ECFC v Bristol Rovers (L 0-1) Attendance: 7088

City Beaten Bristol
MISTAKE BY ARMES GIVES ROVERS THE WINNING GOAL.

Dramatic near misses alternated with inexcusable finishing blunders when Exeter City met Bristol at St James's Park.

Yet the only goal of the contest came from a speculative long shot by Sampson, which gave the Rovers a hard-earned victory, 18 minutes from the finish. The goal followed a bad mistake by Armes, who put the ball across in front of his own goal when he could easily have kicked into touch.

EXETER CITY O BRISTOL ROVERS 1.

Wednesday, January 16th 1952
at St James's Park.

Attendance 7,088. Receipts £523. 3s.6d.

City:- Singleton; Warren, Rowe; Armes, Doyle, Davey; Digby, Smart, Walton, Mackay, Howells.

Rovers:- Hoyle; Bamford, Fox; Pitt, Warren, Sampson;
Petherbridge, Roost, Lambden, Bradford, Bush.

While the Rovers forwards positioned themselves better, and were the stronger, heavier, and faster team on the muddy ground, there was very little to choose between these West-country rivals in other respects. The first half was mainly in Bristol's favour.

After the interval the City were in the ascendant, and this stern duel would have fittingly ended in a draw but for a prodigal waste of easy chances in the final phase.

As at Plymouth on Saturday, Exeter City had weaknesses which ran right through the left flank of the team. Rowe was too slow, Davey failed in every phase of a wing-half-back's
duties, and Howells was no answer to the left wing problem. Smart and Digby were also innocuous on the right wing. The City's best players were Doyle and Singleton. In Doyle's case it can also be said in his favour that he was up against, in Lambden, one of the leading centre-forwards in the Southern Section.