Wednesday, August 30th.

EXETER CITY 1 COVENTRY CITY 0. 

Exeter City won their opening home League match of the season by the only goal scored, but their display against Coventry City on Wednesday evening was not wholly satisfying.

In fact the visitors might justifiably complain at the unkind way in which the fates ran against them. They were the better balanced side, and possessed a finer conception of the game's finer points of skill.

Exeter City:- Davies; Gray, Hughes;
Clarke, Angus, Webb; Welsby, Wrightson, Whitlow, Houghton, J.Barnes.

Coventry City:- Morgan; Perry, Bisby; Baker, Davison, Boileau; White, Lauderdale, Bourton, Lake, Richards.

Referee:- Mr L.E.Gibbs, of Reading.

The only goal of the match was scored thirteen minutes before the finish, and much of the credit for the score is due to Welsby. He snapped up a pass from Clarke, then careered away on an unexpected route. He engaged in a speedy dribble across the field, and beat three opponents before slipping the ball down the centre between widely flung defenders.
Whitlow, standing in very nearly an offside position, took a quick glance at the referee, and seeing that official not at all inclined to whistle for an infringement, darted ahead while everyone else hesitated. He gained possession less than ten yards from the goal, took the ball forward a couple of yards, and then, with Morgan ad vancing drove low into the left-hand corner of the net. Eight thousand spectators cheered heartily, and they shouted again
and again during the subsequent moments packed with tense drama. Coventry made a despairing endeavour to equalise, and their mass formation attacks, with the powerful Bourton as the spearhead, were reminiscent of the hectic closing scenes of the Derby County match in the F. A. Cup-ties of 1931.
The duel between the visiting forwards and the Exeter defenders was grim and pulsating. Bourton, on account of past incidents, is not the most popular of players on the Exeter City ground, and he once more got into the crowd's bad books when he lifted the studs of his boots on to Gray's knee. The City full-back dropped in agony, and had to be carried off the field. It was a bad blow to the Grecians at this critical stage.

PENALTY MISSED.

About ten minutes now remained for play, and the desperation of the Bantams was evident from a further incident. This time Clarke came off second best against Bourton, and the City half-back had to pick himself up the worse for wear as the outcome of a charge from the hefty Coventry leader. Then in the Exeter penalty area Webb went at Lauderdale rather awkwardly. The referee whistled, and the ball was placed on the white spot. Perry came up to take the kick but missed the goal. His attempt was feeble, a low ball without the necessary pace travelling away a foot wide of the left hand upright.

YEOVIL V EXETER CITY RESERVES.
Southern League match, played at Yeovil on Thursday, August 31st. Yeovil won by two goals to nil, Lewis scoring both. The second goal followed a penalty kick, awarded against Ditchburn for a foul on Louis Page.

Chesters saved Lewis's kick from the spot, but the Yeovil leader followed up and scored from the rebound.

The City Reserves' team was:- Chesters; Ditchburn, M.Lock; T.C. Walters, Childs, Kennedy; Scott, Gumm, Hurst, S.Risdon, and I. Walters. (The last named is a local amateur on trial from Topsham).