Crystal Palace 7
Exeter City 2

Scorers: Varco, Greener (og)
Attendance: 12000
Saturday 4th October 1930

Crystal Palace 7-2 Exeter City

League Division Three South –
Att: 12,805

Manager: Fred Maven

For the first, and only, time a Crystal Palace player scored SIX times in one match. Peter Simpson run Exeter City ragged and bagged himself a double hat-trick in a 7-2 win. Herbert Butler made up the numbers for Palace while Bob Greener scored an own goal and Percy Varco gave Exeter something to shout about.

Palace: Billy Callender, Tommy Crilly, Stan Charlton, Wally Rivers, Jimmy Wilde, Bob Greener, Bert Harry, Harry Havelock, Peter Simpson, Herbert Butler, George Clarke
Exeter: Arthur Davies, Dicky Baugh, Charlie Miller, Reg ‘Nobby Clarke, Jock Ditchburn, Stan Barber, Billy Armfield, George Purcell, Percy Varco, Harold Houghton, Dick Doncaster
Referee:- Mr C.N.Wood, of Birmingham.

The Palace made three changes, Callender, Rivers and Wilde coming into the side in place of Imrie, Hamilton, and Barrie. Following rain this morning, the sun shone brilliantly, and just before the start there were nearly 12,000 spectators. Ditchburn won the toss.

SIMPSON'S TRIUMPH.

Peter Simpson, the Scottish centre-forward who joined Crystal Palace last year from Kettering Town, had a personal triumph at Selhurst Park this afternoon, when thanks mainly to his efforts the Glaziers defeated Exeter City by seven goals to two. Simpson led the Palace front line with admirable skill, and had the distinction of scoring his side's first six goals in succession. At no time was he allowed to make headway unhampered, and generally two men were marking him, but that he found a way through is amply demonstrated by the size of his "haul." Exeter were by no means out of the picture in spite of the score against them, and Doncaster and Houghton were an excellent left wing combination. Simpson, however, overshadowed everybody. Callender helped the Palace out of an anxious period early on, and then Simpson notched two goals in quick succession. The first was a header from a centre by Harry, scored in nine minutes, and the second was an unstoppable shot after he had rounded Ditchburn and Baugh. Varco then slipped between the Palace backs to reduce Exeter's deficit with a good shot. Two minutes before the interval Simpson scored the Palace's third goal and completed his "hat-trick." Directly after the change of ends a sparkling dribble by Doncaster gave Varco a shooting chance. Varco immediately took advantage of it, and from his shot the ball cannoned off Greener's head into the Palace net. There followed a couple of attacks by the City, and Purcell almost produced the equaliser, the ball going just wide. Ditchburn found Simpson most troublesome, and it was again the Palace centre-forward who got the fourth goal. He slipped away from the close attention of the City captain and rushed between Baugh and Miller to beat Davies with a beautiful left-foot shot. This was in the seventh minute of the second half. Simpson again scored, but this time the goal was disallowed for offside. Exeter made several good attempts to pull the game round, and shots were sent in by Houghton and Varco, and on another occasion Varco skied the ball high over the bar from a position right in front of the Palace goal. After 63 minutes Simpson scored again for Crystal Palace, and shortly afterwards he added another, the sixth, and his double hat-trick. The final goal came from Butler five minutes from the end.

Comments.

In every respect, except finishing, the City played spectacular football, and had they possessed a centre-forward of the calibre of Simpson they would have made a close fight. In midfield Exeter's football was magnificent, but they faded out when within striking distance. Doncaster, Houghton, and Purcell were outstanding among the forwards, and in the half back line Ditchburn and Clarke did many good things. Baugh and Miller had a trying time, but were steady. Davies will no doubt remember Simpson, but Exeter's goalkeeper was in no way to blame for the big score.

Southern League
EXETER CITY RESERVES 5
MERTHYR TOWN O.

Today the Martyrs appeared at St James's Park to fulfil the return fixture for Southern League points with Exeter City Reserves, who won at Penydarren Park a week ago by three goals to one. There were 2,000 spectators.

City Reserves: Jones; Gray and Shanks; Inglis, Angus, and Dennington; J.Gumm, McDevitt, Parsons, Halliday, and Lister.
Merthyr Town: C.Williams; Parry and Powell; Bailey, Davies, and D. Richards; Edwards, Atkins, E.Williams, Walters, and P.Richards.
Referee:- Mr W.J.Lambshead.

Dennington captained the Grecians, but lost the toss to Parry, and Merthyr had the assistance of the breeze, playing from the St James's Road end in the first half. The first shot of the match, by Parsons, was saved by C. Williams. Gray saved a certain goal when he cleared from E.Williams on the goal line, and C.Williams saved scoring shots from Halliday and Parsons. Five minutes after changing ends Gumm drove the ball into the far corner of the Merthyr net after Powell had failed to head clear from Parsons. Three minutes later Lister headed a grand goal from Gumm's centre. With only a minute more gone by Exeter's total was three. Halliday cleverly contrived to put Gumm clean through and the local amateur neatly pushed the ball past C.Williams and into the net. Halliday with a capital header made Exeter's total four, and after an interval of fifteen minutes Angus paved the way for the fifth goal, for he sent out a model pass to Gumm, who promptly obliged with another good centre which was headed into the net by Halliday. McDevitt tested Williams with a powerful drive, which the goalkeeper saved with some difficulty beneath the crossbar.

Western League
EXETER CITY RESERVES v
BRISTOL ROVERS RESERVES

Western League Programme Opens with a Win
THREE GOALS FOR PARSONS

Wednesday, October 8th 1930.

CITY RESERVES 5-Parsons 3,Halliday 2
ROVERS RESERVES 1
Half-time: City 1 Rovers 0.

Exeter City Reserves, who head the Southern League with eight points out of a possible twelve, opened their Western League programme this afternoon at St James's Park, the rival team being Bristol Rovers Reserves. The weather was squally and there was only a small attendance.

Boyce Equal to All Emergencies.

Exeter had the advantage of the wind in the opening half, and started with a smart attack. From Lister's centre Parsons had hard luck with a powerful header, the ball just missing the goal. Exeter pressed persistently for a quarter of an hour on end, their half backs playing well up behind the forwards. Boyce, the Rovers' goalkeeper, however, was equal to all emergencies, his best saves being made at the expense of Parsons. The game then opened out and some good team football was seen from both sets
of players. Exeter returned to the attack as the interval approached, and Boyce received hearty applause for a series of fine saves. Three minutes before the interval he was at last beaten, Parsons scoring with a low shot to the corner of the goal.

Half-Time: City 1 Rovers 0.

Halliday increased Exeter's lead soon after the restart from a free kick by Gumm. Within a few more minutes Halliday headed another goal from a centre by Gumm. The City's amateur right winger was speeding goalwards in possession from a pass by Parsons when he was fouled inside the penalty area, and Parsons from the "spot-kick" scored Exeter's fourth goal. In the last ten minutes Parsons scored again to complete his hat-trick and then Bristol scored a goal.