TUESDAY 18th MARCH 1969.

DAVE PLEAT RIPS WREXHAM APART.

EXETER CITY 5.
Shearing; Smyth, Blain; Parker, Sharples, Newman; Pleat, Binney, Wingate, Curtis, Whatling,

WREXHAM 3.
Livesey; Ingle, Mason; Bermingham, DavisMay; Evans (M), Moir, Bradbury, Smith, Tinnion,

Scorers: Exeter Binney 2, Curtis, Pleat, Sharples,
Wrexham Smith 3

Attendance: 3,999.

With right winger Dave Pleat the arch pirate, Exeter City plundered four first half goals against Wrexham, It was a broadside that far from sunk the opposition, but equally created too big a lead for them to make upPleat excelled himselfHe showed all his cleverness in ball control and his natural ability for the sudden deceiving body swerve. He ripped the Wrexham defence to pieces with a devastating display, City sent Wrexham reeling with four goals in 20 minutes, After just 2 minutes Dermot Curtis headed in a Pleat cross. In the 4th ainute Pleat did it again, only this time it was Fred Binney who headed the goal. After 11 minutes, Pleat full of confidence, left three Wrexham defenders trailing as he weaved through to crash in Exeter's third goalStill nothing could stop an exhuberant City, in the 20th minute Keith Whatling took a short corner to Pleat and he centred for Binney to net goal number four, In the second half Wrexham shook off the Exeter attack and got down to a long hard slog of getting back into the game. In the 54th minute Tinnion's cross gave Smith his first goal, Exeter were far from finished and after a goalaouth skiraish Brian Sharples forced the ball home for goal number fiveAfter that Urexham really piled on the pressure and within a minute Smith got his second goal, Shortly before the end he completed his hat trick pouncing on a poor backpass.

Match Summary 

Four goals in first 20 munutes 

It's a long time since we have seen so many goals scored in a Football League game at St. James Park and everyone went home pleased with their evening out after this exciting encounter. Although Wrexham were hit by four goals in the first 20 minutes they fought back remarkably well and prove them selves a much better than average side. This was David Pleat's match, for he can seldom have enjoyed himself more on a football field than he did in that devas tating opening spell when he laid on the final pass in three of our first four goals and also netted the other one himself. The order of City's scoring was Curtis (2 minutes), Binney (4 mins), Pleat (11), Binney (20), Sharples (65). Centre-forward Ray Smith got a hat trick for Wrexham.