SATURDAY OCTOBER 25TH: CITY v NORTHAMPTON

Whittaker Worries his Old Club:

A SPLENDID WIN

******

Exeter City's Southern League engagement today was against Northampton, at St. James's Park. It was regarded on all sides as a critical match for them, because of their lowly position (16th) in the table, and it was doubly unfortunate that the visit of such a strong side at Northampton should have become due just when the City happened to be in low waters, and the management at their wits' end in regard to choosing the best side. Their difficulties were rendered the more pronounced today owing to Brooksbank being on the sick list.

Acting on the supposition that no team chosen could put up a worse show than the eleven who went to Gillingham, it was decided to go in for experiments almost wholesale, and, in addition to the experiments, Pratt was dropped in order to give his injured ankle a further rest, so that Lagan played his first Southern League game of the season.

Northampton, who beat Millwall 5-1 last week, played Hughes at outside-left for Birtles, who was injured. Teams:-

CITY

Pym

Fort Strettle

Rigby Lagan Smith

Holt Lewis Whittaker McCann Marshall

Referee:- Mr J.H.Muir, of Southampton.

NORTHAMPTON

Hughes Brown King Freeman Tomkins

Tull Lessons Manning

Davies Clipstone

Thorpe

The Northampton party left home at 8.45 this morning, straight through to Exeter, arriving on the ground half an hour before the advertised time of the match. They were quietly confident of winning, and capturing the two points. Beautiful summerlike weather prevailed, and the conditions from every point of view were ideal.

The crowd, however, were very slow in filing in. A collection was made by the City players not engaged in the game (the reserves were without a match) on behalf of the Senghenyddcolliery disaster fund, the collection having been organised by the Exeter City Supporters' Club.

The Game.

Northampton were first out. Rigby won the toss, and the visitors were set to face the sun. King kicked off, and the Cobblers began with a fine bout of passing, but were stopped by Strettle and Smith between them. Then the game went to the other end, and Clipstone found Whittaker, a former "Cobbler", very much in evidence. Davies headed away a free-kick taken by Strettle for a foul on Marshall, and Lanning cleared from Holt after Davies had given a corner. Pym ran out to save from Tomkins, and in later moves Hughes and Brown both missed excellent chances.

Fast and Furious.

Whittaker made a dash to the Northampton end, and Davies had to kick to touch almost on the goal-line. The pace was fast and furious with both sides attacking in turn, and Fort sent in a hefty drive which Thorpe saved under the bar. The goalkeeper also ran out to a forward punt by Marshall, who had received from McCann.

When the Cobblers pressed their heading was a feature of their play. Whittaker and Lewis, however, burst through after Holt had engineered the opening, and Whittaker's shot was only inches wide. Two minutes later McCann got the ball into the net, but the whistle had already gone for a foul on Whittaker.

A Deserved Goal.

It looked, from the terraces and grandstand, that Whittaker had scored after McCann had baffled Davies and Tull, but the ball went into the side of the net. However, the goal was not long in coming about, for in the 35th minute Whittaker sent the crowd wild with delight by means of a wonderful individual effort. Receiving from McCann, he brushed past Davies and went straight for goal, driving home a magnificent shot which left Thorpe the image of helplessness. It was in the far corner of the net before he could move.

Whittaker's goal was the reward of dash and enterprise, andwas a thoroughly deserved score.

For some time afterwards there was no holding Exeter City. Once Lewis fired a shot in from nearly thirty yards, but the leather sailed high over the bar. Excitement ran high when Thorpe came out but failed to capture the ball. McCann put in a drive right on the target, but Davies had run back and headed the ball to Clipstone as he stood right under the bar. A long shot by Marshall was also on target, but Thorpe was now in his proper position, and fielded the ball with ease. The Cobblers made strenuous efforts to draw level, but were unable to, and at half-time the score was:-
EXETER CITY​1
NORTHAMPTON​0

Second Half.

Directly after the restart Lagan tried a long punt, which was headed away by Davies. The ball went to Brown, who resented the manner in which Lagan tackled him, and the pair exchanged blows, fortunately not seen by the referee.

After a short raid by the Cobblers, Whittaker took a pass from McCann, and drove in a straight half-volley which skimmed the bar and went over. A free-kick to Northampton looked troublesome, but Freeman, with a fine chance, could do no better than volley the ball high over the bar.

City Holding Their Own.

Exeter once more got away, and were more than holding their own in a gruelling contest. When Northampton attacked, Brown was halted for offside. The free-kick was nicely placed by Fort to Lewis, but the amateur's shot was safely fielded by Thorpe. A characteristic effort by Whittaker was followed by one from McCann, which Davies turned aside for a corner, but offside was given against McCann in the scramble which followed the flag-kick. Long-kicking exchanges between the backs revealed that the Northampton pair were better at this game than Fort and Strettle, the latter twice failing to clear. On one of these occasions the ball cannoned against one of the uprights and rebounded into Pym's arms. The Cobblers swarmed round Mr Muir, appealing for a goal on the grounds that the ball had crossed the line before Pym caught it, and at last the referee agreed to consult one of the linesmen. However, both the officials declared that a goal had not been scored, and play was resumed.

