ECFC 0-1 Crystal Palace
Attendance: 5600

CITY LACKING IN BLEND, PACE, AND FINISH.

FORWARD RESHUFFLE NOT A SUCCESS.

Within three weeks of taking over at Exeter, Mr Kirkman is wondering, no doubt, what to do next.

Charged with the task of attempting to weld a bottom-of-the-League side into something better he has already tried several different formations without much success. For the results have added up to one thing, and that is that the blend is not there. Neither does the heart of the team beat so fiercely and firmly as it might.

EXETER CITY 0 CRYSTAL PALACE 1.

Wednesday, March 26th 1952
at St James's Park.

Attendance 5,600.

Slow and shot-shy in attack, weak at wing half and left back, the un skilled and unenterprising collection of players which lost by a goal to nil against the Palace was a near-complete relegation outfit.

Exeter City:- Singleton; Walton, Rowe; Davey, Doyle, Armes; Digby, Mackay, Smith, Harrower, Regan.

Crystal Palace:- Hughes; Edwards, McDonald; McGeachie, Briggs, Chilvers;
Broughton, Rainford, Evans, Rundle, Hanlon.

The reshuffled forward line was a failure. Without thrust in either of the inside positions, without pace and punch on the wings, this Exeter City vanguard added another chapter to the lengthening serial of their mistakes and misdeeds.

There were only two serious goalscoring attempts in the first half and none in the second. The crowning blunder was Harrower's failure with a penalty kick. He shot straight at Hughes and when the ball came back to him off the goalkeeper's legs he put the rebound wide. The goal by which the Palace won the game was headed by Evans fifteen minutes from the start.