Saturday February 13th.
Southern League.

EXETER'S MISSED CHANCES

St. James's Park a Sea of Mud

CITY 1 PALACE 1.

St.James's Park viewed under favourable circumstances forms a very pleasant spectacle, as everyone knows. But as seen to - day when the City played Crystal Palace for Southern League points, there was nothing to boast about, for the rain pelted down quite unmercifully and the ground resembled a quagmire.

City:-

Pym;

Marshall and Strettle;

Rigby, Lagan, and Smith;

Holt, Evans, Goodwin(W), Lovett, and Dockray.

Palace:-

Johnson;

Collyer and Colclough;

Collins, York, and Feebury;

Lane, Hooper, Smith, Middleton, and Davies.

Exeter City are, like many other clubs, having a bad time in the financial sense, and today, for the first home match for a month, scarcely 2,000 spectators were present, and of these at least fifteen hundred were in khaki. Under the circumstances of the weather and the sparsely populated enclosure both sets of players gave a creditable display, and. Crystal Palace did very well indeed to gain a division of the spoils, though the City missed many chances. The Palace were still without about half a dozen of their first team men, yet they played the better football in the early stages, and thoroughly deserved the goal lead that Davies secured for them after nine minutes' play.

Before the interval Smith (Palace) ricked a muscle, and the City became aggressive, but the forwards were sadly lacking in opportunism near goal although they gained many favourable positions.

The Equalising Goal.

Six minutes after the interval Exeter equalised. Evans, who had been the worst sinner in the matter of missed opportunities in the first half, was the scorer. He had also failed with an easy opening which Dockray made for him the moment before his goal. Exeter's goal was somewhat in the nature of a gift, for the Palace defenders hesitated under the impression that Holt had run the ball over the touch-line, but in the absence of any signal from the referee Holt centred to Evans, who netted.

Penalty Missed.

There was no more scoring, yet Exeter had a glorious chance of winning near the end, for in a scramble in the Palace goalmouth they were awarded a penalty kick. Goodwin, their champion sharpshooter, unaccountably missed, the very first time he has done so from the penalty spot, the ball striking the post.

Exeter's young centre forward has scored twenty goals already this season. only eight less than the whole Crystal Palace team combined, but the probability is that he was having an off day this afternoon, for he put in only three shots, apart from the penalty, during the whole game. One has already been referred to, another and the best came quite early, when he threaded his way through the defence and fully extended Johnson, and the third was a painfully weak attempt from long range, the ball having hardly pace enough to reach the custodian.

Well Balanced Defence.

Goodwin was also unsuccessful in his general leadership of the City's attack, this duty devolving upon Lovett, who played very well and was also the most reliable in regard to the shots attempted. Evans, who is really a half back, scored the City's goal, but a little more steadiness on his part would no doubt enable him to figure on the' score-sheet more often.