SATURDAY 27th APRIL 1968.
HARD WORKING CITY.

NEWPORT COUNTY 1 EXETER CITY 1

Exeter Team 
Smout ; Smyth, Balson; Newman, Harvey, Huxford; Corr, Banks, Coughlin, CurtisBlain,

Scorers:
Newport :Hill
Exeter Banks,

Attendance: 1,605,

In their final away match of the season Exeter City held Newport County to a draw after finding themselves a goal down at the interval, In fact City almost won the game in the closing minutes, Nevertheless, it was a good result for Exeter and one they were happy withIt lifts them out of the bottom four and they have a game in hand on some clubs, The two sides fought their way through continous rain and the players at time had difficulty in keeping their feet on a greasy surface, Newport did most of the pressing in the first half as City fell back. Exeter were not breaking out of defence quickly enough. Yet it seemed as if it would be a goalless half, until the 44th minute when Hill put Newport ahead. Soon after the restart Newport had the ball in the net again, but it was disallowed, Then came City's equaliser by Alan Banks, following some good work by Dennis Coughlin. The goal gave Exeter more confidence as conditions deteriated. As expected Newport had more of the play during the 90 minutes but the City side worked hard for their point in front of Newport's lowest gate of the season,

Match Report 2

Exeter take only chance

Newport 1 Exeter 1
by MICHAEL BOON

NEWPORT COUNTY Swarmed all over struggling thinly skilled Exeter but saw their 66 top ten" drive halted by just about the only raid that troubled the home defence. Newport were knocked off balance after 62 minutes when Dennis Coughlin snatched up a loose ball ahead of goalkeeper Jeff Miles, rolled it into the empty goalmouth, and winger Alan Banks forced home an out of-the-blue equaliser. It was Newport all the way in the first half from the moment that Len Hill flashed a header just wide of a post in the open ing minutes until he eventually scored his goal 60 seconds before the interval. Gerald crossed the ball and Hill swiftly and surely fired home. Yet for all their superiority, it was significant that Newport's only genuine goal chance had come the minute before, when Hill's cleverly flighted free kick from the edge of the penalty area was smartly followed up by full-back David Williams, whose shot was smothered on the goal line by Welsh-born goalkeeper Smout. But Smout must have been relieved when referee W. G. Handley pulled back Williams for offside he had calmly side footed a Geoff Thomas centre into the net.