EXETER CITY FOOTBALL CLUB

The Grecians: Season 1923 / 1924

Exeter City's followers have seen the result of Mr Fred Mavin's first essay in team selection in several practice matches, and the impression resting in their minds at present is that they are to enjoy a better season of football at St James's Park than they were provided with last winter.

There are twenty-three professionals now on the club's books, including nine men who have re-signed from last season, and two who have been popular members of the team in previous years. It seems that the main difficulty will be the classification of the capabilities of the players available. It is apparent from the practice matches that particularly will the difficulty be
experienced in finally deciding on the premier forward line.

WRAY OR KIRK FOR CENTRE-FORWARD?

The men available are John Dockray, Alf Matthews, W. Lievesley, and George Shelton, for the wings, and James Wray, Tom Gallogley, Harry Kirk, George Murray, John Batten, Frank Lowson, and Jack Davis, as inside forwards.

The leadership can safely be assumed to rest between Wray and Kirk. While Kirk's dash and energy and his record of last season. give him a good claim for consideration, it must be said that his centre-forward play has not come up to the standard of the new man during the practice matches. Wray sees an opportunity, and takes it coolly and confidently. In the first two practice matches he scored four goals, in fact all that were scored. But the crowd unfortunately continues to make fun of Kirk. It is puzzling and unwarrantable, and displays a spirit which is far from sporting. It undoubtedly puts "Jazzo" off his game, and the sooner the section of the crowd responsible for the barracking discontinues the practice the better.

NEWCOMERS

The club has a lot to hope for from Batten, Gallogley, and Murray. Batten's shooting particularly has given great promise, Murray's inside right work in conjunction with Lievesley has been sparkling at times. It seems that if these two players are placed together they should make a very virile wing. In fact the wings are in extremely safe hands. Wilfred Lievesley is the only new man in this department, and he is without doubt a big acquisition. Matthews, however, will probably run him close for the outside-right position.

HALF BACK STRENGTH

The importance of establishing a sound half back line as a backbone has been thoroughly grasped by the directorate, and here again there is excellent material from which to choose.

Between Hugh Whelan and George McIntosh there will be a close tussle for the centre position. Whelan is older, and has had greater experience, but McIntosh is undoubtedly a player of the future. Then there are Billy Crawshaw, well known to all Exeter City followers, George Hunter, Donald Gilchrist, and Crompton, last season's skipper. Gilchrist has done exceedingly well in the trials, but Hunter, who is admirably built for a half - back, has not yet shown his best form. The full-back division will be a vast improvement on that of last season, with the retention of Bob Pollard and Andy Flynn, the return of Joe Coleburne, and in all probability the club's best capture, Stanley Charlton, formerly of Oldham Athletic and Rochdale.

Harry Bailey will most probably be keeping goal, and it seems that he is going to give more satisfaction than any goalkeeper since the departure of Pym to Bolton Wanderers. The trial games have not given him much scope, but all his work has the stamp of a born custodian. Syd Pavey did very well for the City in last season's matches, and will be a very safe understudy.

EX GRECIAN'S 

Ackroyd has been transferred to Grimsby Town, Mathieson to New Brighton, Coopland and Southway to Aberdare, Newman to Halifax Town, Mitton to Nelson, and Crockford to Port Vale. Harry Fryer is to play for Torquay United this season.

Other ex-Grecians with Football League clubs at the start of this season include the following:-
Carrick (Stockport County) Edge (New Brighton), Feebery (Brighton & Hove), Fort (Millwall), Goodwin (Southend United), MacIntyre (Chesterfield), MacKechnie (Clapton Orient), John Mitton (Sunderland), Oldacre (Halifax), Popplewell (Accrington Stanley), and of course Dick Pym, about to embark on his third season with Bolton Wanderers.

EXETER CITY PLAYERS OF 1923-1924

Harry Bailey, Macclesfield, goal
Syd Pavey, Taunton, goal
Bob Pollard, Plattbridge, right back
Joe Coleburne, Tyldesley, right back Stanley Charlton, Little Hulton, left back
Andy Flynn, Sheffield, left back
George Hunter, South Hetton, right half Billy Crawshaw, Darwen, right half Hugh Whelan, Airdrie, centre half George McIntosh, Govan, centre half Donald Gilchrist, Campbelltown, left half.
Ellis Crompton, Padiham, left half
Wilfred Lievesley, Staveley, outside right
Alf Matthews, Bristol, outside right
Tom Gallogley, Larkhill, inside right John Batten, Galston, inside
Jack Davis, Plymouth, inside right James Wray, Manchester, centre forward
Harry Kirk, Bradford, centre forward ..
James Murray, Denny, inside left
Frank Lowson, Forfar, inside left
John Dockray, Carlisle, outside left George Shelton, Sheffield, outside left

THE GRECIANS

Thumb-nail Sketches of the Men in the Red and White:

SEVEN FROM SCOTLAND:

In striving to carry out their policy of placing two first-class sides in the field this season, the Exeter City Club has paid extra special attention to three big factors, namely character, age, and experience. Keenness, allied to the strength and elast icity of a man in his prime, will carry an athlete a long way. And all the new players on Exeter City's books have spent one or more seasons with first-class clubs.

