1964 1965. Pre-Season Diary 

MONDAY 15th JUNE 1964.

SORRY WE CAN'T COME GRECIANS. An official letter has gone from the offivers of the Exeter City supporters club to the secretary of the Grecians Association asking if their officers would like to attend tomorrow night's meeting at St James's Park but secretary Mike Hoskins of the Grecians Association says "Unfortunately we had already fixed the Executive meeting of our own tomorrow, so we had to turn it downHowever, we hope to be able to get together with the supporters in the near future," Supporters secretary Mr Maurice Bartlett said "We would like to meet the Grecians because there are several things that we would like to talk over with them. We want a good relationship with them and no friction, After all, everyone is working for the good of the club and there is no reason why we should not be able to work together. Our own membership is coming along very well at the moment. We have a hard working committee of 26, and they need to be hard working, because our first task is to help find the £8,000 for the new floodlights needed at the ground. We hope to expand further into all the surrounding districts if possible, reforming the old supporting Associations that used to exist. There were several branches of the Grecians in several local towns and they were a good thing,"

THURSDAY 18th JUNE 1964.

SETTERS SPARKS RED AND WHITE DRIVE.

The red and white club, the organisation which has brought £150,000 into Exeter City F.C, in the past ten years is to make an all out drive for members and to spark it off, Maurice Setters, the most famous neme on the membership books, broke off his Devon holiday for a few hours to make one of his organisations draws in Exeter last night, Honiton born Setters, was on the ground staff when the scheme started, he became a member and has kept up his card though his career as an England under 23 wing half with West Bromwich Albion and now Manchester United. He said Exeter City must have been one of the first to start such a scheme and it was only because of the red and white that Exeter City F.C, was kept alive when he was a City player. Indeed the transfer fee received from West bromwich Albion for his transfer was used to pay the summer wages, such was the struggle that Exeter had to put up with,

FRIDAY 19th JUNE 1964.

ANOTHER £600 FROM THE GRECIANS.

The secretary of the Grecian Association announced today that the Association had handed over another £600 to Exeter City F.C, and that they have asked the board of directors, if they can have a meeting as soon as possible with the nex Exeter City supporters club to plan the future activities and avoid any overlapping or duplication,

SUPPORTERS CLUB SCHEMES.

Concessions for the old age pensioners and a guaranteed entry to all ticket matches are two of the things on the agenda of the new Exeter City supporters club programmeThe plan is that membership of the supporters club will guarantee a ticket for future all ticket games, The supporters who will be represented at one City board meeting a month, have also planned some more refreshment stands and amenites at the ground on match days, coach trips to away games and possible coaches to bring the country members to St James's Park for home games, Membership fees are 5/- for adults and 2/-6d for pensioners and children of 16 and under.

LOTTERY ORGANISER.

Mr Reg Rose, the City chairman, has announced the appointment of an organiser who will be responsible for the organisation of a new lottery and liasion with the supporters club, he is Mr Fred Easton, a Plymouth man who has had several years connection with the Argyle club and is very well versed in the job.

THURSDAY 25th JUNE 1964.

GOUGH IN CANADA.

A letter received today from a former resident of East Budleigh, now living in Ontario, Mr Percy Bennett, says that former City wing half Ray Gough, has signed for Toronto, Italia, and he scored on his debut,

CITY DIRECTOR OFF FOR SIX MONTHS.

Exeter City F.C, will be short of one official at the start of next season, director Mr Jack Rodgers, he joined the City in March 1962 and sold his Totnes business interests shortly afterwards, now he is taking his wife and family to Australia for a six month trip.

MONDAY 29th JUNE 1964.

POMPEY KEEPER JOINS CITY.

Exeter City made their second close season signing today - 25 year old goalkeeper Peter Shearing from Portsmouth. He has been the club's reserve goalkeeper for the past couple of seasons and has made some appearances in their Second Division side. Born in Uxbridge, 5'11" and 13 stone, Shearing started his career with West Ham United, Meanwhile John Henderson, City's transfer listed inside forward for a fee of £3,000 is attracting interest from Doncaster Rovers, Hartlepool and Gillingham,

TUESDAY 7th JULY 1964.

