Match 02
5th September 1908
Bristol Rovers (h)
Plymouth and District League
Woodland Villa (a)
Saturday, September 5th.
SOUTHERN LEAGUE:
EXETER CITY V. BRISTOL ROVERS.
Exeter City quite satisfied their supporters in the first home match of their career as a professional team, for a win had not been expected. The attack was excellent, showing more dash than at Millwall on Wednesday, and little fault could be found with the defence.
The City, who had replaced Wake and McGuigan (injured in the Millwall match) by Tierney and Drain, were the first to score in a game of rapid movements, Watson putting through from a centre by White. Then Handley manouevred well for Roberts to equalise, the latter beating Fletcher with a high shot. The Rovers had considerably the better of it throughout the first half, and scored twice more through Roberts and Peplow, thus leading 3-1 at the interval.
The tables were turned during the greater part of the second half, Exeter pressing persistently. First Parnell scored with a rising shot, and later on the same player brought Exeter equal with another flying shot from Bell's centre. The Rovers pressed hotly, but without effect, and the result was a draw of three goals each.
Dargue could have won the match for the visitors in the last few minutes, but he put Corbett's centre over the bar. Exeter rallied well in the second half, and were worth a draw, but the Rovers were generally the more competent looking side. The St. James's Park ground was crammed with an enormous crowd, estimated at nearly eight thousand. Railway excursions from all parts had been well patronised, including a contingent of the Rovers' supporters from Bristol.
The Rovers, who had not previously played this season, had three new players in their team, Higgins (Grimsby Town), Peplow (Birmingham), and Dargue (Hearts of Midlothian).
The referee was Mr. R. P. Dommett, of Portsmouth.
The teams lined up as follows:
CITY:
Fletcher
Craig Bulcock
Ambler Johnson Tierney
Parnell Watson Drain Bell White
Dargue Roberts Corbett Gerrish Peplow Handley Strang Higgins
Appleby Ovens
Cartlidge
ROVERS:
Classic Match
Bristol Rovers 1908
by Will Barrett
Since originally forming as St Sidwell’s United in 1901, Exeter City Athletic Football Club had spent the first few years of their existence as an amateur side, playing friendly fixtures and competing in the Plymouth and District league.
That all began to change in 1907 when Jack Banks was hired as the club’s first paid player/coach. Then, in the following spring, the club committee arranged a 21 year lease for St James Park and began to draw up plans for improvements to the ground to include a ‘grandstand, dressing rooms, banking and full accommodation for 15,000 spectators’.
As a result of the progress off the pitch, and the vision for the future of the club, the committee unanimously adopted the scheme to turn professional and to apply to join the Southern League First Division.
The application was granted, and so the first fixture of the professional era arrived at the beginning of the 1908/09 season in the form of a West-Country derby against Bristol Rovers.
Captained by Bob Watson, the Grecians ran out in their green-and-white strips to the enthusiastic roar of the seven to eight thousand strong crowd, who were packed along the newly established banks of the ground.
The opening of the match was well contested, with the action moving back and forth between the two areas. Then, in the 15th minute White swung the ball into the centre of the Bristol box for Watson to head in the first goal of the professional era.
Despite the bright start, City then found themselves on the end of a finishing lesson from their regional counterparts, with Handley, Roberts and Peplow making the score 3-1 at half time.
In the second half City again started brightly and pulled one back just three minutes in when Parnell met a cross from the left to hammer home his first good chance of the match from close range.
After this the ‘excitement became intense, and the game progressed to the accompaniment of an almost continuous roar of cheering’, with the crowd persistently chanting ‘make it a draw City’, as the home side continually stormed the Bristol goal with wave after wave of attacking football.
With time running out, and legs tiring, Watson picked up the ball on the grandstand side, and beat four men before passing it to Bell who slid the ball across the face of the goal. The crowd held their breath as the ball evaded the Rovers keeper, Cartlidge, and erupted into the loudest cheers of the afternoon as Parnell nipped in to tap it home and earn City their first point as a professional football club.
Final Score: 3-3
Exeter City: Fletcher; Craig, Bulcock; Ambler, Johnson, Tiernhay; Parnell, Watson, Drain, Bell, White.
Bristol Rovers: Cartlidge; Ovens, Appleby; Handley, Strang, Higgins; Darque, Roberts, Corbett, Gerrish, Peplow.
Man of the match: Fred Parnell
Attendance: 7,000+
Written by: Will Barrett
Plymouth and District League
WOODLAND VILLA v EXETER CITY RESERVES
Exeter's opening match in the Plymouth and District League, on September 5th, took place at Howicknowle, against Woodland Villa. The City led by 2 goals (Badcock and Singlehurst) to nil at the interval. In the second half Gaskell scored for the Villa, but was offside, afterwards each side scored once.
Result:
City Reserves 3, Woodland Villa 1 .
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