Nine of last seasons Grecians have been re-signed. Two favourites of other days, in Coleburne and Crawshaw, have returned, after a couple of seasons elsewhere, whilst there are just a dozen new men. Of these, be it noted, seven hail from Scotland.

ELLIS CROMPTON.- Crompton wears well. If anything, he now looks younger and tougher than at any time since he rejoined the City club. And this will be his twentieth season in professional foot ball. There was a period of anxiety for the club towards the end of last season when Crompton was feeling the strain of SO many matches, and consequently worried about his future. He was very comfortably settled in at Exeter, liking the place and the local people, and he badly wanted to have another season of big time soccer. Any man who can withstand the wear and tear and rough and tumble of first-class football for nineteen seasons, and open out again in the twentieth as smartly as Ellis looks like doing, deserves every respect and every encouragement.

JOHN DOCKRAY.- There is no man on the City books with a bigger love for olive oil than John Dockray. He has been seen to rub it on his hair, massage himself all over with it, and then have a drink at the bottle. Comparative statistics from Exeter City as to the club's yearly expenditure on olive oil before and since Dockray's arrival are not available, but no doubt these figures would tell a very significant tale. John's popularity in Exeter was strikingly emphasised by the support given on the occasion of his joint benefit match with Jimmy Rigby last May, and like Ellis Crompton, he is so well known in this part of the world that it is not necessary to delve into the books of Exeter City records to tell of his career.

BOB POLLARD.- This sturdy full-back, who joined Exeter City from Plank Lane, Lancashire, away back in 1920, must have a place high up on this list, for this will be his fourth season in Devon. He has made no less than seventy appearances in Football League and English Cup matches during that period, and none better than the magnificent game he played on the Brentford ground last October, when the City won by a goal to nil, and Pollard, at right - back, seemed to be setting the whole of the Brentford attackers at defiance.

HARRY KIRK.- Whilst it is a fact that this is Harry Kirk's third season with Exeter City, it is equally true that this is the first occasion in which he has started a campaign in the Red and White Stripes. In 1921-22 he joined the Grecians when two thirds of the season had gone by, and in the remaining fourteen matches he got nine goals. Then it was a case of back to Plymouth Argyle again. The next campaign had not progressed many weeks, however, before he was here again. This time he had come to stay. "Jazzo" has been responsible for many thrills, both at home and abroad, notably on that wonderful day of his at Fratton Park last season when he got four fine goals in a bunch, and Pompey were sunk four-three.

OTHER GRECIANS OF LAST SEASON.-
Alf Matthews, the smart outside right from Bristol, Jack Davis, the keen young Plymothian, and an inside-forward of much promise, George Shelton, the dashing left winger from Sheffield, Andy Flynn, the eager and hefty full-back and sometime goalkeeper, whose home is also in Sheffield, and the long, lithe, and lanky young goalkeeper from Taunton, Syd Pavey, all joined Exeter City last summer, or in mid-season, and played in a goodly proportion of the Football League games. The "soccer" public of East Devon will be glad to renew acquaintance with all of them, and should like them better and better every week, for each one is as fit and as keen as can be.

JOE COLEBURNE.- In his two seasons with Swindon, Joe Coleburne made nearly seventy appearances in the club's Football League XI, and maintained throughout the very favourable impression which he created right at the outset of his stay with the "Railwaymen." A Lancastrian, he joined Exeter City in the summer of 1919, and was a member of the team which in the second half of the season that followed had such a remarkably consistent and successful record at St James's Park. Coleburne and Strettle were the full-backs in that season, and 1920-21 saw Joe again in the red and white with Jack Feebery as his partner. Sturdy and stubborn, Coleburne is likely to strengthen the City defence considerably. He was born at Tyldesley, Lancashire, and played for Atherton before coming South-west.

