MONDAY 8th JULY 1968.

CITY PLAYERS REPORT BACK.

Exeter City players reported back to St james Park this afternoon for the start of the 1968-69 preparations. They were met and welcomed by club officials and directors including chairman Les Kerslake and manager Frank BroomeAfter introductions, the players were kitted out. Training actually begins tomorrow, and early workouts will include trips to Dawlish Warren sands, cross country running, weight training, and circuit trainingBroome said that on paper the players he now has have the look of a much better side than he had at this time last year,

FRIDAY 12th JULY 1968.

OLD BOYS WITH AN INCENTIVE.

The regionalisation of the first round of the Football League Cup inevitably results in several old rivals being brought together in derby games. In this area we have Exeter City visiting Plymouth Argyle on 10th August. It is four years since Argyle succeeded in getting over the first hurdle in this competition and they should not run away with the idea that Exeter City will be a pushover simply because their visiotrs are in a lower division, For one thing City will probably include no less than four former Argyle players in Peter Shearing, John Newman, Alan Banks and John Mitten, and there is nothing like a return to old familiar surroundings to bring the best out in a player. The quartet will be determined to show Argyle that they were mistaken in letting them move away. These two local rivals have never met before in the League Cup, but there have been two F.A,Cup ties, both which were won 2-0 by Plymouth Argyle, in 1909 at Home Park and in 1956 at St James' Park, It is quite likely that at least one of the players from that last cup meeting will figure in this year's clash, City's veteran Keith Harvey.

SATURDAY 13th JULY 1968.

CITY'S NEW SIGNING TURNED DOWN SOUTH AFRICA OFFER.

Exeter City's pre-season search for a centre forward ended late yesterday afternoon when they signed 26 year old Peter Bullock from Colchester UnitedThe move was completed at St James' Park after negotiations between the player and Exeter. Bullock has played for Birmingham City, Stoke City, and Southend United. He did have an offer from South Africa but decided to remain in League football with ExeterThe new player is City's fifth close season signing all made in a space of two weeksAll five players have been signed on free e transfers,

FOR GUIDE DOGS.
Exeter City supporters will be interested to know that the £27, 13s 2d collected at St James' Park during the latter part of last season for the Guide Dogs for the Blind, was the third highest at Football League grounds,

TUESDAY 16th JULY 1968.
EDDIE NASH QUITS.

Former Exeter City trainer Eddie Nash who has been manager of Taunton Town for the last three years has quit the Western League club, after there had been a variance of opinion about certain players with the Taunton Town club committee over the matter of thier contracts for the coming season, Another former Exeter player, Frank Houghton, has agreed to become coach to the Exeter and District Premier League club, Ottery St MaryFrank joined the City in 1953 from Newcastle United as trainer, but made a comeback as a player, before a broken leg finished his playing career,

WEDNESDAY 17th JULY 1968.

CITY MEN FIND CLUBS.
News concerning players released by Exeter City at the end of last season, Winger or inside forward Micky Fudge has singed for Southern League Wellington TownBen Embery has had his name linked with Barnet.

SATURDAY 20th JULY 1968.

CITY NAME 21 YEAR OLD AS NEW SECRETARY

A 21 year old Exeter man is the new secretary of Exeter City Football Club, He is Michael Cosway, an accounts clerk. He becomes the youngest secretary in the Football League. He takes up his appointment as from Monday, replacing Dick Miller who was recently killed in a car crash in the Midlands, Cosway has been a supporter of Exeter City for the last five or six years, Club chairman Les Kerslake said that Mr Cosway's appointment was partly continuity policy and partly the fact that they wanted someone with enthusiasm for the club as well as the job. The directors felt that with a younger man he could learn the job and would be likely to stay with the club for a long time.

WEDNESDAY 24th JULY 1968.

CITY SQUAD FITTER THAN EVER.

Scientific equipment which is helping to get Great Britain's Olympic atheltes fit is being used by Exeter City as part of their pre season trainingExeter are probably the first club in the country to use the equipment and today the playing staff were at the Clifton Hill running track with Dr. Peter Travers, A member of the medical committee of the British Amateur Athletic Board, and a physical education lecturer at St Lukes College, Travers had with him a heart rate monitorHe was using the apparatus in interval training judging the speed of running and the recovery interval, One thing it has told City trainer Bert Edwards was that the recovery intervals have been too long, in other words the players are fitter than he thought they were, Edwards has also been given a special weight training schedule by Dr Travers. Exeter City plan to have further sessions with the help of the doctor and his equipment, One idea he will use is putting players through circuit training to pop music.