Keith Parsons, an amateur centre half with Exeter City last season, has signed professional foras for Taunton Town.

THURSDAY 9th JULY 1964.

PROMOTION COST EXETER CITY £11,000.

Promotion to the Third Division cost Exeter City around £11,000, the amount the balance sheet shows as the club's loss on the 1963-64 season working and which will be reported at the annual meeting on July 30thTo get out of the Fourth Division, the club had to spend over £13,000 on players transfer fees and removal expenses and this cancelled out the almost 100% net increase in the takings, In the previous season, the club's net home profit from home games came to £12,114, In their promotion season it was £22,764. The report states that the deficiency of £10,986 on the years working is mainly due to the cost of players transfer fees, compared with a surplus from this source of £3,100 for the previous year. Travelling and hotel expenses droppedby about £300 to £4,595, but wages, salaries and bonuses rose by almost 23,000 to £30,972 Another drop in the revenue side came from the clubs lottery scheme which went down from £23,265 to £13,961, The final profit and loss acount for the year shows the club total deficiency at £45,052 compared with £42,893

HENDERSON JOINS DONCASTER.

Exeter City inside forward John Henderson transfer listed by the club at £3,000 is to sign for Doncaster Rovers today at a revised fee, after turning down an offer from GillinghamHe made 22 appearances and scored six goals for City last season, Joining the club from Charlton Athletic about 16 months ago,

Hopes and Expectations 

Exeter City in 1964-65

THE CITY'S BIG JOB:
DIVISION 3 PLAN

The big job for everyone at St James's Park in Exeter City's first season back in the Third Division is to make sure that they do not finish up by falling into Division Four next year. The aim therefore is to finish the season in a comfortable middle of the League table position. Torquay United got promotion a couple of years ago, and after a year in the Third Division they found themselves back in the Fourth again. The lessons they learned were not to under-estimate the opposition, and not to try to rush too far ahead to another success. A plan of establishment is a very wise policy, and judging the City team of last season, they can go into the Third Division with great confidence on this basis without much of a change of pattern.

MR EDWARDS'S PRINCIPLE

The City boss, Mr Jack Edwards, is certainly not going to fall into the trap of under-estimating the opposition.

"I have based all the pre-season training on the principle that the Third Division is going to be quite a bit better, and a different playing proposition to the Fourth," he says. "Too many teams who go up think that they can do the same again and go right through the Third just as easily, only to come straight down again." What has he done to make sure that this does not happen to Exeter City?

"The biggest problem that we shall have to face is that, to our men, most of the teams will be new, and so will the faces and the styles of play. On top of that I believe that Third Division players are that little bit better because they think faster, and it makes them appear faster on the field. So for this reason all our training is geared to make our players think faster themselves, with plenty of ball work and functional training in set patterns going through the kind of routines that should then become mechanical to them on the field. We have got to give the players a little while to see how they go, but if necessary we have left space on our staff to take on extra players."

READY TO GAMBLE

This is where the chairman, Mr. Reg. Rose, and the board come in, for they hold the purse-strings. Mr. Rose thinks that by the end of the first month they should have a good idea where the weaknesses are likely to develop. If and when they do, they will definitely plug any gaps that appear.

The board has speculated in the past, and if necessary, they are well prepared to take a calculated gamble and do the same again. On the question of the playing plan and whether or not the supporters will see a "new-style City" the answers are that the City fans will have to make up their own minds, and pass their own judgments on the team's pattern of play this season.

For Mr Edwards thinks that the 4-2 4 system was too often over publicised, under-rated, and misunderstood last season. The players found that the mechanics of their plan had gone ahead of them almost everywhere, and that teams had worked out ideas to stop them before the City even got them on to the field. Consequently each match was made harder for them. This season it is not intended to emphasise whatever plan is used. Exeter will be an unknown quantity.

MORE DEFENSIVE?

It is felt that the general pattern of socccer in all divisions this season will be more defensive. Exeter City's trainer, Mr Jack Webber, considers that the idea is nowadays that if you can stop the other team scoring you are not just half-way there but three quarters of the way there, and it is a sound theory. There is nothing new about this really, and all the successful teams play the same way. As far as Exeter City is concerned, Messrs. Webber and Edwards want ten men attacking when they are pressing and when defending all eleven are to be on the defensive.

