BRIGHTON THE BEST TEAM SEEN AT EXETER THIS SEASON.

Lively Forwards' Accurate Football On a Wet Pitch

Saturday, March 15th 1930.

EXETER CITY 1  (Purcell).
BRIGHTON AND HOVE 4  (Gray own goal Vallance Kirkwood Wilson)

Half-time 0-2.

Exeter City: Alderson; Gray and Shanks; Clarke, Ditchburn, and Dennington; Purcell, Houghton, Guyan, Hemingway, and Doncaster.
Brighton: Webb; Marsden and Curran;
Wilkinson, Mooney, and Dutton; McDonald, Kirkwood, Vallance, Smith, and Wilson.
Referee:- Mr F.W.Reeve, of Devonport.

Brighton's visit to St James's Park in a Football League match recalls their fruitless journey in February of last year, when snow fell so heavily as to make play impossible, and the visitors returned home by the next train. The uncertainty which appears to exist in the minds of the City selectors as to whether Mason or Ditchburn is the better centre half was evident again in this latest match, Ditchburn being preferred for the position also for the captaincy. McDonald, transferred from Reading on Thursday, was at outside right in the Brighton eleven. The ground was very wet after the heavy showers of this morning, but the game opened in blazing sunshine. Five thousand spectators were present when Ditchburn won the toss, Exeter defending the St James's Road end to begin with.

CITY DEFENCE IN A TANGLE.

Play opened briskly with Brighton attacking, and Gray cleared from Wilson. The visitors were a fast team, and their footwork on the slippery turf was very impressive. Wilkinson seized on a half-clearance by Ditchburn to put in the first real shot on target, which Alderson saved. Alderson next saved from Kirkwood and Vallance in quick succession. Houghton was fouled by Mooney, but Hemingway's free kick travelled beyond the farthest post and over the goal-line. The clever Brighton attack had the Exeter defence on tenterhooks, and Smith headed the ball against the crossbar. Gray was the mainstay of Exeter at this stage, pulling up the Brighton left wing repeatedly. After fifteen minutes, however, the visitors secured the lead. Alderson scooped a shot from McDonald near the post, but the Brighton forwards regained possession, and with the City defence in a rare tangle and unable to clear the ball was scrambled into the net off the other goalpost. It was difficult to see whether Wilson or an Exeter player had put the ball in the net, but it was afterwards declared to be Gray. Brighton in the next few minutes showed the spectators a sample of their skill, some of their combined movements being very smart indeed. Alderson for once failed to catch a centre from McDonald, and Vallance came through at full speed to ram the ball into the top of the net with a strong header. Mooney fouled Houghton for the second time and was admonished by the referee.

SECOND HALF.
Less than five minutes after the restart Brighton went further ahead through a classic goal by Kirkwood, who received possession from a throw-in, passed to Vallance, ran forward to collect the return pass, beat Ditchburn on the edge of the penalty area and placed the ball neatly in the net as Alderson advanced. Midway through the second half Exeter were awarded a free kick against Mooney for "hands" on the edge of the Brighton penalty area. Ditchburn's shot was then handled by somebody in the Brighton barricade and Exeter then given a penalty. Purcell shook the rigging with a fierce rising shot from the "spot," and the crowd raised the best cheer of the afternoon so far. A typical goalwards dash by Hemingway ended with the City forward, Curran and Webb all colliding, Curran being knocked out. With their left back off the field Brighton were still the better team, and Gray twice headed the ball out from beneath the crossbar. Wilson scored Brighton's fourth goal with a minute left for play. The substitution of Ditchburn for Mason hardly had the desired effect, for the centre-half was the weakest of Exeter's trio of intermediates.


Western League
TORQUAY UNITED RESERVES 2
EXETER CITY RESERVES 2.

Two former Torquay United stalwarts, Henderson and Varco, were in the Exeter City Reserve side at Plainmoor this afternoon for the Western League match with Torquay Reserves. The attendance was 2,000.

Torquay:- Millsom; Price, Wright; Freer, White, H.G.Kellow; Burn, R.Birkett, Hill, Robinson, and H.Pearcey.
Exeter: Holland; Howson, Miller; McDevitt, Mason, Gurkin; Gumm, Thomas, Varco, Henderson, and McMullan.

Varco gave Exeter the lead with the soft shot, Millsom stumbling when about to save. Play was more robust than scientific, and there was an abundance of "referee's whistle" for fouls and minor infringements. McDevitt and Robinson were at variance and were spoken to by the referee. Hill scored for Torquay. Barely a minute of the second half had passed ere Hill with a fine drive into the top left hand corner of the net gave Torquay the lead. Tempers began to rise when Mason was penalised for a foul in the middle of the field, and a moment later McDevitt and Robinson renewed their altercation. Five minutes from the end a high centre was placed in the Torquay goal-mouth, McMullan jumping the highest of a group of players to head the ball home.