Saturday, May 4th 1935.

CITY'S AMAZING WIN IN LAST MATCH

Club's Highest-Ever Score Equalled

TRANSFORMATION AFTER ALDERSHOT SCORE FIRST

Exeter City 8 Aldershot 1.

There was an amazing game to wind up the season at St James's Park this afternoon, when a second half transformation enabled the City to equal their previous highest score in a League match, against Coventry City in the 1926-27 season. It was one of the strangest matches ever seen. Exeter City were listless before the interval, and it was not until the visitors took the lead just after half-time that the home side, attacking the goal at the "big bank" end of the ground, asserted themselves.

From then onwards they were irresistible and rattled in the eight goals in little more than half an hour. Poulter, who scored three times, played a great game in the second half, and so did Dryden. Risdon and Angus were admirable in their supporting roles at wing half. Aldershot were sunk without trace.

EXETER CITY
Chesters
Gray Miller
Risdon Webb Angus
J.Scott Wrightson Poulter McArthur Dryden

Referee:- Mr E.W. Vokes, of Bath.

Tinklin Watson Oakes Lutterloch Williams
Temple Summerbee Gerrard
Sheppard McDougall
Solly
ALDERSHOT

About two thousand spectators saw Aldershot win the toss and line up at the St James's Road end. Exeter set up an early attack, in which Poulter, turning sharply, shot twelve inches over the angle of the goal with Solly too surprised to move. Both the sides were too fond of high kicking, but Aldershot got through their work in an eager and purposeful fashion which Exeter rarely achieved. Yet when they warmed up the home forwards provided most of the thrills although often exasperatingly slow. The City's easy going methods were irritating, and many of their players could, with advantage, have infused more life into their work.

GOAL DISALLOWED.

Poulter, one of the few who did not spare himself, led an overdue dash to the opposite end, where he charged Sheppard off the ball and then shot obliquely into the net. As the crowd, now numbering about 4,000, prepared to cheer this success, the referee pointed for a free kick. Evidently Mr Vokes must have considered Poulter guilty of heavy charging. After 22 minutes a centre from Dryden was headed out by McDougall, but only as far as Poulter, who nodded the ball back across the goalmouth. Wrightson should have scored, but miskicked, but Jack Scott, following up, shot fiercely with the right foot, the ball striking the underside of the crossbar then rebounding into play, Summerbee clearing.

SECOND HALF.

In a remarkable second half Oakes opened the scoring for Aldershot direct from a free kick outside the penalty, the flight of the ball deceiving Chesters. Almost immediately the Grecians equalised. Angus sent Dryden away with a long first-time pass and the winger judged a diagonal return to perfection. The ball rose just over the heads of the Aldershot backs and Jack Scott, who had moved in to anticipate the centre from Dryden, nodded a fine goal, heading downwards and into the corner of the net. The City at last began to get the measure of the opposition, and from J.Scott's centre Poulter headed a nice goal. It was evident now that Aldershot had played themselves out due to their efforts in the first half, and their goal came under heavy and continous pressure. Shots were driven in from all angles, and the biggest cheer of the afternoon was heard when Poulter met another perfect centre from Scott to head a third goal.

WHIRLWIND FINISH.

Exeter staged a whirlwind finish during which five more goals were scored, and a series of dazzling attacks carried out at top speed reduced the Aldershot defence to a state of complete abjection. All the City forwards scored, and their display in this half was as brilliant as it had been dismal before the interval. The final avalanche of goals began with Dryden, left-footed, low and hard, sending the ball past the hapless Solly. Dryden in the next foray tricked Gerrard cleverly and centred hard across the field. The Aldershot rearguard was all at sea and Wrightson put the ball nicely forward for Poulter to crash it into the net. Dryden next provided Poulter with a chance of a further shot, but this was blocked by a defender. McArthur secured from the rebound and netted Exeter's sixth goal.

AT THEIR WITS' END.

The Exeter sharpshooters continued in their liveliest vein against a disconsolate and disillusioned opposition. Some grand football was seen, and Aldershot were at their wits' end to counter the ever increasing pressure which Exeter asserted. Poor Aldershot. As if their plight was not already bad enough, Summerbee so badly failed in an attempt to clear a centre from Scott that he headed the ball into his own net. Straight from the kick-off Exeter's determined and irresistible forwards were at it again, and Wrightson finally completed the damage to a shattered Aldershot rearguard by heading in another J.Scott centre.

BATH CITY 0 EXETER CITY RESERVES 1.

For the final match of the season at Bath this afternoon Exeter City Reserves were the visitors in the Western Section of the Southern League, and the football all the way through was of a bright and strenuous character, and hardly a reminder that tonight the curtain comes down on another football season.

Howson, the old Exeter City back, was filling the unfamiliar role of centre-half, and he had a busy time quelling the fast and well conducted Exeter moves. Bath improved, and Davies responded in his old style, showing him to still be a brilliant goalkeeper. He made three marvellous saves from Causon, the Bath centre forward, one of them by sticking out his foot when on the ground and diverting the ball of his wide goal. After Hurst had cleared the crossbar with a header, Davies had to perform some more agile goalkeeping, but once when he had run out to clear from Causon, Farr crashed the ball against the bar, with Davies still yards away from his charge. At the end of 34 minutes Ebdon scored a grand goal for the City. He ran through after receiving a short pass from Cannon, manoeuvred for position, and after side-stepping two opponents drove the ball hard into the net just inside the near post. Clarke nearly added to Exeter's lead in the second half, firing a terrific shot against the bar.
Exeter team:- Davies; Lock and Barnes; Clarke, Bamsey, and Lewis; Hoyle, Taylor, Ebdon, Hurst, and Cannon.