The Grecians in Great Form:
A Brilliant Victory

POMPEY EASILY BEATEN

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For the first time in the history of Exeter City, the club was this year excused from the preliminary rounds of the English Cup. Their fate in the First Round draw was awaited with keen interest by the team's supporters, and there were mixed feelings when it was known that they had to go to Portsmouth. For three weeks the speculation as to what would happen today has been rife. Some of the more optimistic declared for a win outright, many favoured a draw, and of course there was a big percentage who thought that Exeter were foredoomed to failure. The enthusiasts based their confidence in the soundness of the City team's defence, and the fact that they had had fewer goals scored against them than any other club in the Southern League. The prophets of a defeat, on the other hand, pointed to the Grecians' poor record in the Cup, and emphasised the fact that they had never ousted a first-class club from the competition.

 

The Exeter City team, together with reserve players, directors and officials, left Queen Street station last evening at six p.m., and journeyed through to Southampton, where they stayed in quiet, comfortable quarters last night, completing the remainder of the trip to Portsmouth this morning. The players included Whittaker, who had not played since December 13th, when he strained a thigh muscle in the match against Swindon. Both teams had trained at home for today's big match, and Pompey were expected to field the same side as did duty last week at Coventry, where four goals were equally divided. This eleven included Heath, the young custodian from Sunderland District League, A.E.Knight, the famous English International, Hogg, a winger from South Shields, Stringfellow, a forward from Sutton-in-Ashfield, Mounteney, another forward, from Loughborough, Upton, formerly with the 'Spurs, and Harwood, a fine centre-half, late of Southend United and Chelsea.

 

Nearly fifteen hundred Grecian supporters, flying their colours and voicing their enthusiasm for Exeter's cause, poured into the town between 12 and 1 o'clock. There were two train-loadsfrom Exeter, and a splendid run was made well to time to the Fratton station. The outlook was none too cheery at Portsmouth, however, for shortly after the City supporters' arrival a drifting rain began to fall, and there was a sea-mist which was likely to interfere with the view of the play.

 

This, however, quite failed to damp the Exonians' spirits, and they took up their positions on the ground in jubilant mood.

 

Fortunately, the rain had cleared off before the game started. The sides were:-

POMPEY

Heath

Warner Knight

Walls Harwood Arnold

Hogg Stringfellow Mounteney James Upton

 

Referee:- Mr C.C.Fallowfield, of London.

 

CITY

Marshall McCann Whittaker Lovett Holt
Smith Lagan Rigby

Strettle Fort

Pym

 

The City players arrived on the ground at 1.40, and met with a boisterous reception when they came out to inspect the turf. It was on the soft side, and calculated to cut up badly. Before the start Pompey's supporters were counting on at least a three - nil victory. At two o'clock there were 10,000 spectators present, and at the kick-off quite 18,000.

 

The Game.

Pompey won the toss, and Whittaker kicked off. McCann lost the ball to Warner, and Pompey got away, Pym having to handle in the first minute. In the next move Walls floundered in midfield, and let Whittaker through, but the centre-forward dallied, and his pass to Holt was intercepted by Arnold, the ball finally going into touch. Harwood set his forwards going, but Stringfellow was hopelessly wide with a long shot. Portsmouth had started very strongly, the early play being mainly in Exeter's half. A long clearance by Rigby transferred the scene of activity, but Holt was pulled up for offside. Smith cleverly robbed Hogg, but in further midfield exchanges a free kick was given against McCann, for a foul. Hogg tested Pym with a shot taken on the run, and at the other end Knight came across to dispossess Marshall, who had received from Whittaker. Pompey implemented a further attack on their left, but their finishing was poor. A free-kick against Lagan was easily cleared, and Exeter began to have more of the play.

 

The Unexpected.

After ten minutes Holt rushed through from a pass by Whittaker, and going forward at great speed pushed the ball round Knight to finish up with a glorious rising shot that sailed into the net just under the bar. Thus the unexpected happened, amid great and prolonged cheering from the Exeter contingent.

 

Directly afterwards a free-kick was given against Pym for carrying, and the City cleared hurriedly with the home forwards all round their goal. Three times the referee saw fit to overlook infringements by Pompey, and the game had now warmed up to become quite a typical Cup-tie.