FRIDAY 26th JULY 1968.

Former Exeter City winger Jeff Tolchard has signed for Loughborough United who play in the Midland League. He is to attend Loughborough College of Education on a two year course,

MONDAY 29th JULY 1968.

Training at Starcross Football Club has begun under the direction of Bert Hoyle, the former Exeter City and Bristol Rovers goalkeeper,

WEDNESDAY 31st JULY 1968.
Exeter City v Stoke City 

PRE SEASON FRIENDLY.

EXETER 
Shearing, Smyth, Balson; Newman, Harvey, Kirkham; Corr, Banks, Bullock, Mitten, Pleat,
STOKE 
Banks (Farmer) Burrows, Skeels, Elder; Stevenson, Bloor, Allen; Eastham, Dobing, Herd, Mahoney,

EXETER CITY 0 STOKE CITY 1

Scorer: Stoke Burrows.
Attendance; 4,723,

Avoiding the temptation of reading too much into a pre season friendly, this must still rate as a very fine performance by Exeter City, and one to give hope of a better season than lastNo doubt First Division Stoke City did not turn on everything they could produce in a League match, although in possession they moved the ball with fluid precision and style. The fact remains that this was City's night and they did not deserve to lose. In fact on the run of play they could have won without justice being offended, Stoke scored their goal in the 20th minute and it was against the run of play. It was the result of one of the few first half raids of any danger, Equally it was one of the few times that the Exeter defence was not covering tightly enough Mahoney made the cross and Burrows headed the ball in. City throughout bristled with purpose, They looked the more dangerous side and were sadly out of luck not to have scored. One of the most impressive features of the game apart from the drive of the Exeter side was the new midfield combination of John Mitten and John Kirkham, The whole City side showed up well. The five newcomers looked useful acquisitions.

FRIDAY 2nd AUGUST 1968.
FRIENDLY.

EXETER CITY 1
Shearing, Smyth, Balson; Newman, Harvey, Kirkham; Corr, Banks, Bullock, Mitten, Pleat,

BRISTOL ROVERS 0
Taylor(L); Parsons, Stanton; Petts, Taylor (S), Lloyd; Graydon, Jones (W), Gadston, Ronaldson, Jones (B),

Scorer: Exeter ; Banks,

Attendance: 2,288,

Although it is early days the Division Four barometer continues to indicate a promising and encouraging reading for Exeter City. They looked a confident outfit, in what was a harder game than with Stoke City. They showed a lot of purpose and urgency in their play. Exeter pushed Bristol Rovers back in the first half, with John Corr twice going close, and John Mitten he looks like being a real asset in midfield was not far off on another occasion. City did most of the pressing before the interval and although they did not score at least the side were shooting, which applied throughout the match, At the start of the second half Rovers did have a good spell, Bobby Jones hit a post, but so did Alan Banks shortly after. And it was Banks who scored Exeter's winning goal in the 70th minute from substutute Jimmy Blain's cross, In their two games this week Exeter have given supporters reason to be optimistic. The urgency is there and also apparent is a keener sense of combined effort from defence to forwards. There is more ability in the side and one can only hope now that City can get off to a good start which is so important.

MONDAY 5th AUGUST 1968.

FRIENDLY,

BIDEFORD 0,
Sparrey; Pope, Hilson; May, Whitfield, Gauntlett; Penny Evans, Field, Peterson,Hurst,
EXETER CITY 2
Shearing; Smyth, Balson; Kirkham, Harvey, Newman; Corr(Crawford), Blain, Curtis, Mitten, Pleat,

Scorers:
Exeter Mitten, Pleat,

Attendance: 800,

It is hoped for the fate of Exeter City that they did not consider this pre season friendly too serious a test, If so all the good sales promotion work they did in their previous two outings will have been wasted, For after startling Stoke and bruising Bristol Rovers, they hardly bothered Bideford for long periods, In the end City ran out deserving winners, but they generally played without the decisive qualities they apparently showed in their previous two freindly matches, Strikers Alan Banks and Peter Bullock were absentees with slight injuries, and how the City missed themWithout the pair Exeter's attack looked woefully weak against a Bideford side who had few opportunities to play together since the end of last season, The most rational explanation for City's off colour display is of course in a few days time they face their opening Fourth Division encounter at Peterborough Unitedit would have been unfair to Bideford not to mention a few of their enterprising moves but by the final whistle Exeter had done enough for victory. It  was not until the 57th minute that they finally cracked Bideford's shell with a goal from Dermot Curtis following good work by an otherwise quiet John Mitten. Goal number two came from David Pleat with virtually the last kick of the match,