SATURDAY 4th JANUARY 1969.

THE MANCHESTER UNITED INVASION.

More than 4,000 Manchester United fans swarmed into Exeter for the Ciyt's biggest sporting occasion for many years. The young Manchester fans roamed the City centre and contented themselves mainly with chanting and wandering aimlessly. Some however jumped on a bus for a free ride, others followed passers by mimicking their walks The White Ensign flag outside the Royal Marine Recruiting Office in Sidwell Street was hauled down by fans and carried away. Long before kick off time it was possible to sense the excitement in the air. The chanting and rattle waving fans filled the City streets, and the cafes and public houses did a roaring trade coping with the Manchester invasion, The Mancunians had arrived by car, coach, and train, Ticket spivs were in evidence selling ground tickets for between £1 and £2, and stand tickets for 23. As a capacity crowd of 18,500 was expected, the first fans began to arrive at St James Park by 5am, Queue's began to form outside the ground hours before the kick off.

AN HOUR OF GLORY THEN QUICK GOALS TOPPLE EXETER.

EXETER CITY 1,
Shearing; Smyth, Blain; Harvey (Pleat), Sharples, Newman; Corr, Banks, Pinkney, Mitten, Balson.
MANCHESTER UNITED 3
Stepney; Dunne, Burns; Fitzpatrick, James, Stiles; Best, Kidd, Charlton, Law, Sartori,

Scorers:
Exeter Banks
Manchester Utd: Fitzpatrick, Dunne, Kidd:

Attendance 18,500,

The scoreline gives a fair reflection of the proceedings but never dismiss Exeter a team of Fourth Division also rans, They gave the European Champions a fight and a fright, City were actually in front after 15 minutes, and after an hour they looked as if they would earn a lucrative replay, but then two quick goals by United ended City's moment of glory. Alan Banks goal for City was a text book affair with a glancing header from Mike Balson's free kick, St JamesPark erupted and it did so again 18 minutes later when John Corr ran the ball into the net but it was disallowed for an infringement that was not obvious Exeter's defence contained United's thrusts with cover above Fourth Division standards. Then tragedy struck in the 43rd minute. The defence was caught flat footed and Fitzpatrick equalised from Dunne's pass, So they turned around with City still in with a fine chance, Two United goals in the 60th and 62nd minutes were very much an anti climax, Dunne's centre was deflected past Shearing by John Newman, then Kidd hit the ball home after a shot from Law had been blocked on the line, United had taken a long time to get to grips with the game and now they would not let goA plucky fight by the City on a memorable afternoon.

Match Report 2

Exeter City earned a lot of praise for the expert manner in which we kept on top of the visiting European Champions during the first half of this Cup tie. In particular we were complimented by the critics for the sportsmanlike manner in which we played. Not for us the rough spoiling tactics so often adopted by lowly placed teams when confronted by high-class opposition. Everyone bubbled over with excitement when Alan Banks sent us into the lead after 15 minutes and it was not until a minute before the interval that the United managed to equalize through Fitzpatrick. City were shattered by 2 goals in less than 2 mins, mid-way through the second half when Johnny Newman had the mis fortune to turn one into his own net and Denis Law got the other. Manchester United were a disappoint ment to many in the 18,000 crowd, and it was only during this half they showed enough of their undoubted talents to earn them the victory.

CLASSIC MATCHES 

by Will Barrett 

When City held on to beat Colchester United 1-0 in the second round of the 1968/69 FA Cup, the club had absolutely no idea that the prize for winning would be a match against the then European Champions, Manchester United.
On the day of the game the United team, led by the legendary Matt Busby, arrived to find the ground already packed, and hoards of people looking to get a glimpse at players such as World Cup winners Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles, as well other stars such as Dennis Law and George Best.
The match kicked off on frosty ground and in dreary weather, but the match was to be nothing like the conditions it was played in, as City made a mockery of their lowly league position in giving their more illustrious opponents a tough game.
Buoyed by the occasion and the vociferous crowd, City got into United in the early stages, and sent the capacity crowd wild in the 15^th minute when they took an unexpected lead through centre forward and leading marksman, Alan Banks.
Banks had suffered some injury problems in the build up to the game, but he showed no lack of sharpness as he met Alan Pinkney’s ball into the box, to head past Alex Stepney in the St James Road end goal.
With the crowd chanting ‘we want two’, City did well to hold back the dangerous United attack on several occasions, and then almost caused one of the all time FA Cup shocks on the counter attack when the second goal the crowd was hoping for was disallowed for a handball in the build up.
The two sides then exchanged sighters on goal from distance, before Pinkney set up Johnny Mitten for a shot that fizzed just over the bar. City came again, and Stepney had to stretch to tip yet another effort over the bar for a corner.

Back and forth the game went, and City looked good for their lead going into half-time, but then the European Champions showed their class as Frankie Burns’ precise lofted ball dropped at the feet of John Fitzpatrick just yards from the goal for him to tuck in at the near post.

City reemerged in the second half to a huge cheer, but the tie began to swing away from them just after the hour mark when Dunne’s cross from the right flank was steered into his own net by John Newman.

Just minutes later United scored again; this time a fine team goal that started with Carlo Sartori on the left, made its way through three former European players of the year in Charlton, Best, and then Law, before Brian Kidd finished the move, and the cup tie, from close range.

Final Score: ECFC 1 MUFC 3

Exeter City: Shearing; Smyth, Sharples, Newman, Blain; Mitten, Harvey, Balson; Corr, Banks, Pinkney.

Manchester United: Stepney; Dunne, James, Stiles, Burns; Fitzpatrick, Charlton; Best, Kidd, Law, Sartori.

Man of the match: Alan Banks

Attendance: 18,500


WEDNESDAY 8th JANUARY 1969.

BANKS ORDERED TO REST.

Alan Banks, Exeter City's leading goalscorer has been ordered to rest by doctors because of a leg injury. A setback which the club chairman Les Kerslake describes as a serious blow to the club, Banks has a haemotoma above the knee joint of his right leg and on the advice of a specialist he has been told to rest for a few weeks,