 

After eighteen minutes the City obtained their second goal, it being almost in the nature of a gift. Lagan skied the ball up the field, and Whittaker rushed at Heath as he came out of his goal. The goalkeeper touched the ball, but steered it to Marshall, who swept it coolly into the net with Warner making frantic efforts to get there first. Another tumult of applause from the City's supporters greeted this goal.

 

Exeter for a time dominated play, but Portsmouth began to make frenzied efforts only to send the ball either behind or over the bar. Lagan was penalised for hands just outside the line, but the free-kick was cleared. Lovett tested Heath with a shot from long range, and Strettle was prominent at the other end, twice saving his lines in fine style. Holt was offside when given the ball by Whittaker, and although Portsmouth were territorially superior, the Grecians always looked more dangerous when nearing the goal precincts.

 

Pym's Great Save.

The City forwards, in fact, were doing splendidly, with Holt in particular a. constant menace on the right wing. In a concerted rush on the Exeter goal a penalty-kick, for which nobody saw any reason, was awarded to Pompey. Pym, in fact, was laid out before the kick could be taken, but resuming between the posts, he threw himself at Warner's shot to make a masterly save, diverting the leather over the bar for an unproductive corner. The deafening volume of cheering from the City's jubilant supporters must have surely been heard miles away, and Pym was surrounded by his team-mates congratulating him on his great save. As half-time approached both sides made strenuous dashes, and play was intensely exciting. Pym again saved brilliantly following a corner, and Whittaker very nearly scored for the City just on half-time.

The half ended with the score:-

EXETER CITY​2

PORTSMOUTH​0

 

Second Half.

Exeter's half-time lead had been secured despite wholesale rulings of the referee against them, and the giving of the penalty had fairly taken the City supporters' breath away. Yet despite everything being in their favour Portsmouth could do absolutely nothing right. They started off the second half at a great pace, but Pym ran out and smothered Mounteney'sattempt at a shot.

 

Offside stopped the home side in the next minute, and then an attack by Exeter was finished off by Strettle shooting behind. A free-kick against Whittaker for offside brought nothing tangible, and Exeter, with Smith and Rigby in terrific form, were giving nothing away. A thin rain had begun to fall again, and the ground was churning up very badly. The City attacked with long, swinging passes, and in one rush Marshall was hurt, but resumed.

 

The referee, who throughout the game had appeared very biased against Exeter, raised an ironic cheer from the City supporters when he gave Mounteney offside. But he quickly had Whittaker for the same offence at the other end, just the same. Heath saved a daisy-cutter from Whittaker and a high one from Holt.

 

City's Third Goal.

At the Exeter end there was a thrilling save by Pym, and then lo and behold a third goal fell to the City. Lagan pushed the ball out to Marshall, who beat Warner and ran on as far as the verge of the penalty area. He "dummied" Harwood by pretending to make a square pass to Whittaker, and racing on steered the leather into the net well wide of Heath. Wild cheering was again heard from Exeter's supporters, and Marshall was hugged and embraced by his delighted colleagues on the scoring of the third goal.

 

The question now became one of Exeter's ability to keep Pompey out, for the home side would not acknowledge defeat even though they were three goals to the bad, and kept at it in praiseworthy fashion. There was now only the matter of fifteen minutes to go, and with the rain increasing the light was failing badly. Lagan broke up another Pompey raid with a Loram tackle, and it could now be realised that although they never ceased trying Portsmouth were a beaten team. Away came Holt with that long, raking stride of his; for sheer pace he beat two men, then just as Knight got ready to tackle himhe shot, and Heath was beaten to the wide.

 

With only four minutes remaining the City had won, and by such a score as was never contemplated. The Grecians literally toyed with the opposition in the closing stages, with their supporters making themselves heard all round the ground, and the whistle finally blew to end a surprising match, with the score:-

EXETER CITY​4

PORTSMOUTH​0

 

Notes on the Game.

The Cardiff whacking is avenged, at the expense of Portsmouth. The irrepressible Grecian supporters paraded off the ground, in a joyous mood, chiming "One, Two, Three, Four" in a mock imitation of the famous Pompey Chimes, for it was an astounding victory. At the start Pompey overplayed Exeter, but after that early goal by Holt the City never looked back.

 

Their second goal was almost a gift, but their last two were splendid, and the City finished up like a great Cup side, outplaying Pompey at all points, and at times almost toying with them. Exeter won because they were infinitely the better Cup side, and praise of the Grecians' play throughout cannot be too high.