BILLY CRAWSHAW.- "Spider" Crawshaw is back again after two very successful seasons with Accrington Stanley in the Northern section of the Third Division. Always a keen and conscientious footballer, his departure from Exeter was much regretted by the majority of Exeter City's following. If one may judge from his half-play here, in the benefit match, and since, he has been studying the game very purposefully all the time. Crawshaw can fill either of the wing half positions equally well, and he is reported to be very happy amongst his many Exeter friends once again.

HUGH WHELAN.- Musselburgh Bruntonians is the formidable title of Whelan's first junior club. Brunton was the name of the owner of the iron-works to which the team was attached. In season 1920-21 with Hugh Whelan at centre-half they won three cups in four days and another one later on. This was by way of showing their real quality, as earlier in the season they had been knocked out of two cup competitions. At the end of that campaign Whelan, who is a native of Airdrie, migrated to Bradford City, with which club he spent two seasons, taking part in two first team matches as well as appearing regularly at centre half in the Reserves.

STANLEY CHARLTON.- Quiet but purposeful is Stanley Charlton, the left-back with the freckles and the businesslike feet. His home is Little Hulton, near Bolton. When he began playing football in Bolton, with St Paul's Peel, a Sunday School team, he had a few games at outside-left, but it was not before he was persuaded to take an active part in the defence, and there he has played ever since. William's Temperance, in the Leigh and District League, was his next club, and in his season with them they had the peculiar experience of reaching four semi-final ties in cup competitions, and then getting the "knock-out." Oldham Athletic in the meantime got to know about Charlton, and at the end of the season signed him on. Although quite a youngster, Charlton played in six first team games in the following campaign, and was signed on again. However, early in season 1921-22, when playing for the Reserves against Bolton Wanderers Reserves, he received a severe kick on the right knee which cost him a piece of the knee-cap and caused him ten weeks of enforced idleness. Last summer he left Oldham for Rochdale, for whom he was ever-present in season 1922-23. He is built on sturdy lines, and of medium height.

GEORGE HUNTER.- When George Hunter threw in his lot, two years ago, with Sunderland, he was signed as a centre-forward, and the club from which he migrated had just won three junior cups. He was, however, fancied by Sunderland as a wing half-back, and it was in that capacity, or even as an emergency full-back, that he appeared both in first and second team matches during his two seasons with the Wearsiders. In Hunter's initial season with the Sunderland organisation the Durham Senior Cup and the Shipowners' Cup were won, and the Senior Cup was won again the next season. Hunter, who is a native of South Hetton, Durham, had previously led the Hilton Colliery F.C. attack, and during the war period his West Yorkshire Regiment Battalion team, and the Royal Air Force forward line. His first game for the Sunderland "Chiefs" was on January 7th 1922 at Roker Park in the first round of the F.A.Cup, against Liverpool.

THOMAS GALLOGLEY. After six seasons with Plymouth Argyle, whom he joined in 1913, Tom Gallogley has made the short journey to Exeter. Larkhill, Lanarkshire, is his home, and after a brief association with the Coatbridge Rob Roy club he joined Peterhill, who won the Scottish Junior Cup in 1910/11, Gallogley getting one of the medals. The season before last, when Plymouth Argyle lost the Third Division Championship by goal average only, Gallogley appeared in 31 of the competition matches and scored seven times. Richardson got 31 goals in the course of the campaign, and freely acknowledged that he owed a deal of his success to the man on his immediate right. In the previous two seasons Gallogley played in 49 of the Pilgrims' first team games. He took part in all the Argyle's cup-ties last season, and netted the only goal in the
replay with Notts County.

DONALD GILCHRIST.- A native of Campbelltown, Argyllshire, Donald
Gilchrist spent three seasons with Campbelltown Juniors as a half back and full back, and then, along with his brother, Duncan, at the invitation of Mr Mc Cartney, left Scotland for Portsmouth. He had two or three games with the first team, and played regularly for the Reserves at other times. He appeared at St James's Park on March 3rd last season for Portsmouth Reserves.

GEORGE MCINTOSH.- Like Gilchrist, McIntosh is a six-footer, and a Scot. He comes to Exeter from Workington, and by a coincidence he and Hunter are old football acquaintances, both having lively recollections of North-Eastern League matches last year between Workington and Sunderland Reserves. McIntosh was born at Govan, a Glasgow suburb, and from Renfrew Juniors went to the Edinburgh Hibernians, with whom he played for one and a half easons. His next club was Solway Star, Dumfriesshire, and then Workington.

