CITY'S GREAT AWAY WIN:
NOW THIRD IN LEAGUE TABLE.

BOXING DAY 1963:
BRIGHTON 1 EXETER CITY 2.

From the moment Adrian Thorne, the former Brighton outside left and now a centre-forward, streaked through the Goldstone Park mud just after the interval to make the score 1-1 Exeter took the initiative and finally won by two goals to one to move up into third place in the Fourth Division league table.

And Brighton, so dominant in the opening half, were forced to back pedal anxiously once Thorne had got that vital goal.

Brighton and Hove: - Powney; Sanders and Jennings; Bertolini, Gall, and Turner; Cooper, Collins, Webber, Healer, and Goodchild.

Exeter City:- Barnett; Smyth MacDonald; Mitchell, Harvey, Anderson; Rees, Banks, Thorne, Grace, and Phoenix.

There was no question of the City holding out for an away draw and they went flat out for the two points. With only five minutes left for play Banks seized his chance to outwit an uncertain defence and his goal gave the City a deserved win.

And apart from the ever-present menace of Banks in the City attack the enterprise and marksmanship of Thorne was something Brighton I could not match, and many of the 10,250 spectators doubtless had memories of the last day of the season in 1958 when this Brighton born player scored five goals for the Sussex club in a match which won the club promotion to the Second Division.

Western League 
City Reserves v Bristol City 
Abandoned after half time. 

A benevolent December mist which rolled suddenly across the pitch at St James's Park saved Exeter City Reserves from a big defeat at the hands of Bristol City Reserves. When the mist arrived the City were 4-1 down and playing badly. But everything at ground level was blotted out, and the referee could do nothing but call a halt to the game.