CITY GAIN FIFTH SUCCESSIVE LEAGUE VICTORY. EBDON'S FIRST GOAL AS A "PRO" THE BEST.
HAROLD HOUGHTON RETURNS TO THE PARK.

Saturday, December 21st 1935.
Exeter City 3 Bristol Rovers 1.

Widespread fog and frost caused havoc to the football programme this afternoon, and matches were cancelled at Manchester City, Highbury, Blackpool, Bury, Coventry, Newport, Torquay United, and Oldham in the Football League, and at Airdrie, Motherwell, Glasgow (Partick), Greenock, and Dumbarton in Scotland. Visibility was not easy at St James's Park owing to a gathering fog, and the crowd only amounted to about 4,000, in spite of the fact that "Happy" Houghton, the idol of the Exeter supporters of a few years ago, was back at the "Park" with the Rovers' team. Dick Ebdon, who signed professional forms for Exeter City last week, was playing his first match as a member of the paid men.

EXETER CITY
Chesters
Gray Miller
Clarke Robinson Angus
J.Scott T.Scott Ebdon McLean Hurst

Referee:- Mr B. Ames.

Prout Houghton Harris Harwood Woodman
McArthur McLean Wildsmith
Preece Pickering
Ellis
BRISTOL ROVERS

Exeter City defeated Bristol Rovers by three goals to one this afternoon, and thus gained their fifth successive victory in the League competition. The margin of success in no way flattered them. It should have been greater, but again there was a lot of bad finishing by the forwards. Dick Ebdon, playing his first match as a professional, scored the first goal, and a grand effort it was, the best one of the match in fact. It was a perfectly timed header, which flicked the ball into the top corner of the net well out of the reach of Ellis after Clarke had centred from a seemingly impossible position from near the corner flag and hemmed in by Pickering and another Bristolian. No fault could be found with the home defence, which played very soundly under conditions rendered unfavourable because of the frostbound pitch and the poor visibility. In the Exeter half-back line Clarke was a conspicuous performer. He was more like the old "Nobby" Clarke, showing all his well known qualities of tenacious tackling and confidence in his promoting of attacks.

HOUGHTON'S DISTINCTION.

Scott and Hurst were the pick of the forwards, although McLean was as good as any when in possession of the ball. Playing against his former club, Harold Houghton made a welcome return to the ground on which he made his name, particularly in those glorious F. A. Cup matches of 1931, and he enjoyed the distinction of being the best and cleverest Bristol forward. His deft touches and nimble side-stepping of defenders were to Exeter's supporters remiscent of his palmy days, and it was his scheming and his pass to Prout which brought about the Rovers' only goal, Harris heading the ball home from Prout's centre. Owing to one of the officials being delayed by the weather and failing to put in an appearance a substitute linesman had to be found. Jimmy McCambridge undertook the duty. Twenty minutes after the start the referee made a much belated arrival, having been held up owing to the dislocation of the railway service from Birmingham. Exeter led at the interval by the goal scored by Ebdon. In the gathering gloom of the second half it was just possible to see Harris score for Bristol Rovers, and Clarke and Tom Scott get two more for Exeter.