JAMES WRAY.- On leaving school at Didsbury, Manchester, Exeter's new centre-forward capture joined Norman Athletic, a junior club which for the next three seasons carried off the honours in their division of the Manchester and District Leagues, Wray being the centre-forward. In wartime football he assisted Manchester City, and subsequently spent two seasons at Reading, one at Southport, and one at Chorley. It is interesting to note that A.E.Fishwick, who was inside-right to Wray for Chorley last season, has joined Plymouth Argyle.

WILFRED LIEVESLEY.- Commencing his football career with Staveley Old Boys, Lievesley was secured by Derby County in the following summer, and at the age of seventeen years turned out in a First Division match against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. He remained with Derby for another season, afterwards removing to Manchester United. He assisted the first XI on five occasions in 1922-23, and by a coincidence again visited the Tottenham Hotspur ground in a first round F.A.Cup-tie. Lievesley is a member of a footballing family, for one of his brothers, Fred, has recently joined Worksop after service with Manchester City and Southend, whilst the other one, Joseph, was Sheffield United's goalkeeper for eight seasons and Arsenal's for two.

JOHN BATTEN.- Remarkable indeed has been the experience of John Batten. A native of Galston, near Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, he joined Bradford Park Avenue three years ago as an inside right, staying with the club until the close of last season. In his first year there Bradford were in the First League. In his second year they were in the Second League. In his third year they were in the Third League.

FRANK LOWSON.- A club-mate of Batten at Bradford during the past two campaigns, Frank Lowson is yet another of Exeter City's Scots, for he was born at Forfar. He had one season with Forfar Athletic before transferring to Dundee, where he was for three months, but then left for Bradford. Lowson has assisted the Bradford first XI fairly frequently during the past two campaigns as either inside or wing forward, and was selected to play for the Yorkshire League XI against the Irish League XI at Cliftonville, Belfast, a very pleasant and memorable excursion.

JAMES MURRAY.- Dunipace Juniors was Murray's first club of note. He is a native of Denny, Stirlingshire, and the Duni pace boys are in the Stirlingshire League. Murray was their inside-left, and in 1921-22 they "lifted" all the Cups in the County that were open to them. Reading enlisted Murray's services right away, and although only playing twice for the first team last season, he showed very good form with the Southern League XI.

HARRY BAILEY.- One hundred games with the Luton Town "chiefs" is Bailey's record in the past three seasons. He is no stranger to Exeter, having visited St James's Park on three match days, and
each time his display between the sticks has been an outstanding feature. Bailey is a native of Macclesfield, and it is a fact that before he left school he was keeping goal in the evenings against "all-comers" for pennies at the local fair-ground. He was next seen with St Alban's, a local club, and it was largely due to his stout heart and panther-like quickness that they came through one season with an unbeaten record. At the age of sixteen Bailey joined the Grenadier Guards. He was soon topping the regimental batting and bowling averages in the summer, and guarding the regimental goal in the winter. Millwall took notice, and signed him up in the season before the war, and as it happened it was not long before he was back in the Army again. He captained the Army (London District) against the Navy, Air Force, and other opposition. Returning to Millwall, Bailey appeared in twelve first team matches in the 1919-20 season, and then was transferred to Luton, where his consistently superb work in goal confounded many a team, and won great admiration. Bailey was not in the best of health at the commencement of last season, and lost his place to Gibbon. Harry is now "in the pink, and is looking forward confidently to an excellent season for Exeter City and for himself.

Headquarters and ground:-
St James's Park, Exeter.

Club colours:-
Red and white stripes, white knickers.

Directors and Staff 
Mr M.J.McGahey (Chairman), J.I.Pengelly, F.P.Nichols, A.G.Chamberlain, A.N.Kendall, F.Parkhouse, T.Neal, F.P.Cottey, W.Hurford.

Manager:- Mr F.J.Mavin.
Trainer: Mr H.J.Tucker.
Secretary: Mr S.H.Thomas.
Captain:- G.Hunter.
Vice-Captain:- E.Crompton.

Public Practices

FAVOURABLE IMPRESSIONS ON FIRST APPEARANCE

Exeter City's new players made their first public appearance in a practice match on Saturday evening, August 11th, at Park, the participants comprising: St. James's

Whites:- Pavey; Pollard and Flynn;
Hunter, McIntosh, and Gilchrist;
Matthews, Kirk, Batten, Gallogley, and Dockray.

Stripes:-
Bailey; Coleburne and Charlton; Crawshaw, Whelan, and Crompton; Lievesley, Murray, Wray, Davis, and Shelton.

