Exeter City 1962-63 – a season of harsh lessons

By Fred Pound (with contributions, encouragement, and advice from Malcolm Tipper.)
In my account of the outstanding 1963-64 season, I describe how, as a young lad, I collected autographs at City games. In the recently rediscovered remnants of my collection from 1962-63 I find much of interest but with fewer comprehensive details than in 63-64.  There is, however, enough to have documented an interesting and in many ways crazy, often surprising season. I am quite confident that the details recorded at the time are correct. It all begins with a new manager, the eighth since football resumed at the end of the war.

Glen Wilson had been sacked at the end of the previous campaign after an 18^th position finish and 60-year-old Cyril Spiers had been appointed to replace him. The board had apparently decided that a more experienced man was needed. Spiers had been a goalkeeper with Aston Villa, Tottenham and Wolves between the 1^st and 2^nd World Wars and went into management thereafter. His last management position had been with Crystal Palace between 1954 and 1958. A former Palace defender, Jack Edwards, had been appointed as City’s new trainer.

JACK EDWARDS


The following players had been retained from 61-62:

Ray Carter; Keith Harvey; Mike Hughes; Brian Jenkins; Les MacDonald; Jack McMillan; Arnold Mitchell; Graham Rees; Colin Tinsley and Eric Welsh.
Promising goalkeeper Alan Jones had been sold in July to Second Division Norwich City.
The following players signed in the close season:
Dave Johnston from Leicester;
Cecil Smyth - Distillery.
Des Anderson - Glenavon 
Derek Grace - QPR.
Jim Sanders - Crystal Palace.
Charlie Sells an ex amateur from the London area; Barry Pierce – York City.
Brian Green – Bury.
Hamilton Mc Meechan an amateur from Scotland
Ray Southcombe – Newton Abbot.
The two Northern Irishmen, Des Anderson and Cecil Smyth lived in “digs” a couple of doors away from my pal Malcolm, in Sylvan Road. He confesses, in retrospect, that he may have been guilty of stalking them. Such are the ways of a starstruck teenager!
It was in the close-season, during the summer holidays from school, that Malcolm and I (both 13-years-old) would sometimes pop down to St James Park and get in via the open gate behind the goal at the St James Road end. It was on one such visit that we were greeted by a very excited and chatty young Scotsman eager to tell us that we should buy the Express and Echo that evening as a picture featuring him (with other squad members) would appear. He was Hammy McMeechan.
The City team that season was one that included no “big names”, though a number of them would go on to become “legends” within the club in time. By contrast a few opposing teams possessed stars on the way up, many more featured those coming towards the end of illustrious careers, as I will highlight. There were also several managers who were able to successfully bring experiences of the “big time” to their division 4 players.
Our lack of nous often showed.
THE SEASON BEGINS

Saturday 18 August and a home derby against Torquay. Debuts are given to Johnston, Anderson, Sells and Pierce. Torquay include Gordon Astall and George Allen who, between them, have played over 500 games in Division 2, mainly for Birmingham. Exeter born Dave Hancock, a Hele’s school old boy, playing at left half for the opposition was to become a Grecian the following season. The outcome of the match could not have been worse. Left winger Ernie Pym scores a hat-trick as we are trounced 0-3.

We did not have long to wait for the next match. The following Wednesday another home fixture, Mansfield the visitors. Their manager was Raich Carter, who, in a career interrupted by World War 2 scored 219 goals in 466 games for Sunderland, Hull, Derby and England. We can only imagine what he might have accomplished but for the missing 6 years. Sadly, for City he had a protégé in a 19-year-old centre forward Ken Wagstaff who would go on to score 266 goals in a 559-match career with Mansfield and Hull (spookily an almost identical goals per game ratio as his mentor!). Uniquely “Waggy” was voted “player of the century” by both of those clubs at the millennium. Inevitably it was he who scored all three in another 0-3 defeat that night. 

Next an away fixture and not only a point but also a goal in a 1-1 draw at Saltergate against Chesterfield with Brian Green scoring what will be his only one for the club. The following Monday and another defeat this time 1-0, down the road, at Mansfield. Ken Wagstaff again the scorer. He will go on to be the leading scorer in the league with 34 by the end of the season.

