Match 01
30th August 1930
Norwich City (h)
Southern League
Llanelly (a)
FOOTBALL IN TROPICAL HEAT
EXETER CITY (Varco) 1-0 NORWICH CITY.
Half-time: 1-0.
Attendance 6000
Exeter City: – Davies; Gray and Miller; Clarke, Inglis, and Dennington; Purcell, Houghton, Varco, Halliday, and Lister.
Norwich City: – Purdy; Hannah and Graham; Brown, O’Brien, and Lochhead; Porter, Smith, Tennant, Williams, and Slack.
Referee:- Mr A.S.King, of Swindon.
Cricket shirts and summer frocks where the fashion at St James’s Park today, when the new football season opened in sweltering tropical heat. Buckets of cold water for the benefit of the perspiring players had been provided, and were placed at various points around the perimeter of the playing pitch. Despite the glowing weather of the last week the grass was of emerald hue, the whole pitch having been freshly cut and rolled. The thermometer, in the shade, was soaring somewhere about the eighty degrees mark when the Exeter team, led by the new captain Bill Inglis, appeared, to be quickly followed by Norwich City, looking very smart in green and yellow shirts and black knickers. The attendance at the start was 6,000.
VARCO’S GLORIOUS GOAL.
It was just before the close of the first half that Varco gave his side the lead, and this proved to be the only goal scored. It was one of the finest goals seen at St James’s Park for some time.
In a hot Exeter attack Purcell passed inwards to Varco, who hit the ball as it came to him, knee-high, and beat Purdy all the way with a lovely drive, close to the post. The pace of the ball and the placing of the shot was such that no goalkeeper could have possibly saved it, and there was an especially big cheer for the home centre-forward, who in so timely a fashion had opened his Football League scoring account as a Grecian, and netted Exeter’s first goal of the season. There remained one more big thrill before half-time was called. Tennant, the centre-forward who was transferred from Motherwell to Norwich a month ago, eluded Miller, darted ahead, and shot with force. Davies, scenting trouble, had come out with cat-like agility and narrowed down the forward’s scoring chance, and was heartily applauded when he diverted Tennant’s shot for a corner, which was cleared. Two minutes after the resumption a fine piece of play by all the Exeter forwards ended in Varco receiving from Lister and shooting what appeared to be another good goal. The referee, however, held that Varco was offside, a decision which the crowd did not relish. Purcell from 25 yards shot just outside the goal, and Purdy fielded a shot from Houghton underneath the crossbar. A good shot by Halliday unfortunately struck Varco, the ball being thereby deflected from the target. Now and again the players seemed to be wilting in the great heat, but every lull in the game was followed by a creditable endeavour. Features of the closing play were two saves by Davies from Tennant, and an excellent clearance by Miller from the Norwich right flank.
Notes on the Game.
On such a hot day it would be unfair to criticise individual form. Exeter won the points, and deserved them because of the strong team-work in the last quarter of an hour before the interval, when they swept Norwich off their feet. Varco scored the goal (a lot of people say he really scored two good ones) and also gave Halliday the best other chances of the game. Halliday was a shrewd worker and Lister played his part well, while Inglis was a cool and capable pivot. Davies made one brilliant save, from Tennant, and did a lot of other excellent work. There was a certain amount of nervousness and hesitation in the City defence early on. Miller, who spent nearly the whole of last season on the injured list with knee trouble, began weakly but improved as the game went on.
Southern League
LLANELLY 5
EXETER CITY RESERVES 1.
Southern League match at Llanelly. Exeter City Reserves found Llanelly very worthy opponents in South Wales and were beaten by 5 to 1. But the result would have been very different probably, had it not been for the fact that twenty minutes after the start, and when the score sheet was still blank, Ditchburn, the City captain, received a severe head injury. He had to be carried off the field, and five stitches were inserted in a wound in his forehead. He was unable to take any further part in the game. Parsons scored Exeter's goal.
City Reserves:- Jones; Baugh, Shanks; Ditchburn, Angus, Barber; Armfield, McCosh, Parsons, Allison, and Doncaster.
