Saturday, January 9th 1909.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE:
EXETER CITY v WATFORD.

The most noticeable feature of rather a dull match was the brilliant performance of Biggar, the visiting goalkeeper, who was making his one hundredth consecutive appearance for the club. He became prominent in the very first minute, when he darted out of his goal to rob McGuigan, who had got right through to the line.

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

WATFORD:
Biggar; Richardson, and Betts; Fyfe, Fayers, and Farrow; McKinley, Maclaine, Cleaver, Hubbard, and Lockett.

Referee: Mr A.Adams, of Nottingham.

Exeter City persisted in their usual short passing game on the mud of St. James's Park, thus many attacks broke down before they became dangerous. Watford forced a corner in their first attack, but this was cleared, and after Cleaver had been pulled up for offside Exeter took up the running. Bell, following a mistake by Richardson, and Parnell, cutting in from the right wing, were both foiled by Biggar.
In an isolated Watford raid Robinson saved from Lockett, then Biggar was again in busy action, clearing a whole fusilade of shots and headers from the City forwards. He was given a generous round of applause as the players left the field at half time, with the score sheet still blank.

After an hour's play Parnell got a corner off Farrow, and placed the flag-kick for Watson to score with a header. The City were thus victorious by the narrowest of margins, though three quarters of the play had been in Watford's territory. Apart from Biggar, the best players in the visiting team were Lockett and Hubbard, who tried hard to get their attack moving, but Cleaver was very poor in the centre, and easily mastered by Johnson. Watson was always prominent in Exeter's front line, as well as Bell, who nevertheless missed several easy chances. The wingers had only a moderate game, Parnell finding it difficult to get round Farrow, and Copestake being generally too slow.

The attendance was 6,000.