Saturday, December 5th 1908.

ENGLISH CUP:
BARNET ALSTON ATHLETIC v EXETER CITY.

The three amateur clubs remaining in the Cup competition were all put out in the final qualifying round, Barnet Alston Athletic by the City, Oxford City by Wrexham, and Northern Nomads by Gainsborough Trinity. Barnet were beaten by the Grecians just as easily as the score suggests, three goals to nil, and the fact that the amateurs were "stage-struck" had most to do with their defeat.

Having regard to Barnet's splendid win against Shepherd's Bush in the previous round, and Exeter's rather difficult task against the Kingswood Rovers, it was presumed that Barnet had a fair chance of making a draw. But it appeared that the committee and some of the supporters of Barnet had impressed upon the players the great importance of the occasion, and that they were meeting one of the best teams in the South of England, and this is just where the well-meaning officials made their mistake. They had talked too much to the players about the importance of the occasion and the capabilities of the Exeter City team, and if they had left them alone to play their own game Barnet would undoubtedly done much better.

As things turned out, they were fairly and squarely beaten by a much superior side. Of that there could not be the slightest possible doubt, and after the match the Barnet officials were the first to admit it.

RECORD CROWD

The crowd of 3,000 was easily a record for the little Barnet ground, which the Great Northern Railway overlooks on its way in to the High Barnet station. The ground is one where there are no steeped up banks, or terraces, and spectators stand on the same level as the players.

It was therefore difficult to estimate the number of people with any degree of accuracy, but it was confirmed that never before had such a big crowd been seen on the ground. It was a very partisan lot, and the black and amber favours of Barnet were well in evidence, but Watson and his men were given a wonderful ovation when they appeared at ten minutes past two.

At that time the weather was very mild, and the light good, but the hazy veil - half fog, half white mist - which had hung over London all the morning, was still lurking overhead, and there were threatenings that the light would fail before the end of the match. So it proved, for although the first half was fought out under good conditions, the light was very bad some time before the finish.

The Exeter players realised that they had the match in hand before ten minutes had passed, and there was certainly all the difference in the world between the early stages of this game and that against the Kingswood Rovers. At Bristol Kingswood laid themselves out to play just their ordinary kick and rush, and they would hear nothing about Exeter City being a successful Southern League team.

Barnet, on the other hand, immediately gave the impression of being overawed by the reputation of the Exonians, despite the loud exhortations of their supporters, and they played as though the reputation of the City was putting them clean off their game.

BARNET:
Mitchell; Draper, and Farris; Gallienne, Maydell, and Howell; Seabrook, Purvis, Ridley, Wright, and Lawrence.

CITY:
Robinson; Craig, and Bulcock; Ambler, Chadwick, and Johnson; Parnell, Watson, McGuigan, Bell, and Copestake.

Referee: Mr J.R. Schumaker, of London.

In the first five minutes the Exeter City forwards rushed the ball through, and Draper and Farris began to miskick. The battle was already as good as lost and won. The visiting attack quickly got the measure of Barnet's defence, and treated them to a lot of bewildering passing. McGuigan manoeuvred the ball to Watson, and the City captain, taking deliberate aim, rattled the crossbar. After a quarter of an hour's one-sided play Parnell got moving strongly on the right wing.
He put across a fast centre which deceived the backs, and Bell crashed the ball into the net.

Exeter's second goal came after half an hour's play. Inside the Exeter half McGuigan robbed Maydell and swung the ball out to Parnell, who raced off at top speed with both backs in hot pursuit. The City winger easily kept his lead, however, and at full pelt drove the ball into the top left hand corner of the net. Exeter's third goal was scored by Chadwick from a penalty given against Farris for fouling Bell.

Exeter City won as they pleased. In the Barnet team both the backs were weak, but Maydell was a useful centre-half, and Mitchell a good goalkeeper. Chadwick was subjected to a great deal of barracking from the crowd, following an incident in which a free kick was given against him.

Plymouth and District League 
City Reserves 7, Tavistock nil.

Exeter City completely turned the tables on the Lambs, who beat them by 4-1 when the teams met at Tavistock. The feature of the match was the fine combination of Badcock and White on the City's left wing.