Saturday, October 30th 1948.

SWANSEA TOWN 6
EXETER CITY 0.

Scorers:- Rowe own goal, Richards 2, McCrory, Payne, O'Driscoll.
Half-time 3-0.
Attendance 29,000.

Exeter City have conceded twenty goals in their last three matches away from home and scored only two. Defensive weaknesses which were glaringly apparent at Leyton Orient and Notts County were just as obvious at Swansea, where the Town raced to a runaway triumph. For half an hour the City, though hard pressed, toiled manfully and kept the rampant Swansea attackers at bay. A measure of stability seemed to have returned to the Exeter rearguard, until three goals came in a disastrous five minutes' spell just before the interval.

SWANSEA:- Parry; Feeney, Keane; Paul, Weston, Burns; Payne, McCrory, Richards, Lucas, O'Driscoll.

CITY: Hoyle; Johnstone, Rowe; Fallon, Davey, Walker; Dymond, Evans, Johnston, Mackay, Regan.

The City were unlucky in the first goal, which followed the award of a free kick for hands by Johnstone. The ball was lobbed to O'Driscoll, who pushed his way through committing more than one infringement on the way, before driving sharply into the goalmouth, where Rowe mis kicked and deflected the ball into his own net. The remainder of Swansea's goals were the reward of extra pace and superior football skill. Richards and McCrory netted the second and third goals. Defensive blunders enabled Payne and Richards to score midway through the second half and the last goal, a few minutes from the end, was from a great first-time shot by O'Driscoll.


Southern League
CITY RESERVES 2 GUILDFORD 0.

Ronald Rew, an amateur centre-forward of Sea Mills, Bristol, led the City Reserves' attack at St James's Park today, and scored the first goal. Exeter's other goal was obtained by Harrower.

If clever approach work alone was sufficient to produce results, Cuildford City would have beaten Exeter City Reserves instead of losing by two goals to nil in their Southern League match at St. James Park. It may be poor consolation for loss of the points, but the precision with which they opera- ted to get to close quarters, was better than anything seen at St. James Park this season in a league fixture.

Through well-directed passes and  first rate positional play, the Guildford forwards frequently got to within striking distance. On several occasions a goal seemed imminent, Lut either the at tacks petered out, or the home backs succeeded in clearing their lines.

What Guildford lacked was a sharp shooting forward. The forwards appeared to be shot shy. There was an exception. Kelly, on the right wing did have a go" when he had a chance. Easily the best forward on view, his play was characteristied by speed and clever footwork. More often than not, he got the better of duels with Clark, the home left back. His best scoring effort came in the first half. when he had Singleton, in the home goal, beaten with a shot which hit the framework.

On the opposite wing Penn had a similar experience, after showing the defence a clean pair of heels. It was, in fact, the wingers from whom the Reserves had most to fear. Apart from those two near misses, however, Singleton was not tested, although Penn once headed against the crossbar.

Neither Morgan nor the inside forwards succeeded in what looked like a scoring shot. They were, however, up against a defence which never wavered, even when the pressure was hottest. Coles the home centre-half, had seldom played a sounder defensive game. Chapman, his opposite number was a stout  defender, with sound constructive ideas, Little fault could be found with the play of the full backs, although they were too prone to put back to Geard, especially in the second half.

The opening goal came from a shot which Geard would have saved nine times out of ten. A home attack developed on the right. HUTCHINGS rounded Mansfield and cut inwards. Geard had ample time to position him- self and did, but he allowed the ball to pass under him into the net.

That happened in the first five min- autes, It was a misfortune from which 1ooked if they might re cover. They had a full share of the first-half exchanges, and were better than the Reserves after the interval. It would have been no surprise had they equalised, but just before the end their fate was scaled by a second goal.

The scorer was E. REW, a Bristol and District League amateur, who was leading the home attack, and had been more or less starred by his colleagues. Hin only chance was from a centre by O'Hagan, outside left, and he took it to give Geard no chance with a hard ball drive within the penalty area.

The crowd of 3,234, who paid £112, had their moneysworth, the football on each side heing well above Southern League standard.

Exeter:- Singleton; Warren, Clark, Cutting, Coles, Jeffery; Hutchings, Harrower, R.E.Rew, Grant, O'Hagan.

Guildford City. Geard; Ranson, Mansfield: Anderson, Chapman. Collier: Kelly, Gleeson, Coates, Morgan, Penn.