SATURDAY 16th NOVEMBER 1968.

A FINE CUP TIE FOR SPOILERS.

FA CUP Round One.

EXETER CITY 0,
Shearing; Smyth, Blain; Kirkham, Harvey, Newman; Corr, Banks (Crawford), Balson, Curtis, Pleat,

NEWPORT COUNTY 0.
Weare; Williams, McLaughlin; Wood, Cooper, Rowland; Hill, Wookey, Buck, King, McClelland,

Attendance: 6,045.

There was plenty of cup tie fever about this match but precious little football, it was a tough spoiling battle. City's luck was right out when Alan Banks had to go off with a pulled ligamnet after 35 minutes, Exeter never settled into a pattern of constructive soccer. Certailny the hardness of the game was not conductive to the more sophisticated touches, but equally neither side showed much imagination, Newport played with tremendous vigour, Their covering were tight, their play faster than City's and at times they did move the ball about with purpose. For long spells City were bogged down in midfield and they did not blend into any attacking formation because of some very passing. Both sides had a couple of chances in the first half. Peter Shearing made a great save from Buck in their first minute and near half time Dave Pleat was too slow in shooting when well placed. Newport looked very lively at the start of the second half, Buck went close with two fine efforts. Towards the end of the game City had a spell when they were on top and it took a magnificent save from keeper Weare to stop a close range drive from Dermot Curtis. The Welsh side must surely start as favourites to win the replay.

Match Summary 

This was a tough game with very little real football and as entertainment it was practically worthless. But this is the kind of game one often has to expect in Cup ties. Newport obviously came here meaning to fight hard for a draw and they succeeded, but one wonders if they would have got away with it had we not lost leading goalscorer Alan Banks 10 minutes before the interval. For a long time before that Alan had gamely struggled on with a knee injury and it was obvious that he was not going to be able to make much of a contribu tion. When he left the field most of our hopes of victory against a hard-tackling Newport side went with him.


MONDAY 18th NOVEMBER 1968.

PINKNEY IS CALLED UP FOR REPLAY.

Injury hit Exeter City have called up Alan Pinkney, the St Lukes College centre forward to play in tonight's FA Cup First Round replay against Newport County at Somerton Park. Pinkney is on amateur forms with the City and played a few games in the league last season, scoring once, He is certain to play as Exeter are down to just 12 available players, and will replace injured leading goalscorer Alan Banks. Pinkney had just won a four mile race when he heard the news at the College, he quickly changed and left for St James Park,

F. A. CUP REPLAY.

A COMEDY OF ERRORS BUT CITY ARE THROUGH.

NEWPORT COUNTY 1,
Weare; Williams, McLaughlin; Wood, CooperRowland; Hill, Wookey, Buck, King, McClelland,

EXETER CITY 3
Shearing; Smyth Blain Kirkham, Harvey Newman; Corr, Pinkney, Balson, Curtis, Pleat

Monday, 18th November, 1968

F.A. Cup, 1st Round (replay)

Newport County (away), won 3-1

Newport began this replay as if they were going to hammer us into the ground, but they missed some of the easiest chances imaginable, and it was all against the run of play when City went ahead through an "own goal" headed in by Newport centre-half Alan Wood shortly before the interval.
Newport's leader. Tony Buck, made amends for some earlier misses by scoring an equaliser six minutes after the restart. But luck was on City's side this evening when a harmless looking effort by Alan Pinkney went into the Newport net off their right-back's boot. Newport must have been thoroughly disillusioned by now and City improved enough to be able to score through Mike Balson in the last minute.