SATURDAY 31st OCTOBER 1953.

CITY BEATEN BY BETTER TEAM.

LEYTON ORIENT 3.
EXETER CITY, 1
Singleton; Walton, Storey; Booth, Davey, Dodgin; Knight, Mitchell, Donaldson, Mackay McClelland.

Scorers
Orient Morgan, Pacey 2,
Exeter City Mackay,
Attendance 11,342,

Winning the toss was an advantage of which Leyton Orient made full use on the wind swept pitch. Losing it was a handicap which a below standard Exeter had not the ability to overcome, Orient were better In all departments. Their big thrustful forwards made full use of the elements by raiding persistently in the first half. Their defenders afterwards rose to the occasion aided in the duel for supremacy by a too dainty City attack which relied almost solely on the McClelland-Mackay flank. The first and third Orient goals resulted from Facey centres which Morgan and Pacey convertedThe second scored by Pacey when he headed in a centre from Poulton, All this occured in the first 15 minutes, Orient completely dominated proceedings and nearly added to their tally before half time. With the wind in their favour after the interval City should have done better, but all too often passes went astray, Mackay did score for Exeter in the 64th sinute, but the City attack did not function at all well. They fiddled with the ball too much not showing enough thrust,

Southern League
MERTHYR GET ANOTHER LEAGUE POINT AWAY FROM HOME

MERVYN LLEWELLYN CAME THROUGH HIS SECOND MATCH CREDITABLY

Faster on the ball and playing more accurate football, Merthyr should have won at Exeter on Saturday. However, they draw meant that this was their fifteenth consecutive game without defeat. 

City almost snatched an early lead.
Merthyr put through the first raid, but it was headed off on the right with Goddard clearing The advantage was not theirs for long and Exeter hit back.

In the fifth minute Parker centred and McClean headed towards goal. Llewellyn. Merthyr's amateur goalkeeper, dived and missed the ball, but he jumped back and stopped it on the line. Seconds later his backs had to clear when he dropped the ball. At the other end Davies was set to shoot when King kicked the ball off his foot. Kelly caught a drive from Howarth Just by the bar. A Bailey-Murphy-Parker movement split the Merthyr defence, and Richards had to pass back to the keeper to clear. Squires tested Kelly with low ground shot which the keeper had to dive to save. From Samuel's header Llewellyn just managed to tip over the bar. Murphy sent in a stinging shot that was blocked by Jenkins. After 29 minutes Merthyr took the lead. Powell shot from close range straight at Kelly. The ball rebounded to JARMAN. who kicked past the helples keeper from only a few feet.

HEAVY PRESSURE
Exeter were putting through some promising forward move ments, but the Merthyr defence atood firm as a rock. Llewellyn stopped a shot from Murphy with one hand and then Murphy lost his footing on the alippery pitch when he was well placed. Parker, who was taking a big load of the attacking. went wide.

Exeter pressed hard from the re-start. and after 17 minutes reaped their reward. McClean put the ball into the centre from the edge of the penalty area Murphy and SAMUELS both advanced and the centre-forward slipped the ball over the line past Llewellyn. A minute later Murphy, falling, tried a shot, but went just wide with the whole of the Merthyr defence wide open. Merthyr's half-back line was outstanding. and Llewellyn played well. The forwards combined excellently, the right wing pair being particularly prominent.
Result
Exeter City Res. 1-1 Merthyr