A good pace was maintained, and all the new men worked hard, one of the best features being the excellent right-wing combination of Lievesley and Murray. There was some clever passing, and as far as the match afforded opportunity of judging, it would seem that the club has good prospects of forming a formidable half-back line. Charlton and Coleburne made a fine pair of full-backs, whilst on the other side Pollard and Flynn did equally well.

New Centre-forward's Two Goals.

Of the two vanguards, that of the Red and White Stripes was the more aggressive, and Wray, who led them, scored two goals. Batten was very dashing at times in leading the other attack, but he was off the mark as far as shooting was concerned. Matthews got in a number of fine centres, but Dockray was not at his best.

Bailey had very little to do in goal, but Pavey was often busy, and brought off some difficult saves. He had very little chance with Wray's first goal, which was cleverly manoeuvred by Lievesley and Murray. The second time he had to deal with Wray alone, and as he came out the new centre-forward fired the ball past him low into the net. Shelton received rather a bad knock on his knee, and had to be carried off five minutes before the end.

Comments.

Mr Fred Mavin, Exeter City's new manager, was at Reading two seasons ago, and played centre half for them when they opposed a 

First Division side (Chelsea), and forced them to play three games, two at Chelsea, before succumbing in the Football Association Cup. At the time Mr Mavin was at Reading, Jimmy Wray, Exeter City's new centre-forward, was on the Berkshire club's books, and although he did not "set the Thames on fire" at Reading, he seems in the view of Mr Mavin, to have been worth bringing to Exeter.

A player who showed up well in the first practice, and who is expected to make good at Exeter, is James Murray, another Reading player. Murray can play at inside-forward and wing half-back, but it is probable that his best position is inside-right.

Last season Murray made his debut in the Football League, but it was not an auspicious one, as he fell foul of Mathieson, and as a result of what happened both players were asked to leave the field.

SECOND PRACTICE

Exeter City's second practice match at St James's Park, played on Wednesday evening, August 15th, confirmed the favourable impressions of last Saturday, and the crowd left contentedly with the conviction that the coming season will be far more successful than the last.

Stripes:- Bailey; Coleburne and Charlton; Hunter, Whelan, and Crawshaw; Lievesley, Davis, Wray, Batten, and Lendon.

Whites:
Pavey; Pollard and Flynn; Crompton, McIntosh, and Gilchrist; Matthews, Murray, Kirk, Lowson, and Dockray.

The game was sufficient to convince the onlookers that the Exeter City directors have some excellent meterial at their disposal. It should be easy, for instance, to pick out a first-class line of forwards; the difficulty will probably arise in deciding who to leave out. As in Saturday's match, the Red and White Stripes won by two goals to nil, and as on Saturday both were scored by Wray. On the form shown in the practices Wray is a better centre than Kirk, but it would be unwise to suggest that he will be selected to lead the Grecians.

In Davis and Batten, Wray had excellent partners, Batten indeed being in fine fettle. His shooting was a feature. On the right wing Lievesley gave a good account of himself, but
there was very little to choose between him and Matthews. Whelan and Crawshaw played well at centre and left half for the Red and Whites, but Hunter, who captained the side, has yet to show his capabilities. Flynn and Pollard, two of last year's backs, did very well. Pavey had no chance with the shots which beat him, and was a safe goalkeeper. Bailey had little to do, but he did it in a style which created the utmost confidence, and he should give more satisfaction than any goalkeeper since Pym's departure.

FINAL PRACTICE

Saturday, August 18th.

At St James's Park, Exeter.

An attendance of four thousand was registered at St James's Par at the Exeter City Supporters' Club annual athletic meeting, great enthusiasm being aroused at the quality of the racing and the many tight finishes, both in the heats and the finals. The prizes were distibuted by Mr F.P.Nichols.

Exeter City's final practice match followed. Crompton was among the spectators, nursing a badly bruised elbow, while McIntosh, Wra and Charlton were also "sitting on the fence." Gallogley is still hospital. Four well known local players assisted, namely Radford, Powell, Wilson, an Lowton.

The teams were:

Red and White:-
Pavey; Coleburne and Flynn; Hunter (captain), Whelan, and Crawshaw; Matthews, Batten, Kirk, Davis, and Dockray.

White: 
Bailey; Pollard (captain) and Lowton; Gilchrist, Powell, and Wilson; Lievesley, Murray, Radford, Lowson, and Shelton.

The one goal of the match was registered by Shelton in the sec half, but of the three men who had a share in it Shelton's part w the smallest.

Lievesley centred accurately for Radford to steer the ball ro Pavey, who had come out of his goal to try to intercept. Radford the goal-line, guided the ball across the gaping goalmouth, and Shelton had to do was to prod the ball into the empty net.