SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 29TH.

EXETER CITY v QUEEN’S PARK RANGERS.

Another Penalty Missed: Defence Beats Attack

 

This afternoon two greatly improved teams, Exeter City and Queen's Park Rangers, met at St. James's Park, in a Southern League encounter. A noteworthy fact in regard to the previous meetings between the two clubs was that neither had won on the other's ground.

 

The Rangers, like Exeter, started the season badly, and indeed took longer than the City to 'settle down." A fortnight ago, however, James Howie, the old Newcastle United forward, became the new manager, and last Saturday the Rangers celebrated his advent upon the scene with a fine three-nil victory over the Palace.

 

Nearly the whole of the side played by the Rangers at Exetertoday have visited St. James's Park before. Nicholls, the goalkeeper, made one previous appearance when Shaw could not come to Exeter, and the only newcomers were D.Higgins, an amateur, who was chosen to partner Pullen at back, and Miller, a Scotchman from the Port of Leven F.C. Miller has been the principal goalscorer of the team. He was born at Glasgow, and is 5 ft. 8 inches in height, and weighing 11 st. 4 lbs. Higgins is a six-footer, and a native of Salisbury. Ovens, of course, is a West-country man, and played for Bristol Rovers before going to London. Mitchell, the captain, is a Birmingham man. Ives and Wake needed no introduction to the St James's Park habituees, being of course former Grecians.

 

The City Directors wisely decided the reply upon the side which had done so finely against Portsmouth and Millwall. The Grecians had 13 points for 13 matches this morning, and the Rangers 12 for a similar number of games.



The teams lined up as follows:-

CITY​

Pym

Fort Strettle
Rigby Lagan Smith
Holt Brooksbank Whittaker McCann Marshall

 

Referee:- Mr A.T.Rundle, of Coventry.

Linesmen:- Messrs H.Curtis and F.Smith, of Plymouth.

 

RANGERS

Ives Gregory Miller Birch Thompson
Wake Mitchell Ovens

Pullen Higgins

Nicholls

 

Mr H.C.Curtis, of Bristol, was to have refereed the game, but was engaged for an English Cup-tie, which took precedence.

 

Summerlike weather prevailed. There was bright sunshine, and the warmth was remindful of June rather than November.

 

The Rangers arrived at Exeter at 1.15 p.m., and were therefore on the ground over an hour before the start.

 

The Game.

There were early indications of a fine "gate." Ives and Wake came in for an enthusiastic reception, and both were looking very fit.

 

Rigby won the toss and set the Rangers to face the sun. Miller kicked off punctually at 2.30, and passed to Gregory, who put it back to Wake. The ball then went to Ives, from whose return offside was given against Gregory. In the next move Ives was himself offside, then Pym had to save from Miller.

 

The game was fast, and when the City got moving Whittaker and Higgins collided, and Pullen came across and cleared. Miller was then offside from Thompson's centre. Brooksbank dispossessed Wake and passed to Holt, but Pullen robbed the winger and gave the ball to Nicholls, this being the first time the Rangers' goalkeeper had touched it. Thompson was being allowed too much freedom, and from one of his centres Miller was penalised for offside close to the Exeter goal.

 

The City were by now making persistent efforts to reach the Rangers' end for a change, and first Whittaker and then McCann had shots charged down. A sudden dash by Miller looked dangerous, but Smith was handy, and effected a timely clearance. Whittaker raced through with two men on his heels, and his final shot looked like a winner all the way, but went just over the bar.

 

Following a free-kick taken by Holt, Nicholls let another shot by Whittaker through, but the whistle had previously sounded for offside.

 

Missed a Penalty.

Play continued to be very exciting, and it was now anybody ' s game, for the Rangers had faded after a bright opening, and were no much in control as they had been at the start.

A foul was given against Whittaker on Ovens, and it was so palpable that the City's centre-forward was admonished by the referee. Whittaker and Ovens then got at loggerheads, but in this case it was Ovens's fault.

 

Just before half-time Pullen brought Holt down in the penalty area in glaring fashion, and a penalty kick was signalled, It was taken by Whittaker, acknowledged to be the hardest shot among the City players, but to the disappointment of the crowd he put the ball a yard wide. It was the third penalty missed by Exeter City this season.

 

Half-time: Exeter City nil, Rangers nil.

 

Second Half.

When the second half started the biggest crowd of the season was present, about 7,000. The sun had gone down the game was resumed, and this, of course, was in the Grecians' favour.

McCann raced up to one of Lagan's punts, and charged Higgins over the dead-ball line, but the charge apparently did not fit in with the referee's views. Holt made a splendid run, but Wake came under the referee's ban for the manner in which he stopped him.

A nice centre from Ives looked troublesome, but Lagan robbed Gregory just in time. At the other end Whittaker was knocked out, and the feeling which had crept into the play was becoming none too pleasant. It was just what had been expected, however; a hard and stern game with no quarter given or asked for.

 

Desperate Sorties.

A bout of touch-finding on the grandstand side brought no advantage to either team, but excitement ran high when Marshall and McCann beat Ovens and bore down on the Rangers' goal. McCann got the ball into a favourable position for a shot, but Nicholls was equal to it, and cleared upfield with a long kick. At the Exeter end several weak clearances were made until Smith put to touch.

