Wednesday, December 16th 1931.

EXETER CITY 2 WATFORD 0.

Postponed from last Saturday on account of Watford's F.A.Cup connection, the Football League match between the "Hornets" and Exeter City took place on Wednesday afternoon at St James's Park, in gloomy weather. The attendance at the start was only about two thousand.

Exeter City:- Davies; Baugh and Miller; Clarke, Angus, and Barber; Armfield, Varco, Whitlow, Houghton, and Doncaster.
Watford: Holland; Brown and Richards; Stokes, O'Brien, and Ellis; Chapman, Barnett, White, Lowe, and Barnes.
Referee:- Mr R.G.Rudd, of Kenton.

O'Brien, the Irish international, lost the toss, and Miller chose the Exeter end to start with. Armfield beat Richards for pace and made ground swiftly to the corner flag but centred into the side-net. Lowe broke through from the goal kick but the move was halted through two Watford forwards being offside.

ARMFIELD SCORES FOR THE CITY. 

Varco's uncompromising play in midfield gave O'Brien and Richards a great deal of anxiety whenever the Cornishman was on the ball, but the well judged passes of O'Brien gave the Exeter defence even more cause for concern. Chapman gave Barber the slip and then rounded Miller, but Baugh dashed across and kicked clear. In fifteen minutes Houghton gave Doncaster a splendid pass, whereupon the left winger centred to Armfield, who met the ball on his head and scored from a sharp angle. Watford were lucky to be only one goal behind, for the whole Exeter City team was shaping well, especially in the forward line, where the play of Houghton, Doncaster, Whitlow, and Armfield was brilliant. Varco, playing somewhere in between the other forwards and the half-backs, was just as good, his splendid and unselfish distribution of the ball being a strong point in Exeter's favour. A goal by Houghton was disallowed, the referee ruling that Holland was fouled. Exeter swarmed again to the attack and the Watford goal bore a charmed life. A terrific shot by Whitlow beat Holland but cannoned back into the field off the goalpost.
Half-time: Exeter City 1 Watford 0.

SECOND HALF.
Changing ends, the City continued to dominate the proceedings, and Doncaster shot powerfully for the ball to be diverted by Richards on to the angle of the Watford goal. Watford at last had a turn at attacking, and Davies fielded a shot from Lowe beneath the crossbar. Miller next intervened skilfully to stop White when the visiting leader attempted to break through in the middle. Armfield, having strained a thigh muscle in the first half, was playing under a great handicap, but pluckily carried on. Doncaster went through on the left wing like a tornado, beating three men in a wonderful dribble over on the popular bank side. He elected to try a shot, and the ball skidded off Brown's bald head and went behind for a corner, which was negative. Seventeen minutes before the finish good play all along the City forward line led to Whitlow shooting a second goal.

NOTES ON THE GAME.

Exeter City deserved to win by at least four goals. The Watford citadel, under pressure for almost the entire game, was finely defended by Tom Holland, the former City goalkeeper, especially towards the end of the first half, when a veritable bombardment took place.
 
The framework of the Watford goal was struck twice, and the Grecian forwards, inspired by the genius of Houghton, introduced some of those unorthodox moves which are puzzling many rival defences this season. Chapman was lively on the right wing for Watford, but Miller usually had the measure of him.