1st September and back at St James Park, Rochdale the visitors a 0-2 loss. Midweek takes us to Aldershot in the League Cup and another 0-2. Saturday and it is Brentford away 1-3 and Ray Carter, City’s leading scorer with 18 last season, opens his account. Midweek and at home again to Doncaster 0-1, a match in which Cecil Smyth is given his first start.

At this point things are looking grim. We are bottom of the league 7 games played 1 point only 2 goals scored.
Another Saturday and the home game against York finishes with our first victory of the campaign 2-1. Ray Carter with both goals.   At left half (no6) for the opposition is Jack Fountain - more of him later. Thursday evening under floodlights (yes Thursday!) and we entertain Workington. A very strange match, which sees apprentice Peter Rutley, a 16-year-old local boy given his debut. The match is goal-less when goalkeeper Colin Tinsley dislocates a finger. These are the days before substitutes so that really is bad news. He comes off to see if he can be patched up. We get a good sight of the injury as he trots down the tunnel – his little finger is pointing in an unnatural direction - nasty. Perhaps surprisingly, Ray Carter, the guy most likely to get us a goal, deputises for him! He goes on to make some useful stops. After a while we are back to 11 men as Tinsley is sent back to carry on, not in goal, but as a “nuisance” in attack. In a remarkable twist of fate, it is he who heads the only goal of the game as we win1-0.
Two days later, on the Saturday, another loss, 1-3 at Chester. Eric Welsh opens his account. Monday and it is Workington away and another 1-3. Ray Carter the scorer.
Back at home on Saturday, Crewe the visitors. Ray Carter scores in a 1-1 draw. The match is refereed by Ken Aston who had “infamously” officiated in the Chile v Italy match a few months earlier on - 2 June - at the World Cup finals in Chile. The game which became known as “the battle of Santiago” ended with 2 players sent off, punches thrown and police interventions on four occasions. At that time sending offs were nowhere near as frequent as they are these days.
My notes taken after the Crewe game merely comment on his performance at SJP - “useless”! (the” informed” opinion of a 13-year-old!!).

October begins with a 1-1 home draw with Lincoln and it is Jim Sanders with his only goal for the club. On the left wing for Lincoln is Albert Scanlon a 26-year-old former “Busby Babe” who had survived serious injuries at Munich. He had scored 39 goals in 137 appearances at the top level with Manchester United and Newcastle.
A surprise follows as on Saturday 6^th as we win 2-1 at much fancied Oldham.  Brian Jenkins with a penalty and Ray Carter on the scoresheet. An emergency goalkeeper, Jim Boag, is given a trial and signs from Bath.
Back to reality on Wednesday with a 1-4 defeat at Lincoln (Ray Carter). Jim Boag is given his first start.  Next up, at the weekend, we are at home to Barrow and lose once more, 0-2. Their manager is Ron Staniforth whose 15-year playing career had included 473 club games and 8 caps for England. A 2-0 win at Hartlepools (Rees, with his first of the season and Carter) the following Saturday and a 1-3 loss at home to Darlington (Carter) completes another frustrating month.
November and there’s hope that the dismal start to the season might improve as we are drawn away at non-league Gravesend in the 1^st round of the FA Cup. Unfortunately, that was not to be the case, an ignominious 2-3 defeat (Carter 2). A week later and we entertain Aldershot. We win 4-2, Arnold Mitchell, Carter 2 and a first for Barry Pierce. Battered pride only partially restored.
We sign a forward, John Henderson, from Charlton, in the hope that our goalscoring record might improve.
JOHN SIGNING FOR CITY

Away at Newport on 17^th 0-4 and again a hat-trick conceded this time for centre forward Joe Bonson, Ralph Hunt with the other.

• Jim Boag returns to Bath.

