MCCLELLAND HITS BOTH:
SINGLETON & DAVEY SOUND

(By LIONEL WOTTON ("Nomad ") 

Line-up:-
City : Singleton: Walton, Rowe: McLean. Davey. Dodgin; Priestley, Knight. Samuels, Murphy, McClelland.
Walsall: Chilvers: Horne. Flavell; Dean, Bridgett, Green: Grubb, Tarrant, Holding, Jones, Morris.
Referee : E. S. Vickery, Bristol.

HUGH KELLY was out of Exeter City's team against Walsall, at St. James's Park to-day. He was a victim of rheumatism, and had to cry off last evening. Replacing the former Irish international goalkeeper was Barney Singleton and this was the only change from the advertised sides. That interest in the City was at its lowest ebb for the season was shown by the meagre attendance. It numbered under 5000 when the teams came out, and that despite fine weather. Exeter, with the sun at their backs, got off to a flying start and ought to have raced to a first minute lead. Samuels, going through the middle. was obstructed outside the penalty area. The free kick went across to McClelland, whose point-blank shot was smothered on the line. Apart from a reprisal neatly checked by Rowe it was all Exeter in the early stages, but the only further scoring attempt came from Samuels, whose low shot missed by a couple of feet. When Walsali tried to recover good defence by Walton, Rowe, and Davey held the visiting forwards at bay. Singleton was not troubled and Exeter. swarming to the attack, took the lead in the tenth minute.
City ahead
A clearance from Walton went to Samuels. who manoeuvred and passed to Knight. From the inside right the ball travelled to Murphy, and then to unmarked MCCLELLAND, who drove past the powerless Chilvers. It was the easiest of chances, and McClelland made no mistake from a few yards out. Walsall defenders protested that McClelland was offside. but no signal came from the linesman on that side of the field. City continued in the ascendant. and against a defence which was slow and uncertain, almost scored again. A combined movement had the Visiting rearguard bewildered, and Murphy's shot must have been a winner  but for the ball being deflected. At last Walsall hit back and there was merit about an all-along-the-line movement until Jones centred behind.
It was, however, only a brief interlude. The City were swiftly raiding again and McClelland's first-time shot rebounded from Chilvers' chest. Luckily for Walsall, no City forward had followed up, and Flavell was able to dribble and clear from the goalmouth.

McClelland stars
Samuel's was leading the attack energetically, but the star of a fast and accurate line was McClelland. Horne had no answer to the City winger's wiles, and there was danger every time McClelland was in possession. An example was in the 22nd minute when McClelland passed hard across the field to Priestley, The winger's centre dropped at Murphy's feet, and a delightful through pass to McClelland had Walsall further in the toils. Showing Immaculate control, McCLELLAND staved off a challenge and drove low into the corner of the net. He almost completed his hat-trick with an acutely angled shot just after. Then Walsall were a real threat for the first time so far. Three times the City goal was in peril, and Singleton was the saviour of his side. 

"Barney" there
The goalkeeper made a desperate advance to block the ball almost at the feet of the onrushing Holding. He fisted over the crossbar an awkward-looking free kick from Green. and jumped to punch out a 10 yards going away shot from Tarrant. Maintaining the improvement, Walsall forced a corner on the right and McLean, a useful half-back, kicked away from a crowded goal area. Walton, Davey, and Rowe kept out other bids, and at the other end McClelland ran into the middle, anticipating Murphy's pass, only for the ball to hit him on the back of the head, Half-time:
EXETER CITY 2-0 WALSALL
Walsall switched their wingers on the restart, and opened with an attack which petered out through Holding getting offside. When the City changed the scene McClelland was penalised for an infringernent. Play was uneventful until Rowe's header was intercepted and Tarrant cut in to shoot low. 
Good saves
It was a difficult test for Singleton who did well to turn the drive behind for a corner. A comparable thrill followed within a minute. This time Murphy centred and Knight ran ten yards to head hard into Chilver's arms. After Dodgin had dispossessed Tarrant when the Walsall forward was streaking goalwards, the City lost a golden chance Samuel's was through with only the goalkeeper to beat but failed to bring the ball under control. There was little to enthuse over in scrappy exchanges, and City were taking matters too easily. Yet a fast interpassing raid between Tarrant and Holding almost had Exeter beaten. Holding's shot missed the near post by inches. Two corners to Walsall were cleared without trouble. Davey, steady in the home defence, headed out a centre from Morris.

Due reward
City had become slow and disjointed, and the exchanges had swung in Walsall's favour. Walsall's persistence against a tiring and disjointed Exeter team was rewarded 15 minutes from the end when MORRIS gave Singleton no chance by cutting in and shooting low into the net. The City had been struggling for a long period, and the crowd rightly applauded this Walsall success, which was deserved on the run of play in this half. Exeter continued to make heavy labour of a match they should have won with the utmost ease. That only a goa! separated the sides at this juncture was due largely to the City's own shortcomings. Better efforts came in the final phase, and McClelland was unlucky when he pulled the ball back from an acute angle for Chilvers to push it around the post.
Result:
Exeter City 2-1 Walsall 

COMMENTS
By no stretch of imagination could this be called a good game. Some of the football in the first half reached a fair standard, but after the interval Exeter were poor in the extreme. Davey, in defence, did all that could be reasonably expected, and Singleton was another to come through with credit. In the attack, McClelland was in brilliant form before the interval, but like his colleagues, was not often I seen afterwards.

Southern League 
Exeter Reserves trounced by Yeovil

By FRED VOISEY

EXETER RESERVES made several changes for the game at Yeovil, while Yeovil fielded the same side which defeated Worcester last week. Exeter combined well at first, but when King broke through he was cleverly opposed by Topping. A corner kick from McKay was headed over the bar by Lunn, while another centre from McKay was headed over the goal-line by Douglas.For Yeovil, Hindley put yards wide. Brearley saved from Ryan on the goal-line following a corner. After seven minutes CLARKE deflected a free kick from Brown to put Yeovil one up. Exeter were on the defensive most of the time, with Doyle and Douglas prominent 

Great save
Edwards set McKay going on the left-wing, but his centre was too high and too hard, and all Lunn could do was to head past the post. Exeter were awarded a penalty when Nagy handled in the penalty area, but Leathers made a great save from King's spot-kick. Exeter were having far more of the play now. but their shooting was poor, both Setter and Parker missing easy chances. Brearley did well to run out and gather a high centre from Ryan, and at the Yeovil end Leathers made a great save from King. LUNN put Yeovil further ahead just before the interval, when he headed over the goal-line from Ryan's corner-kick.
Half-time:
YEOVIL 2-0 EXETER CITY RESERVES 

Exeter went straight into the attack on the resumption with Leathers making a good save from Harvey, but a further goal came Yeovil's way when RYAN, gathering a loose ball well outside the penalty area, crashed it past Brealey, giving him no chance whatever. Goddard tried hard to set his forwards going. but they found few openings in a solid Yeovil defence. Yeovil got a fourth goal when, after Clarke had headed against the crossbar, HINDLE, following up, sent it into the back of the net. Three minutes later EDWARDS scored a fifth after a free kick from Lunn had been charged down. Yeovil outplayed the City Reserves towards the end, and it was only the brilliant defensive work of Goddard, coupled with some fine goalkeeping by Brearley, that kept the score down to five
Result:

YEOVIL 5-0 EXETER CITY RES

THURSDAY 24th DECEMBER 1953.

Exeter City have signed centre forward Basil Cook on a month's trial, He is a South African who recently completed a similar spell with Torquay United. Cook previously had played for Leeds United,