SATURDAY NOVEMBER 15TH: PORTSMOUTH v CITY
A Heavy Scoring First Half:
POINTS SHARED

 

The Grecians this season have shown their best form against the strongest of the Southern League clubs they have met. To-day they have had a chance of displaying their qualities against one of the most improved teams in the Competition, namely Portsmouth. Pompey were by no means a great combination last year, when they were fresh from their spell in Division II, but during the present campaign they have at times shown form remindful of the Portsmouth teams of earlier days.

 

The City directors picked the same side as was victorious over Brighton, and Brooksbank was therefore again at inside-right. The party, with Mr W.Norman in charge, left Queen Street Station last evening at 6.2 p.m., and proceeded to Southampton, where they stayed overnight, going on to Portsmouth this morning. This is the first time the City have gone overnight for a match at Portsmouth, and it was done on the present occasion in order to avoid a rush from the station to the ground, followed by a hurried change.

 



POMPEY

Heath

Warner Dexter

Arnold Harwood Reid

Hogg Stringfellow Powell Mounteney Shaw

 

Referee:- Mr F.Heath, of Birmingham.

 

CITY

Marshall McCann Whittaker Brooksbank Holt
Smith Lagan Rigby

Strettle Fort

Pym

 

The Exeter City team arrived at Fratton Park over an hour before the start, which was made an early one as the referee was desirous of catching a railway connection through to Birmingham.

 

The weather was fine but the ground was soft. Rigby won the toss. The opening was quiet, and marked by a lot of high kicking.

 

Holt was offside in Exeter's first attack, then Lagan breasted the ball forward, serving Whittaker nicely. Whittaker's swinging pass out to the left went into touch with Marshall in pursuit.

 

Holt got two good centres across, which were both wasted, and with play still in the Pompey half Harwood deliberately fisted the ball while on the ground, and right under the referee's nose. The official, however, much to the amusement of the crowd, did not award a free-kick. Fort relieved Exeter's defence by clearing a rush led by Powell, while at the other end McCann shot weakly, and Brooksbank was offside.

 

Whittaker Opens the Score.

Excitement was caused when Mounteney bored his way inward. Pym fielded Shaw's shot, only to drop the ball, but turning about, he quickly recovered it, and cleared under pressure from Mounteney and Shaw. A minute later Pompey confidently appealed for a penalty for hands, but only a corner was given. This was kicked out by one of the Exeter backs, and then Pym came out of a desperate scramble in brave fashion, and the crowd gave him a generous round of applause.

 

Portsmouth were very persistent in this stages, and were only being held with great difficulty. Exeter, however, made headway on the left, and Warner twice cleared.

 

After fifteen minutes' play Heath was called on to deal with a difficult dropping centre from Rigby. The sun was in his eyes, and he pulled the leather down but could not hold it. Whittaker had raced up, and in a twinkling the leather was rammed home for the opening score. It was a smart piece of work on Whittaker's part, and done very quickly.

 

Within four minutes, however, Stringfellow had equalised. The trouble began when Strettle miskicked, and the Pompey forwards at once advanced in a line. Exeter's defence was nonplussed by the speed of the move, and Mounteney slipped the ball through to Stringfellow, who scored with Pym dashing out of his goal.

 

Whittaker Again.

The City tried hard to get the lead again, and Holt was held by Dexter, Rugby fashion, but nothing came of the free kick. A nice headed pass by Brooksbank went to Holt, but the winger dribbled the ball over the goal-line. Holt was then hemmed in when put in possession by Brooksbank, and for a time all the play was at the Portsmouth end. Whittaker tried to rush the backs with a fierce lunge, and was the picture of "injured innocence" when a foul was given against him.

