City's Cup Rivals

NORTHFLEET A SIDE NOT TO BE UNDER-ESTIMATED

Northfleet United, whom Exeter City visit in the First Round of the F.A.Cup, on November 29th, have quite a useful side, and they are looking forward to putting up a stout resistance against their better known opponents. Northfleet is the "nursery club" of Tottenham Hotspur, and as such it has produced many well known players, notably Skitt and O'Callaghan of the team now representing the 'Spurs.

Because of the nature of the town's chief industry Northfleet are known as the "Cementers." They are at present in the Kent League, but have at times also been in the Southern League. In the previous round of the Cup they were considered rather fortunate to beat their near neighbours, Dartford, a team in the Southern League (East) and London Combination (Division II) by the only goal scored. But Northfleet have a useful blend of experience allied to youthful enthusiasm, and in their sphere are reckoned to play good football. This is not surprising when it is known that in their ranks are three former Internationals, Smith, formerly of Tottenham Hotspur and England, Maitland, formerly of Newcastle United and Scotland, and Cook, formerly of Brighton and England. Smith is the captain-coach. Below are brief sketches of the players who will probably face Exeter City at the compact enclosure at Stonebridge Road, the attendance record for which, eleven thousand, was on the occasion of a Cup-tie with Gillingham. The crowd for the recent tie with Dartford was well in excess of five thousand.

GOAL: Yates, a brilliant 'keeper who understudied Pym at Bolton.
RIGHT BACK: Maitland is 29, and previously played for Newcastle and Scotland.
LEFT BACK: Johnson, a fearless back, late of Darlington and Chelsea.
RIGHT HALF: Ben Smith, English International centre-half with Tottenham, and holder of a Cup-winners' medal, Spurs v Wolverhampton Wanderers 1921. CENTRE HALF: A.Day, a 90-minute player. Welsh Schoolboy International. LEFT HALF: Houston, the most consistent half-back in the whole of Kent.
OUTSIDE RIGHT: Channell, a fast young winger. Not tricky but a good shot.
INSIDE RIGHT: W.Radford, on Tottenham's books as an amateur.
CENTRE FORWARD: Tom Cook, ex Brighton, and well known to City supporters. An exceptionally strong player, who has also served Bristol Rovers, and who is a county cricketer for Sussex in the summertime.
INSIDE LEFT: J.Bell, who is the idol of the Northfleet crowd because of his indomitable spirit, but because of injury may lose his place to S.H.Brown, an ex-Tottenham Hotspur forward. OUTSIDE LEFT: Alford, formerly of Lincoln City and Scunthorpe United.

In the Cup last season Northfleet were dismissed by Clapton Orient, at the Orient ground, by two goals to nil.

THE F.A. CUP: EXETER THROUGH

The Grecians Too Good for the Men of Northfleet

NORTHFLEET UNITED 0-3 EXETER CITY (Maitland own goal Houghton Purcell )

Half-time 0-2.

Northfleet: – Yates; Maitland and Johnson; Smith, Day, and Houston; Brown, Cook, Radford, Bell, and Alford.

Exeter City: – Davies; Baugh and Miller; Clarke, Dennington, and Barber; Armfield, Purcell, Varco, Houghton, and Doncaster.

Referee: – Mr R.G. Rudd, of Croyden.

The battle for the first round proper of the F.A. Cup competition between the Kent League side and their Third Division rivals attracted great interest in North Kent, and there must have been 5,000 present at the start.

Northfleet, winning the toss, soon made headway but were pulled up by Miller. The Kent side were swinging the ball about, using their wings to advantage and looked to be a very fit team. Davies saved a shot from Houston. When the City at last crossed the half-way line Armfield beat Johnson, but centred behind the goal with three forwards waiting in the middle. It was a typical cup-tie, anxiety showing a predominance over skill. It seemed doubtful whether Northfleet could maintain the hot pace they had set.

Smith and Maitland did some fine spoiling work, but could not prevent Houghton going clean through and sending in the best shot of the match, so far, the ball travelling along the ground and just missing the goal.

Northfleet Unlucky.

The Grecians were now beginning to settle down, and from a pass by Doncaster the ball was headed by Houghton into the goalkeeper’s hands. Houghton almost scored in the next minute, a brilliant header being tipped over by Yates, and Exeter’s inside-left by kicking wide missed an easy chance just afterwards. Play was now being monopolised by the Devonians, and if only their attack had shown more punch they must have been two goals up. Yates made a spectacular save at full length from Varco, and Exeter gained two corners in less than a minute.

At length the inevitable happened. Exeter took the lead ten minutes before the interval, when Maitland, in trying to stop a shot from Houghton, diverted the ball into his own goal. In a sense this was unlucky for Northfleet, because the goalkeeper had the shot covered. In another three minutes Exeter went further ahead, Houghton scoring left footed with a hard cross drive, the whole forward line having taken part in the movement which led to the goal. It was apparent from the play in this half that Exeter had only to produce the same form for the rest of the match to enter the next round. Their half backs were easily stopping the home attack, Barber particularly giving a fine all-round display.

Half-time: Northfleet 0 Exeter City 2.

Second Half.

In an endeavour to retrieve their waning fortunes Northfleet put Cook at centre forward in the second half. It certainly led to an improvement, but Cook had a lean task, and received very poor support from his colleagues. Exeter were showing their superiority in every department except in goal, where Davies had practically nothing to do, and after 13 minutes Purcell headed the third goal for the Grecians. Yates distinguished himself with many smart clearances, and Smith, the former English International, tried continually to get the home side going, but their attacks were seldom of much difficulty to Baugh and Miller. Davies saved a shot from Day, who was the third member of the Northfleet team to have a try at centre-forward. In the closing stages Barber was injured, and had to be carried off the field.

Comments.

After being slow to settle down Exeter played bright football, and were clearly superior to the plucky Kent Leaguers. Barber and Houghton took the eye with much clever work, and the whole forward line combined well. Davies had the easiest of tasks imaginable.

Southern League
EXETER CITY RESERVES 4
BRISTOL ROVERS RESERVES 1.

Exeter City Reserves, who have won all their home matches to date, were opposed at St James's Park today by Bristol Rovers Reserves in a Southern League match. The afternoon was as dull as a November day can be, the ground was saturated with rain, and more rain threatened at any moment. The attendance was 1,000.

City Reserves:- Jones; Gray, Bright; E.Keefe, Angus, Inglis; J.Gumm, McCosh, Allison, Halliday, and Lister.

Rovers Reserves:- G.Mansfield; Price, Haydon; Findlay, Cooper, E.Quartley; Hackett, Scott, Pointon, F.Geddes, and Turnbull.

Allison scored for Exeter in five minutes, Mansfield having previously saved a shot from Halliday. McCosh next scored with the game 25 minutes old, Allison adding goal number three shortly before half-time. There was a round of cheering at this stage, when the figures on the "Football Express" Board indicated that the City chiefs were leading Northfleet by two goals to nil at half-time. The second half had barely commenced when Pointon shot a clever goal for the Rovers. Exeter's play in this half was rather casual, but two minutes from the finish Gumm with the best shot of the match scored Exeter's fourth goal. The biggest cheer of the afternoon greeted the news that the City had won their match at Northfleet.