Wednesday, January 29th 1947 

CITY/RANGERS SERIAL CONTINUED. ST JAMES'S PARK COVERED IN SNOW.

Exeter City v Q.P.Rangers postponed. Snow several inches deep covered the St James's Park playing field today and the referee, Mr W.T.Strainge of Bristol, had only one look at it before declaring the City v Rangers match "off." The game was first scheduled for January 11th, but the Rangers had a Cup-tie at Middlesbrough, which ended drawn. January 15th was out of the question on account of the replay of the Cup-tie in London. The match was then provisionally arranged for the following Wednesday, January 22nd but postponed at the request of Queen's Park Rangers, and today's arrangement became the fourth attempt to get this outstanding
fixture played.

• The only previous occasion on which a League match at St James's Park was postponed through snow was in 1929 when Brighton went home after a fruitless journey.

Saturday, February 1st 1947.

Both Exeter City matches today were called off because of snowbound playing surfaces. The matches were Bournemouth v Exeter City at Bournemouth, and Exeter City Reserves v Chelmsford at St James's Park. At the Park the weather news now is that there are three feet of snow around both goal areas. The rest of the playing pitch is covered to a depth of about two feet.
There is to be an attempt to clear the snow during the week end, but the problem is where to put it.

Wednesday, February 5th 1947.

MORE POSTPONEMENTS. FOOTBALL GROUNDS STILL UNPLAYABLE.

A third Exeter City postponement in a week meant that there no match at St. James's Park to-day. was The Southern League Cup-tie between the City Reserves and Yeovil was called off. The pitch is now two or three inches under water after a sudden thaw. The players and members of the ground staff have been busy with shovels, clearing the snow off the pitch and the terraces. Operations started on Saturday but everything had to be done by hand and the thaw overtook the workers. By Monday there were pools of water all over the pitch and conditions to-day are even worse, although the snow has almost vanished.

Saturday, February 8th 1947.

Exeter City v Cardiff City cancelled.

Queues over one hundred yards long waited in the snow outside the gates of St James's Park until disappointed to learn at 2.15 p.m. of the postponement of the match between the City and Cardiff City. Parties had arrived from many parts of Devon and Somerset and there was a strong contingent from South Wales. The referee, Mr F.Lowe of Bath, reported that there was no sign of any snow until the train reached Taunton. He inspected St James's Park and found that there were four inches of snow, which made play impossible. Yesterday morning the pitch had a carpet like appearances, with snow several inches deep in places, but by midday the goal areas and the centre circle were clear. Further overnight frost and more snow this morning caused the cancellation of today's match. The following Exeter team had been selected:- Hoyle, Thompson, Blood; Cutting, Hanford, Walker; Granville, Wardle, Ebdon, Wright, Regan.

8th February 1947

SOUTHERN LEAGUE.
Bedford Town 8
Exeter City Reserves 1, at Bedford.

Team:- Todd; Pearce, Long; Rowe, Coles, Holcroft; Hutchings, Lee, Holman, Vaughan, Challis.

Wednesday, February 12th 1947.

STRONG CITY RESERVES TEAM FAILS TO BEAT BARRY TOWN. SHIVERING SPECTATORS ENDURE A GOALLESS DRAW.

City Reserves 0 Barry Town 0. Southern League Cup-tie.

City Reserves:- Hoyle; Thompson, Blood; S.Rowe, Angus, Coles; Granville, Wardle, Holman, Wright, D.Weeks.
Barry Town:- Harris; Francis, D.Smith; J. Walker, J.Smith, Scandrett; Stevenson, Russell, Williams, Clayton, Evans.

Flight-Lieutenant Stanley Rowe made his debut for the City Reserves this afternoon in a Southern League Cup match against Barry Town at St James's Park. Rowe has played a few games for Buddle Estate both at back and wing half. Also included in a team which included nine players with Football League experience was the Torrington outside left, D.Weeks. Both Rowe and Weeks were recommended to the City by Charlie Miller, who is now the club's chief scout. One thousand shivering spectators endured a goalless draw. The play seldom rose to great heights on a frostbound pitch which caused the ball to spin away at weird angles. The best attempt at goal-scoring came from Holman, who crashed a full-blooded drive against the face of the Barry crossbar in the last two minutes of the game. But Barry would have been unlucky to have lost a game in which they were generally the superior force. Thompson and Hoyle were Exeter's best defenders. Rowe, the amateur wing half, showed promise and tackled strongly. Weeks, on trial from Torrington, had a fairly good game on the left wing.

Saturday, February 15th 1947.

CITY DEFENCE UNRUFFLED AT NORWICH. SOUND TACTICS WERE DULY REWARDED.

NORWICH CITY 1 (Plunkett)
EXETER CITY 3  (Ebdon 2, Regan)
Half-time Norwich 1 City 2.

Norwich:- Wiseman; Mansfield, Tobin;
Flack, Low, Guy; Ryder, Plunkett, Church, Dutton, Eyre.
Exeter City: Hoyle; Thompson, Blood; Cutting, Hanford, Walker; Granville, Wardle, Ebdon, Wright, Regan.

A possible addition to the list of cancelled matches today was the one between Exeter City and Norwich City at Carrow Road, Norwich. Conditions on the ground were so bad yesterday that the officials of the "Canaries" contacted the Football League to cancel the fixture. But as no definite decision was given the Exeter City party was instructed to make the 270 mile rail journey to Norwich to-day on the off chance that the game would be played. Conditions had improved, however, by this morning, and the match was "on." 

Exeter's victory by 3 goals to 1 was the result of sound tactics. It was evident from the start that Norwich were relying on their young forwards to build up a winning lead by half-time. Lightly built and very fast, they did all they could to get the Exeter defenders into difficulties on the ice-bound pitch, but although a goal down at one stage Exeter refused to be rattled, and after Eyre had missed with a penalty for the home side and Ebdon had equalised for the visitors, Exeter gradually asserted themselves and scored two more goals to record a grand victory.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE MATCH
AT EXETER.

City Reserves 4 (Fellowes 2, Coles, Lee)
Dartford 3 (Cullum, Viles, Etherton)

Team:- Phillips; Murray, Staddon; Coles, Angus, Rowe; Hutchings, Lee, Long, Fellowes, and Mustard.

Wednesday, February 19th 1947.

CITY RESERVES LOSE FIVE GOALS TO YEOVIL. NOT MUCH OF A CUP TIE.

EXETER CITY RESERVES 1 (Angus) YEOVIL TOWN 5  (Doyle 2, Gore, Hartburn, Mitcheson)

Attendance 1,500.

City Reserves:- Phillips; T.Pearce, Staddon; Owen, Angus, Coles; D.Hutchings, Lee, Long, Fellowes, Mustard.
Yeovil:- Ridout; Hickman, Davis; Horlock, Affleck, T.Smith; Gore, Mitcheson, Doyle, Stock, Hartburn.

Although this match was billed as a Southern League Cup-tie there was hardly any cup-tie spirit about it. Yeovil's 5-1 victory was a walk-over. They had no obvious weaknesses, they displayed skill, determination, and pace, and they were matched against an Exeter City Reserves side which fumbled the easiest of chances. No half back in the game surpassed Affleck though there was consid erable promise in the display of Horlock. Yeovil's best forward was Mitcheson, who played a few games as a guest for Exeter City last season.

• NEW GOALKEEPER FOR EXETER CITY. Hoyle broke his nose during the match at Norwich on Saturday, and now with two goalkeepers injured Exeter City have signed another man for that position. He is J.Muirhead of the Devonport Command, and he will keep goal for the Reserves on Saturday against Gillingham.