 

At the Exeter end Rigby saved a very awkward looking situation, and then, after Whittaker had been whistled up for offside, Pym made a great save at the expense of a corner. Away came the City. Brooksbank cut out the opening for Holt with a neat pass, and the young City winger delivered a fast ground centre across the face of the Pompey goal. Whittaker dashed in, and catching the ball beautifully on the side of his boot, whipped it into the back of the rigging. It was a great goal, beautifully executed, and the crowd were unstinted in their applause.

 

Pym Bustled Out of Possession.

Play after this became very exciting. The City were, all the time, endeavouring to play good football, Rigby and Smith being frequently in the picture, swinging the ball about with passes to either wing, and Brooksbank was also playing a vastly improved game. Pompey, however, were an equally good side, and once Rigby was lucky to get in the way of a hefty drive by Mounteney.

 

But in a similar move a few moments later Mounteney shot, for Pym to fumble the ball and allow the tall inside-left to follow up and scoop it into the net. The goalkeeper was bustled out of possession.

 

Four goals had thus been scored in twenty minutes, against two reputedly great defences, and the fun was fast and furious.

 

Heath came through a mass of City players with the ball, and Holt narrowly failed to score when challenged by Dexter. As the interval approached Pompey were piling on the pressure, and from a centre by Shaw, Strettle rushed across and headed behind for a corner. The flag-kick was perfectly placed, and Hogg headed over the bar at express speed. Pym saved at full length a great shot from Stringfellow, pushing the ball round the post. The corner came to nothing, and at half-time the score was:

PORTSMOUTH ​ 2

CITY ​ 2

 

Second Half.

The second half opened at diminished speed, and twice the City defence held up to appeal for offside against Shaw, when they should have gone for the ball. A corner was forced at the Pompey end by Marshall, who then placed his flag-kick behind the goal.

 

Pompey rushed through to the Exeter end, and Fort headed over his goal-line to give the home team a corner. Stringfellowtook the kick and placed the leather on to the top of the cross - bar, whence it rolled on to the top of the net. Exeter's defence was too inclined to ease up when appealing for offside, and Pompey once or twice came very near to obtaining the lead for the first time. Portsmouth got a doubtful looking corner through the intervention of one of the linesmen, but from the flag-kick Holt got the ball and ran right through to the other end, only for Warner to come across and check his progress. McCann was going through nicely when he was badly fouled by Harwood, but the free kick was of no avail.

 

Excitement was at a high pitch when Smith mad a great effort to check Hogg, but was beaten. The winger sent across a high centre, but Rigby was first to the ball and headed it out of danger. Then Strettle burst through and swung the leather out to Holt, whose fine pass was unfortunately missed by Marshall.

 

Powell was whistled up for offside, and in the next minute Holt was going through in great style when Warner brought him down just outside the penalty line. Whittaker took the free-kick, but his shot rose too high and cleared the crossbar by a couple of feet.

 

Portsmouth attacked with vigour, and Lagan cleared with a huge kick, sending the ball right over the roof of the grandstand. A similar attack won a corner on the Portsmouth left, which was cleared by Smith, and with a quarter of an hour to go, it was still anybody's game.

 

Smith's Last-Minute Clearance.

Portsmouth were doing most of the attacking, but the City were always dangerous when on the move, and Holt, despite the shaking up he had received from Warner, showed no trace of nerves. McCann was badly treated by the opposition, who did not take too kindly to his dribbling qualities. Fort was splendid in his tackling, and once plunged in and took the ball right off Stringfellow's foot.

 

With barely seconds remaining Pompey stormed to the attack in hurricane fashion, and Exeter's goal looked certain to fall. Fort was bowled over in the rush, and all seemed lost when Smith saved the day with a dashing clearance from almost under the crossbar.

 

FINAL: PORTSMOUTH 2, EXETER CITY 2.

Last season: Portsmouth 2 Exeter City 1. In 1911-12: no match.

 

NOTES ON THE GAME

It was a fine game, and one of the fastest seen at Fratton Park this season.

 

The first half was thrilling, and the goals were obtained in a way that roused the crowd of ten thousand to a high pitch of excitement and enthusiasm.