EXETER CITY (Varco) 1-0 NORWICH CITY.
Half-time: 1-0.
Attendance 6000
Exeter City: – Davies; Gray and Miller; Clarke, Inglis, and Dennington; Purcell, Houghton, Varco, Halliday, and Lister.
Norwich City: – Purdy; Hannah and Graham; Brown, O’Brien, and Lochhead; Porter, Smith, Tennant, Williams, and Slack.
Referee:- Mr A.S.King, of Swindon.
Cricket shirts and summer frocks where the fashion at St James’s Park today, when the new football season opened in sweltering tropical heat. Buckets of cold water for the benefit of the perspiring players had been provided, and were placed at various points around the perimeter of the playing pitch. Despite the glowing weather of the last week the grass was of emerald hue, the whole pitch having been freshly cut and rolled. The thermometer, in the shade, was soaring somewhere about the eighty degrees mark when the Exeter team, led by the new captain Bill Inglis, appeared, to be quickly followed by Norwich City, looking very smart in green and yellow shirts and black knickers. The attendance at the start was 6,000.
VARCO’S GLORIOUS GOAL.
It was just before the close of the first half that Varco gave his side the lead, and this proved to be the only goal scored. It was one of the finest goals seen at St James’s Park for some time.
In a hot Exeter attack Purcell passed inwards to Varco, who hit the ball as it came to him, knee-high, and beat Purdy all the way with a lovely drive, close to the post. The pace of the ball and the placing of the shot was such that no goalkeeper could have possibly saved it, and there was an especially big cheer for the home centre-forward, who in so timely a fashion had opened his Football League scoring account as a Grecian, and netted Exeter’s first goal of the season. There remained one more big thrill before half-time was called. Tennant, the centre-forward who was transferred from Motherwell to Norwich a month ago, eluded Miller, darted ahead, and shot with force. Davies, scenting trouble, had come out with cat-like agility and narrowed down the forward’s scoring chance, and was heartily applauded when he diverted Tennant’s shot for a corner, which was cleared. Two minutes after the resumption a fine piece of play by all the Exeter forwards ended in Varco receiving from Lister and shooting what appeared to be another good goal. The referee, however, held that Varco was offside, a decision which the crowd did not relish. Purcell from 25 yards shot just outside the goal, and Purdy fielded a shot from Houghton underneath the crossbar. A good shot by Halliday unfortunately struck Varco, the ball being thereby deflected from the target. Now and again the players seemed to be wilting in the great heat, but every lull in the game was followed by a creditable endeavour. Features of the closing play were two saves by Davies from Tennant, and an excellent clearance by Miller from the Norwich right flank.
Notes on the Game.
On such a hot day it would be unfair to criticise individual form. Exeter won the points, and deserved them because of the strong team-work in the last quarter of an hour before the interval, when they swept Norwich off their feet. Varco scored the goal (a lot of people say he really scored two good ones) and also gave Halliday the best other chances of the game. Halliday was a shrewd worker and Lister played his part well, while Inglis was a cool and capable pivot. Davies made one brilliant save, from Tennant, and did a lot of other excellent work. There was a certain amount of nervousness and hesitation in the City defence early on. Miller, who spent nearly the whole of last season on the injured list with knee trouble, began weakly but improved as the game went on.
Southern League
LLANELLY 5
EXETER CITY RESERVES 1.
Southern League match at Llanelly. Exeter City Reserves found Llanelly very worthy opponents in South Wales and were beaten by 5 to 1. But the result would have been very different probably, had it not been for the fact that twenty minutes after the start, and when the score sheet was still blank, Ditchburn, the City captain, received a severe head injury. He had to be carried off the field, and five stitches were inserted in a wound in his forehead. He was unable to take any further part in the game. Parsons scored Exeter's goal.
City Reserves:- Jones; Baugh, Shanks; Ditchburn, Angus, Barber; Armfield, McCosh, Parsons, Allison, and Doncaster.
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