SATURDAY 30th SEPTEMBER

HALIFAX TOWN 1 EXETER CITY 2

NO EXCUSE!
by PETE BARROW
AT THE SHAY

AT THE very moment Halifax Town needed a good result to build on, they failed to come up with the goods.

Having scored an impressive away win at Scarborough in midweek they looked to the Exeter match and next Friday's home clash with Gillingham no doubt envisaging two wins and a place in the top four by the weekend. By rights that should have been on the cards after taking a 49th minute lead through a fine Neil Matthews strike. But that lead was shortlived and within three minutes Town were pegged back and seemingly from that moment on, when Steve Ne- ville claimed a touch to a ball from a Brian McDermott corner which skidded off Matthews' head at the near post, Town could do nothing to pull their game round. Admittedly, at half-time they had lost the defensive influence of skipper John Bramhall, concussed after 40 minutes, but that could be no excuse for the way they allowed the game to escape from them.

Exeter's notoriety for attacking away from home proved to be well earned and Terry Cooper's team never turned down a chance to put Town under pressure. While their leading scorer so far, Darran Rowbotham, was not on peak form, Neville, Richard Dryden and Danny Bailey kept. Town constantly concerned about their presence. Each pulled and probed and took their markers out of position to create space and Exeter used that space very well. In the opening half hour Paul Fleming was required to clear off the line from a Rowbotham shot after David Brown had produced a good save to deny Dryden, Brown then saved well from a Rowbotham strike and the same striker put a bicycle kick wide, while Town had done little despite having had the lion's share of possession. But on 33 minutes the Shaymen forced a good save out of City keeper David Walter when he first blocked an Andy Watson shot and then did well to deny Town's lead- ing scorer a second time as Watson tried to poke home the rebound. But three minutes later it was Brown stretched again as he had to get down well to turn a Dryden header round the post.

Town came out for the second half looking more committed and determined and just two minutes into the half Watson and Matthews both had shots blocked. A minute later Town were ahead when Derek Hall's pass found Ian Juryeff and he set up Matthews to smash the ball in from 10 yards, but just three minutes later Matthews was playing his unfortunate part in giving Neville the equaliser. Soon after Dean Martin was dis- appointed to have a shot cleared on the line by Scott Hiley, but the Town midfielder, turned defender in Bramhall's absence, later had to match Hiley as Dryden put a header in on the Town goal. But there was no stopping Dryden on 73 minutes when, from another McDermott corner, Town failed to attack and clear the ball and after Rowbotham's first effort was blocked, Dryden pounced to net from six yards. Town needed a saviour. On came last season's goal hero Terry McPhillips, and he went closest as Town hunted for the equaliser, but watched his 85th minute shot hit the side-netting rather than the target.

HALIFAX TEAM Brown, Fleming, Cook, Hedworth, Bramhall, Horner, Martin, Watson, Matthews, Juryeff, Hall.

CITY TEAM : Walter, Hiley, Vinnicombe, Rogers, Taylor, Whitehead, Rowbotham, Bailey, McDermott, Neville, Dryden.

SCORERS
1-0 Matthews 49,
1-1 Neville 53,
1-2 Dryden 74.

ATTENDANCE: 1,720 (100 City fans).

MAN OF THE MATCH: Danny Bailey.