 

Exeter City thoroughly deserved their point, and were perhaps,just a little unlucky not to win, for Pym was hustled into giving Pompey their second goal. This was doubly unfortunate, considering the several fine saves he had previously made. He was not nearly so much troubled in the second half, this being principally due to the splendid defence of Fort, Strettle, and Lagan, and the support given by Rigby and Smith. They were all excellent.

 

It was a case of two smart teams meeting, and of their merits being so level that a draw did justice to both.

 

The City's forward line gave its best display of the season, and Holt is developing into a fast and dangerous winger. His pace today was too much for the men opposed to him. Whittaker got his two goals through splendid opportunism, his second being one of the best scored by Exeter this season.

 

EXETER CITY RESERVES
versus R.M.L.I., at St. James's Park

 

The City Reserves met the Royal Marines in a Plymouth League match at Exeter this afternoon. The Grecians fielded a very strong team, with seven professionals, whilst the visitors' team included Reeves, the Devon County captain.

 

CITY RESERVES

Loram
Goddard Harding
Evans Pratt Hunt
Tucker Lewis Gerrish Lovett Orr

Referee:- Mr. Jackson.

ROYAL MARINES

Rouseau
Reeves Slocombe
Sgt Williams Spargo Wells
Pte Williams Parkins Marshall Jack Clough

 

Reeves won the toss, and the City kicked off with the sun in their eyes, and were the first to attack. Reeves cleared a long punt upfield from Pratt, and set his forwards going, but Parkins got offside. Play remained in midfield until Lovett got away, and sent to Orr, who in turn was offside. The Marines were awarded a free kick just outside Exeter's penalty area, but Evans cleared and sent the ball out to Orr. From his centre Lewis won a corner off Reeves, and from this Pratt headed wide of the posts.

 

Clough beat Hunt and Harding, but his centre was caught and cleared by Loram. The Royal Marines were having the better of the game, but offside spoilt some likely chances. Eventually Clough passed across to Parkins, who ran ahead, drew Loram out, and put the visitors ahead with a well taken goal.

 

Two Quick Goals.

The Reserves restarted, and Rouseau punched away a long drive from Evans. After a brief attack by the visitors the Reserves got away again, and Tucker, receiving from Lewis, centred for Lovett to head the equalising goal. The whistle had, however, blown for hands by Reeves, and the goal was disallowed but a penalty given instead, from which Evans scored. Five minutes later the Reserves attacked strongly, and Evans placed them ahead with a magnificent long shot.

 

Orr then went right through and had an excellent chance of a score, but he was too slow and allowed Wells to clear. A fierce drive by Clough was brilliantly saved by Loram, and another one from Jack hit the bar.

At half-time the score was:-

Exeter City Reserves 2, Royal Marines 1.

 

The visitors restarted, and in the first minute Loram had to save from Clough. Several miskicks made things look dangerous for the City, but Evans cleared well from Parkins. Exeter continued to attack, and Evans passed nicely to Orr, who put across a centre which fell into the net for the third goal. After Reeves had put Marshall through, the centre-forward was tackled by Harding, and the Exeter player was kicked by Marshall, the pair almost coming to blows. The referee then intervened, and sent Marshall off the field. There had been some rough play prior to this, and Marshall had already been cautioned.

 

Orr dribbled past Slocombe, and with Rouseau coming out to meet him he centred for Lovett to place the ball into an unguarded net. The game ended in semi-darkness with the Reserves victorious by four goals to one. The leading positions in the Plymouth League are now held by the following clubs:

 

	Pld	Won	Drn	Lost	Goals	Pts
Exeter City Reserves	9	7	1	1	24- 7	15
Royal Naval Barracks	10	6	3	1	24-11	15
Argyle Reserves	8	5	2	1	19- 8	12
Millbrook Rangers	8	4	3	1	16-11	11