This makes common sense, because there is not much point in letting the defence take a hammering while five forwards stand upfield and watch. Neither is there much point in five forwards struggling away while the defence has a "breather" behind them.

TRAINING MISSED

Last season the City had a fairly good injury-free run. This time the club has not been so fortunate so far. Banks, Hancock, and Grace all had to miss two complete weeks' training.

This has held them up in some of the tactical exercises, and is one of the reasons why the practice games did not go off so well. For without a settled team or a full staff to make up two complete sides it was difficult to set things up properly.

Two players for whom the new season is probably the most important in their careers are the apprentices, Barry Redwood and Bruce Stuckey. These two 17 year-old forwards, both from Newton Abbot, come to the end of their apprenticeships before Christmas, and they have to show that they are worth full professional contracts.

NEW FLOODLIGHTS

Right from the start of the season the City's gate figures will be scrutinised by Mr Rose and the board, because all plans for expansion depend upon finance, and they want to be able to estimate as soon as possible just how much of an increase the Third Division brings. Already the board has committed itself to a new floodlighting scheme at St James's Park, and everything is in the hands of the building and electrical contractors. It is hoped that the new installations will be ready by the end of the year.

The first ever "Friendly"
Exeter City 7-2 Leytonstone 

EXETER CITY team selectors saw little in the practice match against Leytonstone, the Isthmian League club, to assist them in choosing the team to open the season against Peterborough next Saturday. Banks, Grace, and Smyth were absentees through strained muscles, and Patrick and Thorne were also absent. Interest centred on the close season signings. Carter led the attack and Fulton was at right full-back. Neither of the Plymouth players ex distinguished himself, although each showed glimpses of potential capabilities. The other newcomer was Shearing, the ex Portsmouth goal keeper. He took over from Bar nett after the interval, but had little to do and nothing to prove his worth. Of last season's players Welsh impressed, and Ley, replacing Rees in the second half, showed promise. Each side played entertaining football, but the match was no trial of strength for Exeter, as indicated by the 7-2 result.

Exeter's scorers were Rees (2), Curtis (2). Welsh. Mitchell, and Clark (own goal). Andrews and Harvey scored for Leytonstone.

Exeter City:- Barnett; Fulton MacDonald; Mitchell Harvey Anderson; Welsh Curtis Carter Hancock and Rees.

Leytonstone:- Mackie; Wilkinson Wood; Andrews Clark Charles; Gray Bulmer Diwell Minall and Harvey.

This match, if it can be called a match, certainly did not give any clear indication of how the City will get on in their first season back in the Third Division. The City's football recipe was much the same as before in formation and execution.

Leytonstone played some very good football when they moved forward, but defensively they were not so good, and Exeter made them pay for their weaknesses and their errors. Rees and Curtis, each with two goals, Welsh and Mitchell, each with one, were Exeter's marksmen, and one goal was put through by the Leytonstone centre half.

LIST OF EXETER CITY PLAYERS.

• Goalkeepers:- A.Barnett, P.Shearing (Portsmouth).
• Backs:- L.MacDonald, R.Patrick, C.Smyth, B. Fulton (Plymouth Argyle).
• Half backs:- D.Anderson, D. Grace, D.Hancock, A.Mitchell, K.Harvey, P.Rutley.
• Forwards:- A. Banks, D.Curtis, G.Ley, G. Rees, A.Riding, G.Mustard, A.Thorne, E. Welsh, W.Carter (Plymouth Argyle).
• Apprentices:- P.Davis, P.Arbury, B.Stuckey, B.Redwood.

TRANSFERRED.

Ray Gough to Toronto Italia, Canada.
John Henderson to Doncaster Rovers.
Peter Quarrington to Bristol Rovers.
Jim Parkhill to Taunton United.

Directors:- Messrs S.H. Thomas, J.Rigby, R. Rose, G.Gillin, F. Dart, L.Kerslake, J.Rodgers.

Manager:- Mr J.Edwards.
Trainer:- Mr J.V.Webber.
Secretary:- Mr K.F.Honey.