December begins with two wins. Bradford City away, 3-2 (Pierce 2 and Carter), then at home to Tranmere 2-1 (Carter and Rees) the opponents finish with 10 men as their centre half (Peter Jackson) is taken to the RD and E in Southernhay with a nasty head injury. The match is played in front of our lowest gate of the season 2737. Visiting goalkeeper Harry Leyland had played over 200 games for Everton and Blackburn and was on the losing side at Wembley in 1960 when Wolves beat Blackburn 3-0 in the “Dave Whelan cup final”. Their 33-year-old centre forward, Dave Hickson, a prolific scorer, who in a 14-year career, had scored 161 times, mainly for Everton and Liverpool. I wonder how many others share the distinction of playing for all three Merseyside clubs?

Christmas is approaching, what are the chances of a gift for the fans? On 15^th we go down 0-3 at Torquay, the following Saturday 2-2 at home to Chesterfield (Carter and Henderson with the goals) Boxing day and a home defeat to Stockport 0-1 in a match that sees the return to action from a broken ankle, suffered in a close-season friendly, of Keith Harvey. The return match on 29^th we go down 3-4 having led 2-1 at half time. (Rees, Welsh, and Mitchell score). To add insult to injury, and to sum up the season so far on the way back the train carrying the team is delayed by a blizzard and snow drifts.
Not a great end to the year. We go into 1963 in 22^nd place on 18 points from 26 games and have been dumped out of both cup competitions. Looking back at the season so far does not make happy reading.
I had made every effort to be at all home games despite finding myself as the “speedy winger” in the school under 14’s rugby team. The easy-going master in charge of the team Mr Read (“Bert” to us) was easily convinced that if matches were not morning or mid-week kick offs, I would not be available. City away matches were also alright for me. This was not to be the case the following season when a teacher with an altogether different philosophy, Mr Phasey (aka “Buffalo”), was running the under 15’s. I was given an ultimatum. Having been told in no uncertain terms that Hele’s had a proud, historic reputation as a rugby school, I should think long and hard, was it to be rugby or football? I am sure he thought that rugby would prevail. No contest! there could be only one conclusion. Two matches into the season and my competitive rugby playing days were history. Malcolm continued with rugby going on to play for the first XV and for Devon colts.
A New year begins
1963 begins and as far as City are concerned divine intervention is required.  It comes in a most unexpected fashion!
It is January but football matches are hard to find due to what will become known as “the big freeze”. Reportedly the coldest winter since 1895. On 5^th January four of us, autograph hunters Chris Evans, Derek Singleton, my youngest brother Stewart and I, make a late decision to take a train to Plymouth where a 3^rd round FA cup tie against WBA is one of fewer than a handful of games to be played that day. Autographs were not easy to obtain. It was suggested we go to The Continental Hotel where the away team were staying. We did get a few and found you could tell the personality of a player by his preparedness to show respect to young fans by signing an autograph. Derek Kevan was a joy. Don Howe was not!

The match ended 1-5 to the team from the Midlands. From memory Derek Kevan scored a hat-trick. A West Brom player, suffered a horrendous broken leg following a shocking tackle, I do not remember who made the tackle. We went back on the train as cold as we ever had been. It was to be almost two months before we saw football again.

• In the meantime, Brian Green moves to Chesterfield.

February arrives and weeks pass. Cyril Spiers has left the club, amicably “by mutual consent”. Jack Edwards has accepted the position of “caretaker manager”.
The 23^rd and at last football is back. We are at home to Oldham, still a strongly fancied team. They had been on a goal scoring spree. Before their 2-0 loss at Torquay in midweek they had scored 22 goals and conceded 3 in a four-game run that included an 11-0 win at home to Southport on Boxing Day. Centre forward, Bert Lister, had the rare distinction of netting six goals in that game. He was kept quiet tonight however as, somewhat surprisingly, following our own form up to the end of December, we beat them 2-1. Goals from Arnold Mitchell and John Henderson. The visitors were managed by Jack Rowley, who, in a career from 1937 to 1954 interrupted by the war, had scored 211 goals for Manchester United and 6 goals in 6 games for England. His total career tally 504 games 238 goals. In the squad but not playing that day were 33-year-old Bobby Johnstone a Scottish international (17 games 10 goals) who had played in FA Cup finals for Manchester City in 1955 and 1956. He was the first player to score in successive finals. Another player on the side-lines that day was Jimmy Frizzell who went on to successfully manage Oldham for 12 years and, less successfully, Manchester City. We had been informed that the team was staying at the Imperial Hotel where, presumably, they had been since the match at Torquay. There we were able to get all the autographs we needed. In those days pre-being reincarnated as “Wetherspoons” it was one of the best three hotels in the city. I doubt that most teams in Division 4 would have afforded such “luxury” at that time.

