23rd April 1973
Football League 4.
Exeter 0-0 Chester

A frustrating City farewell
By TONY PHILLIPS

The look on manager John Newman's face was one of frustration- and this summed up Exeter City's last Division 4 game at St. James's Park for another season. They drew 0-0 with Chester yesterday when they should have cashed in and made it an Easter goal feast. In short, Exeter should have won by a handsome margin. Newman said: "What can you do? You control the match from start to finish. Chester never had a shot at goal, and we played some good football and created chances. The frustrating thing was we did not finish off our good work.

"I would say that on the play, we should have won at least by 3-0. We cannot make excuses-you have to score goals."

The City missed so many chances in a match they commanded from start to finish. Chester were just pushed back all the time; the City had the chances and missed them. Exeter had the chances that asked to be put away. Tony Scott missed two in the first-half, and Fred Binney put a header against the bar. Binney and Campbell Crawford hit the bar in the second-half, the full-back from a long, deep cross, and there were chances and half chances which failed to produce a goal.

Bob Wilson did not have a direct shot to save. He touched the ball more times from back-passes than from Chester threats.