 

There is no point in individualising, for all the men did well, and the game was won by four goals from the wingers.

 

Mention should be made, however, of the wonderful penalty save by Pym at a critical stage of the game. He was laid out in the rush which led to the penalty, and the trainer's attentions were required before he could get up to shape for it, yet he saved in glorious style to prove himself the master of Warner, the Pompey captain, who took the kick. On this form Exeter are little short of a great Cup-fighting side, and Exonians may look forward with some confidence to Monday's draw.

 

THE LONDON PRESS.

POMPEY'S DEBACLE: EXETER'S BIG SURPRISE:

 

Portsmouth lived up to their reputation when they again failed badly in a cup-tie at Fratton Park, this being the second year insuccession that they have lost at home in the first round to a Southern League team. Exeter City were the visitors, and they won handsomely by four goals to nil, the margin being richly and well deserved. The official return of the gate was 18,379 spectators and receipts amounting to: £712. 6s. 0d., and it is a source of great disappointment that a club which commands such constantly good support should have been responsible for such an utterly poor display as Portsmouth gave.

 

Both teams were at full strength, and it was thought that the struggle would have provided a keen and close contest, but as it turned out Exeter had a big pull all round and played football which was undoubtedly streets ahead of their rivals. This was mainly due to the visitors having all the luck there was knocking about in the early stages, for the game had not been in progress for more than ten minutes before Holt, profiting by hesitancy on the part of the home defenders, who stood appealing for offside, cut in and netted the ball with a fast oblique shot.

 

Five minutes later Marshall was presented with an unexpected opening, thanks to the failure in the first place of Warner to clear, and then to a faulty bit of work by Heath, who pushed the ball out to Marshall when he had plenty of opportunity of sending it up the field. This was not the conclusion of Pompey's chapter of accidents, for Warner, the home Captain, failed to score from the penalty mark at a time when Portsmouth showed some signs of rallying and when a goal would have been of inestimable value.

 

There was no further scoring until after the change of ends, when Exeter completely dominated the game and scored twice more, Marshall being responsible for the first and Holt winding up with a beauty towards the end.

 

A Cup-Fighting Team.

Exeter proved themselves a much better cup-fighting side than their rivals, and adapted themselves to the conditions in a far more business like style than Pompey. The ground was very heavy after the rain, and this being so, it was clearly policy to swing the ball about and utilise the speed of the extreme wingers, and thus keep the defence continually on the run. This Whittaker, the leader of the Exeter line, did to perfection, as is shown by the fact that all four goals came from the outside men. The Exeter defence was very fine, Pym, Fort, and Strettle proving a safe and resourceful triumvirate, and the half-backs, Lagan particularly, tackling with great keenness. Not many of the Portsmouth players enhanced their reputations, only James, Arnold, and Warner being anywhere near their usual form.

 



CUP HOLDERS TO PLAY AT ST. JAMES'S PARK
Argyle to Visit Sunderland:

 

The draw for the second round of the English Cup, made at the headquarters of the Football Association on Monday January 12th, paired the following teams, ties to be played on the ground of the first named club, in each case.

 

Birmingham v Huddersfield Town,

Blackburn Rovers v Hull City or Bury,

Bolton Wanderers v Swindon Town,

Burnley v Derby County,

EXETER CITY v ASTON VILLA,

Glossop v Preston North End,

Leeds City v West Bromwich Albion,

Liverpool or Barnsley v Gillingham,

Manchester City v Leicester Fosse or Tottenham Hotspur,

Millwall Athletic or Chelsea v Bradford City,

Oldham Athletic or Brighton and Hove Albion v Clapton Orient or Nottingham Forest,

Queen's Park Rangers or Bristol City v Swansea Town,

Sheffield United v Bradford Park Avenue,

SUNDERLAND v PLYMOUTH ARGYLE,

West Ham United v Crystal Palace,

Wolverhampton Wanderers v The Wednesday.

 

The Cup draw has been either wonderfully kind, or the exact opposite, depending upon whichever way one regards it, to the Devon clubs, their opponents in both cases being the undisputed leaders of football. Exeter City have drawn the cup-holders themselves to St James's Park, whilst Plymouth Argyle have to travel to the far north-east to oppose Sunderland, holders of the League Championship and the beaten opponents of Aston Villa in last year's cup final.

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