit, splendid method, and praiseworthy coolness.

WHAT LEEDS UNITED THOUGHT.

"Did we wonder whether the small ground, the hard ground, the nearness of the spectators, or the long journey had prevented our winning?" asked the writer in the official programme of the Leeds club on Wednesday. And he went on to state: "Well, if the truth must be told it was something different altogether. It was eleven men in earnest, called Exeter City. If their determination and dash really earned them another game at least in the Cup tourney, they have got it today, and all honour to them, for our luck was decidedly 'in'". Unhappily, both at Exeter and at Leeds, Tom Holland was below form in goal, over-anxiety seriously affecting him. The Exeter City Directors were undecided whether to rely on Campbell or Holland for the re-play, but the choice rested finally with Holland again, the club not wishing to discourage a man who is a thoroughly conscientious servant, and looking to him to make an extra special effort in the second match. Holland started the game at Leeds quite capably, but his nervousness returned and with very unfortunate consequences.

A BRILLIANT FINALE.

At full-back, half-back, and forward (except in the matter of quick shooting) the City were splendidly served at Elland Road, and Leeds were compelled till the interval to play second fiddle. The goals mounted up against Exeter City in most disconcerting fashion though, and when through a bad City mistake, Leeds obtained a winning position with the goals 3-1 in their favour, Leeds at long last got into their stride, and showed how thrilling a thing is this Soccer game when played by brilliant exponents in match-winning vein. The City lost at Leeds, but they lost gallantly, and for the second year in succession they have made a big and lasting impression in a Cup game on the ground of a First League club. Leeds people were warm in their praises of the Exeter team generally, and were at a loss to understand how it is that the Grecians occupy so lowly a place in the Southern Section of the Third Division.

THE LEAGUE OUTLOOK.
The forwards must get more goals; the defence must concede not so many. There is one heartening result of the Cup games to bear in mind, and that is the establishment of Dennington at left half. Both here and at Leeds the player from Reading gave a very good account of himself. He is experienced, quick, polished, and determined, and his inclusion in the intermediate line with the very lively and fast Clarke on the other side of that stalwart, Pool, should make for an appreciable improvement in the play of the team in their League contests. Very regrettable is the accident to Houghton, who was off the field for the last 35 minutes of the Cup replay at Leeds, and whose damaged left foot will keep him out of the game for some weeks. The young inside-left put in some delightful work in the first half of the Wednesday match, and was one of the City's trump cards. With Houghton in the forward line Exeter would of course have continued to make a fine fight of it, but lacking him, the Grecians, two goals down, were hopelessly situated.

Final note:
The Leeds United Chairman, at St James's Park last Saturday said he was amazed at Exeter's good football; he had never imagined that a team so low in the League could give Leeds such a wonderful game.