We make another sortie into the transfer market for Roy Patrick, a full back, with 137 games behind him with Derby, Nottingham Forest, and Southampton, from whom we signed him. He brings much needed experience.

March 2^nd and a trip to Barrow. Another win, again 2-1 with strikes from Pierce and Carter. The following Saturday and we entertain Hartlepools in a match that will become newsworthy later in the year. City win 3-1 – Mitchell, Henderson, and Jenkins on target. John Edgar gets Hartlepools’ goal. He will sign for the Grecians in the summer. Playing at centre half for the visitors is 33-year-old Ken Thompson who has over 350 games to his credit playing for Stoke and Middlesboro before his move at the start of the season. More about him later. 

Another week passes and another away trip, this time to Darlington. Another win 1-0 and another Henderson goal. On Monday, an evening match at York. A 3-3 draw Carter 2 and Jenkins the scorers.
Saturday 23^rd and we entertain Southport. A 2-1 victory sees the undefeated streak continue, Harvey (pen) and Carter the scorers. Bill Rutherford their left half is sent off for striking our main goal-scorer. It is the first time I have seen a dismissal. On the left wing for the opposition is Bill Perry famed as the scorer of the winning goal in the 1953 “Stanley Matthews cup final”. This will be his last season in the league. He is very patient and generous in signing all the pictures I have of him in my autograph book. The others in the gang too.
The 30^th and we go to the “new boys” Oxford who had replaced Accrington Stanley at the beginning of the season. (“Stanley”” had resigned from the league the previous season without fulfilling their fixtures. City at Peel Park – their home ground - was the next game they should have played! At least it had saved us a long journey!).  Another success 3-0. Harvey (pen), his second in successive games, Mitchell, and Henderson on the scoresheet. (A strange fact. When Accrington returned to the league after a 44-year absence in 2006 Oxford were one of the two teams relegated to the Conference!)The following Tuesday and a trip to Doncaster a 1-1 draw keeps the run going. Henderson with the goal. What a turn around.

April 6^th and a home game with Newport. An own goal by centre-half Rathbone gives us a 1-0 victory. Their right half Derek Sullivan, a former Welsh international, had played 44 games for City the previous season. Inside right Colin Webster a former Manchester United player who played in the post Munich 1958 FA cup final and for Wales in Sweden at the World Cup the same year. At inside left Ralph Hunt a much-travelled goal-scorer with a tally of over 170 to his credit and a scorer in the return fixture. He was tragically killed in a motoring accident the following year. On Good Friday the 12^th  the bubble has burst with a vengeance! 0-4 at Gillingham. The following day a 1-1 draw at Aldershot. Two days later (Easter Monday) and Gillingham are the visitors. A dreary 0-0 draw. Gillingham will miss out on promotion on goal average at seasons end.

During the Easter break Malcolm is spending time with relatives in South Yorkshire. It does not stop him finding Division 2 football to watch. On Good Friday Rotherham defeat Swansea Town (as they were in those days) 2-1. Playing in attack for the hosts is Jimmy Blain, who will play for the Grecians 320 times between 1965 and 1974, after joining us in the deal that took Eric Welsh to Carlisle. The following day he is off to Bramhall Lane where Sheffield United are held to a 0-0 draw by Blackpool. Whereas I am used to seeing yesterday’s heroes visit St James Park the match boasts the presence of a host of “current” international players. Len Allchurch, Graham Shaw and Alan Hodgkinson for the hosts, Jimmy Armfield Ray Parry, Ray Charnley and Tony Waiters (who will win 5 caps for England in 1964) for the visitors.

