Gillingham v Exeter City

EXETER FORWARDS LACKING IN THRUST AT GILLINGHAM

Disputed Goal

Wednesday, September 11th 1929.
GILLINGHAM 2 (Cheesemuir Castle)
EXETER CITY 0

Half-time 0-0.

Gillingham: Smith; Bartley and Geddes; Ellis, Collins, and Bishop;
Whyte, Cheesemuir, Castle, Bethell, and Gore.

Exeter City: Alderson; Howson and Shanks; Sheffield, Mason, and McMullan; Purcell, McDevitt, Henderson, Houghton, and Hemingway.

Referee:- Mr S. F.Rous, of Hemel Hempstead.

The Grecians, although being beaten by two clear goals, had enough of the play in the first half to have established an interval lead, had they been sufficiently alert to have accepted the many chances which came their way. But the inside forwards lacked the necessary foresight and penetration to turn to account a stream of long swinging centres from Hemingway and Purcell, who were responsible for much good work. McDevitt had the greatest misfortune with a clever overhead kick, which was well directed for the net, with Smith several yards out of his goal, but at the last second Geddes jumped up seemingly from nowhere and headed the ball away from under the bar when a goal seemed sure to mature.

GILLINGHAM GOAL DISPUTED.

Exeter's halves, well led by Mason, who captained the team, played well up to their forwards, and dismayed by the repeated failures of the men in front, found time to take shots at goal on their own account, Mason and McMullan in particular being right on the target and causing Smith much trouble. Gillingham opened the score thirteen minutes after the change of ends. Ellis took a free kick, lobbing the ball into the penalty area. Cheesemuir gained possession and drove goalwards, and Alderson, falling, saved the shot. But the referee ruled that the ball had crossed the line. Although Alderson and his colleagues lodged a strong protest the referee refused to consult one of the linesmen or alter his decision. This has an unsettling effect on the Grecians for a time, and the play became very robust. At the end of twenty-six minutes Gore passed to Whyte, whose shot Alderson saved, but it came with such force that he could not hold it, and before he

could recover himself Castle dashed up and scored with a fast shot. The City then tried hard, but were unable to reduce the arrears. Hemingway, deputising for Death on the left wing, was particularly fast and tricky, although at fault with one chance of scoring which came his way. He played a great game apart from this error, without getting much assistance from Houghton, who like McDevitt, failed to get a working understanding with Henderson.

Three changes were made in the side from Saturday, without bringing about the desired result, for Henderson, whilst brimming over with energy and doing a great deal of ball chasing, mostly to no good purpose, lacked thrust and the necessary quickness of thought, and the ease with which he was dispossessed of the ball when only two yards from goal was astonishing.

WESTERN LEAGUE
EXETER CITY RESERVES 1
BATH CITY 1.

The football played by Exeter City Reserves in their Western League match at St James's Park against Bath City was disappointing, to say the least. They had a good chance of opening the score in the first three minutes, when one of the visiting backs miskicked, but Ditchburn, instead of shooting for goal direct, placed the ball across the penalty area to Corrigan, who fired wide of the target. Alsop for Bath caused a sensation with a tremendous shot which looked as if it was travelling wide but swerved on to the goalpost with Holland beaten. After 28 minutes, however, a second mistake by Plummer proved fatal, Death moving in quickly to beat Cuff all ends up with a fast grounder. Cuff then saved well from Armfield and Corrigan, and Death shot against the Bath City crossbar, but towards the interval Holland was the busier of the two goalkeepers.

Second Half.

Play in the second half was mostly dull and uninteresting. There was scarcely any method in Exeter's football, and the ball seemed to be off the field more often than not. Much of the trouble was due to the fact that Thomas was quite unable to adapt himself to the emergency role of right half-back. All through the match he made the mistake of holding the ball too long. Doncaster became crippled through a kick on his ankle, so that the left wing play suffered. Bath kept pegging away with commendable spirit, Walker, Alsop, Compton, and Waite being tireless enthusiasts and keeping the home defence well employed. Compton and Walker of course are ex-Grecians. We The visitors were rewarded with a sensational last-minute goal, Alsop scoring with a well directed shot which proved to be the last kick of the game.