Exeter make easy work look hard

Exeter 2 Hartlepools 1

IT'S just as well that Exeter. City's players voted to give up their crowd bonus and take a League placing incentive instead (writes DAVID HARDING).

Their own supporters went away disgusted after the hard work they made of beating bottom-of-the League Hartlepools. The only exception to the moans and catcalls was former Liverpool and Cambridge City inside forward Alan Banks. Every week Banks proves that the club did well to raise the £6,000 needed to bring him back from non League football. He worked himself into the ground chasing every chance and never gave up against the tough Northern defenders. But most of the time his work was wasted because he was left almost entirely on his own.

One-man band

No one gave him any support in the centre and the one-man - band attack had all the play with out getting the goals. It took Banks 27 minutes of struggling on his own to get Exeter's first goal, which he scored with a low shot after a solo run. From then almost until the end the game became a series of frustrations, There was no doubt that the Exeter defence was well on top. Hartlepools struggled even to get out of their own half for most of the game, and all their efforts were broken down provide the Exeter forwards with a steady stream of passes. When Hartlepools equalised. in the 53rd minute, through Pat Thompson it was very much as if Exeter had let slip a point. Hartlepools came a little more into the game, but they still didn't make any really constructive attacks. Exeter got the winner after 86 minutes, Right-winger Graham Rees got the goal as he ran on to a Mitchell free kick and gave Oakley no chance from six yards.

Exeter City: Barnett: Patrick, MacDonald; Mitchell, Harvey. Anderson; Rees, Banks, Henderson, Grace. Thorne.

Hartlepools: Oakley: Bilcliff,
Stonehouse; Johnson, Fraser, Hinshelwood; Hinchcliffe. Fogarty. Bradley, Burlison.

Result 
Exeter 2-1 Hartlepools United

Attendance 
6077

Western League 

ANDOVER 3, CITY RESERVES 1

Team 
Parkhill; Smyth, Quarrington; Spiers, Rutley, Gough; Welsh, Redwood Edgar, Ley,

Scorers
Andover Allen, Brown, Hall,
Exeter City Ley.

POOLE TOWN 0
EXETER CITY RESERVES 1.

On Monday Exeter sent their reserve team to Poole, where a friendly match under the floodlights at Wimborne Road attracted a crowd of about one thousand. The City Reserves won by a goal, scored by Alan Riding, to nil.

The following represented:- 

Exeter:- Parkhill; Smyth, MacDonald; Spiers, Harvey, and Gough; Welsh, Riding, Curtis, Edgar, and Thorne.

Scorer
Exeter City Riding

Though billed as "Exeter City Reserves" seven of these players have had considerable first team experience, and Curtis is an Irish international. "Nothing new" was Jack Edwards comment after the Exeter City friendly game at Poole Town, amateur inside forward Riding got the only goal of the game. But Mr Edwards was not very impressed by the rest of the attack. This was the chance to shine and stake a claim for a first team place at Darlington on Saturday but they didn't.