Meanwhile, back in Exeter, on the 20^th Bradford City the visitors. They are languishing in the bottom 4. We should win, given our recent improvement. We lose 0-2! Their 20-year-old centre half is Roy Ellam who will enjoy 1st Division championship winning success with Leeds in 1974.

The following weekend a visit to Tranmere results in another loss 1-2. Ray Carter scores what will prove to be his last for the club. The following Monday and it is back to winning ways with a 3-1 result at Southport. Welsh 2 and Sells with his first for us.

May 4^th Chester at home and a 2-1 victory.  A Fleming own goal and another Sells strike seal the win. Their right back is John Molyneux, signed at the start of the season from Liverpool where he had played 249 games. This is followed by a 1-1 draw at home to Oxford under floodlights the following Wednesday, Henderson with another. At right half for the opposition is Ron Atkinson who will go on to manage at the highest level with Manchester United, Aston Villa, Athletico Madrid and many others with varying degrees of success and controversy. The press has picked out their centre forward, Bud Houghton, as a pin-up following his exploits the previous season in which he scored 39 goals in as many Southern  league games (43 in all) as Oxford stormed the division and entry into the Football League. He scores their goal.
11^th at Rochdale a 0-3 defeat. The following Friday at home to Brentford, who are on the way to being champions, we draw 2-2. Henderson and Sells with his 3^rd of the season and last for the club. Their inside left is the prolific goal-scorer and former Scottish international, John Dick, signed in close-season from West Ham. His record with them 326 games - 153 goals. He does not add to that tally tonight. The last game of the season on Wednesday 22^nd is at Crewe (who will be 3^rd behind Brentford and be promoted) we lose 0-1.

 The season is over at last. What a difference the delay caused by the “big freeze” and change of management seems to have made.

ALL RESULTS 

PROGRAMMES

In the first 26 games of the season to the end of December and the start of the big freeze we had scored 29 goals, conceded 52 and accumulated 18 points. Over the next 20 games 28 goals scored 25 conceded and 24 points, a coincidence or the new manager’s influence?

During the season four teams completed the double against us:
Torquay (0-3 and 0-3)
Mansfield (0-3 and 0-1)
Stockport (0-1 and 3-4)
Rochdale (0-2 and 0-3)
We did the double over three:
Oldham (2-1 and 2-1)
Hartlepools (2-0 and 3-1)
Southport (2-1 and 3-1)

We have conceded 77 goals. Our goal average (0.74) was the fourth poorest in the division, only the bottom two and Southport fared worse.

As preparations for the next season began Jack Edwards was rewarded with the permanent position of manager. The following players were released: Dave Johnston, Mike Hughes, Charlie Sells, Barry Pierce, Brian Jenkins, Jim Sanders, Jack McMillan, “Hammy” McMeechan, Ray Southcombe.
Colin Tinsley is retained; he will sign for Luton. Ray Carter also decides to leave returning to his native Sussex and signing for non-league Crawley. 

Jack Edwards begins the process of rebuilding. He will have learned many tough lessons from his experience with the club. His main emphasis will be in getting more experienced and better-quality players to join us.

Match Fixing Scandal
In 4th August, The Sunday People newspaper reports a “headline grabbing” match fixing scandal. One of the games affected is Exeter at home to Hartlepools on 9^th March. The visiting centre half Ken Thompson confesses to betting with a syndicate that Hartlepools will lose the match. This begins a long campaign by “The People” in which widespread match-fixing, throughout the league, is exposed. The matter results in a trial at Nottingham Assizes in January 1965. In all 33 players are prosecuted. Thompson would subsequently be banned for life and receive a 6-month prison sentence. Sammy Chapman (Mansfield) and Jack Fountain (York) who had also played at St James Park for their respective clubs that season would also be found guilty. Chapman would receive a 6-months prison sentence, Fountain 15 months and a lifetime ban. Neither was implicated in matches involving City. In total 10 players received prison sentences including England internationals Peter Swan and Tony Kay. The BBC dramatize the scandal in 1997 under the title “The Fix”.

On August 24th and the 1963-64 season begins. Destiny beckons as my account “history in the making” outlines.