Pym’s Great Save.

The Cobblers were now trying with might and main to get on level terms, and the game was being fought out at a furious pace. Lewis and Whittaker used their weight against Davies and Clipstone, but the backs were too clever for them, and the ball was eventually booted to safety. After Pym had saved from King on the goal-line the Cobblers changed their team around, Tull coming up into the forward line and Tomkins dropping back to his usual position. The City continued to attack, and Holt put across a fine centre, the ball falling just right for Whittaker, whose shot was pushed over the bar by Thorpe in the nick of time. Five minutes now remained for play, and when Northampton advanced up the field Fort did not waste time on ceremony, but kicked the ball right out of the ground on to the railway lines.

Just before the close a great save was made by Pym. Northampton were increasingly dangerous, and King got clear of all opposition. A goal looked certain, and the crowd waited with bated breath, for Pym was seen to be dashing out. He hurled himself at King's feet and touched the ball from his toes. The young Topsham goalkeeper was cheered to the echo, and scarcely had the shouting died away when Whittaker put the City two up with the last kick of the match. The final whistle went with the ball still lying in the back of the net, and the crowd trooped off in high fettle.

EXETER CITY​2
NORTHAMPTON​0

Notes on the Game.

Exeter City are quite an enigma this season. After two woefully poor shows against Norwich and Gillingham they played sparkling football against Northampton, and scored their first victory for five years against the East Midlanders. They accomplished their 2-nil triumph with a reconstructed team. It was a bold experiment to play Whittaker at centre-forward, a berth he had not occupied before, and yet he brought about the discomfiture of his old club by scoring the two goals by which the City won. The first was a solo effort, shortly before half-time, and the second was a ground shot into the net from a deft pass by Lewis, right on the stroke of time.

Once Northampton claimed to have scored when Pym stepped back and caught the ball as it rebounded from an upright, but Mr Muir and the linesman were on the side of the defenders, and Exeter luckily escaped. On another occasion, five minutes before the end of the game, King brushed past all opposition and seemed to have the goal at his mercy when Pym came out, threw himself at the feet of the centre-forward, and touched the ball aside.

It was Northampton's misfortune to catch the Grecians at their best. Whittaker's form at centre-forward was a revelation, whilst McCann and Lewis were both very serviceable. Pym, Lagan, and Fort were the pick of the back divisions, and Smith also did well.

Wednesday, October 29th.

CITY RESERVES v ST. LUKE'S COLLEGE.

These teams met at St. James's Park this afternoon. The turf was slippery as the result of recent rains, and the crowd, as usual on these occasions, included its complement of enthusiastic College supporters. St Luke's included Levers, their clever left-winger, who is on Portsmouth's amateur list. The City played Marshall in goal, Lock, the local amateur at right-half, and Cox, of the Devon Regiment, at centre-forward.

Levers was soon prominent, displaying good command over the leather. The Grecians, however, soon took up the running, and Kirby kept Holt well supplied on the right wing. The College goalkeeper, Williams, saved from Cox and Goddard, but at length Kirby beat him from a pass by Holt. A centre by Orr was headed over by Cox, and Williams tipped over a drive by Evans for a corner, which proved fruitless. Cox scored a second goal from Holt's centre, and Kirby a third from Lovett's pass.

Five-Nil at Half-Time.

The College stuck to their work pluckily, but were outclassed. Levers made a good attempt to stem the tide, and then Lovett ran clean through. Williams saved his shot, but Lovett got the ball again and scored. Some ten minutes passed, and then Williams was beaten for the fifth time, the ball striking Barraclough, the Students' centre-half, and being deflected into goal. At half-time the City Reserves were leading by five goals to nil.

Second Half.

Williams did well to tip over a rasper by Kirby just after the resumption. Matthews (St Luke's) cleared from a corner, but Kirby dribbled through again to be foiled once more by Williams. Later on, Evans, who was very prominent, hit the bar and at the Exeter end Marshall saved from Wood.

Cox then scored the sixth goal for the Grecians, after which Blackburn, for St Luke's, forced a corner which Goddard cleared. Levers made another burst through, but was badly supported, and Kirby got the seventh goal with a fine screw shot. Further goals were quickly added by Holt and Orr, Williams having no chance with either shot. Holt got the tenth with an unstoppable drive, and Cox ran through for the eleventh.

The Reserves were represented by:-Marshall; Harding, Goddard; Lock, Pratt, Evans; Holt, Kirby, Cox, Lovett, and Orr.