There were some desperate sorties at this end, and several times the Rangers almost scored, Strettle playing the principal part in keeping them out. It was noticeable that Ives was getting plenty of the ball at this stage.

 

With three minutes to go there were still no goals, although Whittaker put in one shot that Nicholls saved, Marshall hit the side of the net, and Holt had hard luck with a header. With the Rangers under pressure Higgins did not hesitate to kick clear into the school playground on the popular side, then almost in the very last few seconds a confident appeal for a penalty on account of a trip on Whittaker failed. A corner was given, from which Lagan headed over the bar.

Final:-

CITY ​ 0

RANGERS ​ 0

Last season: City 3 Rangers 1. In 1911-12: City 1 Rangers 1.

 

Notes on the Game, and the Penalty.

There was some talk after the game about the referee refusing to allow Fort to take the penalty. This is nonsense, because any player can be given a penalty-kick to take by his captain. The referee has no voice in the matter. What really happened was that Rigby first asked Fort to take the kick. Fort declined, but walked towards the ball to place it. Mr Rundle then asked him if he was going to take the kick, and receiving a reply in the negative, he waved Fort on one side to make room for Whittaker.

 

What happened when Whittaker tried his luck needs no re-telling. Nicholls said afterwards that the sun was so glaring that he could scarcely see the leather being placed on the spot, and added that any drive on the target, unless it hit him, would have been bound to score. Well, it wasn't a drive on the target, and it didn't score.

 

A point was thrown away in consequence, the third this season through missed penalties. Add to these the penalty goal by which Southend beat the City, and it will be seen that penalties have made four points difference to Exeter's total since the present campaign opened. Had the club those four points in their locker at the present moment they would be a good fourth on the League table instead of eighth. Nevertheless, Whittaker's failure is easily explainable, and easily pardonable. He had been under a cloud almost from the start. Mitchell stuck to him like a leech, and when he did elude the centre-half, either the wily Ovens, or the ponderous Pullen, came up to thwart him. Ovens particularly got on his nerves, and Whittaker and the old Bristolian were, on two or three occasions, seen having words of a sort.

 

Once, when they fell, the City centre-forward was fouled, and he retaliated in open, flagrant fashion. It was a foolish act, and even allowing for the way in which his temper had been taxed, and naturally having seen the incident the referee administered a caution.

 

Then on top of all that Whittaker was brought up to take the penalty kick, went at it impetuously, and missed the goal. Fort or McCann, the coolest heads in the team, would have been in much better mood, and it is about time that some conclusive understanding was arrived at for future penalties. Unless the Grecians soon score from one, they will be earning the same sort of notoriety as belonged to West Ham two or three years ago. The Hammers scored only from one out of eight penalty kicks that year.

 

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ST AUSTELL v CITY RESERVES.
Plymouth and District League.

 

These teams drew, one goal each, at St Austell, Lewis scoring for the Reserves and Blight, from a penalty, for St Austell.

 

The City Reserves were unlucky not to have won, for the penalty by which St Austell equalised ought never to have been awarded. It came about through the inside-left of the Cornish side falling over Harding's leg as the Exeter player attempted quite properly to play the ball. There were other features of the game which did not help to make it a pleasant one, but under the circumstances Exeter did not do badly to draw, for Gerrish failed to turn up, and Cox was played at centre-forward, with Greenaway, the assistant trainer, at outside-right.

Greenaway, of course, was completely out of practice, and the absence of Gerrish made a big difference.

 

The following represented the Reserves:- Loram; Harding, and Goddard; Hunt, Pratt, and Evans; Greenaway, Lewis, Cox, Lovett, and Orr.

 

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From the London Press.

Exeter City v Q. P. Rangers.

 

MISSED CHANCES: EVEN A PENALTY

 

It was a struggle between the respective defences at Exeter, where Queen's Park Rangers took part in a goalless draw. Not once throughout the game did either custodian have a difficult shot to deal with, neither forward line being at all effective.

 

In the first half the Rangers were responsible for a great deal of clever footwork. They were superior to Exeter in this respect, but the lack of finish was very pronounced. Pym saved once from Gregory following a free kick, whilst a dash by Whittaker ended with the home centre-forward sending behind.

 

Exeter had a chance of gaining the lead from a penalty, awarded for a foul by Pullen on Holt, but Whittaker drove the ball wide.

 

During the second half there was a lot of aimless kicking, and the ball went to touch in a monotonous manner. There was little to raise excitement until the concluding stages, when the City made a great effort to get the lead. Marshall swung across a good centre, which was wasted, and a corner kick was headed over by Lagan. The City played much below the form they have shown in recent games, their forwards especially failing. They were disjointed and seldom together, and with the possible exception of Holt, none were very good. The middle line, too, was ineffective, and a lot of work was thrown on the backs, but Fort and Strettle were again in splendid form, and cleared time after time.

 

The Rangers were best served by their defenders, Mitchell, Wake, and Pullen being the outstanding players. There was cleverness in the forward line, but they were apt to overdo it, and because of this many chances were lost. In fact it was a game of frequently missed chances.