Lowly Bradford expose Exeter City weakness

NOW PROMOTION IS IN DOUBT
By Exonian

Exeter City 2, Bradford 3.

RARELY can a promotion battle have been keener. After Monday's great display at Chesterfield, Exeter topped the League: after this bitterly disappointing match they rest in fifth position. On the face of it this was a bad defeat. Bradford before this game were lying seventh from bottom, having won only three away games this season. Alan Banks. City's top scorer and live-wire, failed a late fitness test on his injured arm, but even after this news few of the 9,722 crowd could have expected this result. The fact is that Bradford are a far better side than their League position suggests. It takes a good side to fight back from behind twice in a game, and then go on to win and that is what Bradford did. The two occasions Exeter took the lead were short lived. Each time Bradford hit back with sudden flashes of sparkling football combined with the ability to probe a defensive weakness and take opportunist goals. Exeter went ahead after eight minutes and lost it six minutes later. Harvey made no mistake with a penalty kick awarded for hands and equally Hector made no mistake in bursting through the middle to equalise. 
The decider
Then Exeter's hopes soared again as Rees calmly placed his shot past Hardie despite appeals for off-side. This time, everyone thought, Exeter would hold the lead, but in the 37th minute the fast-moving Bradford team equal ised through Spratt. The decider came in the 64th minute, when Lawrie scored After that Exeter tried all the time near the end for corners and free kicks, only MacDonald stayed in defence-but they rarely looked like scoring.
Final Score  Exeter City 2-3 Bradford 
Attendance 9722 

MATCH REPORT 2
EXETER CITY RUN ENDS, BUT NO SIGN OF A SLIDE
Bradford 3, Exeter City 2

This was Exeter City's first defeat in 11 League games, but those supporters who did not see them need not be afraid that it is the start of a rot which will see their side slide out of the pro motion bracket. Bradford shook Exeter with a fourth-minute goal from inside right Spratt. But before long Exeter had settled down to their normal style of football-a fast, close passing game which had Bradford baffled for most of the rest of the first half.

MISSES
With wingmen Graham Rees and Adrian Thorne cutting through time and again Exeter's attack was at its sharpest and no one was surprised when Alan Banks drove in a 20th-minute equaliser. But then came the misses. And although they had both played so well, Thorne made two of them and Banks the other and all three were from good chances. Derek Grace did give Exeter an early second-half lead, but one goal was not enough. Bradford equalised through left-winger Bird and Hector, his inside man, made it 3-2. By this time there was hardly any stopping the Northern side and the normally so-steady Devon defenders were glad to clear any how. Perhaps their covering had not been as tight as usual all through the game, for goalkeeper Alan Bar nett seemed to have to deal with three times the normal number of shots. Afterwards, team manager Jack Edwards commented: I have no complaints. We had to lose some time, and it just happtned to be in this game."

EXETER CITY 2,
Barnett; Smyth, MacDonald; Hancock, Harvey, Anderson; Rees, Henderson, Curtis, Grace, Thorne,

BRADFORD P.A, 3.
Hardie; Thomas, Lightowler; Atkinson, McCalman, Flynn; Lawrie, Hector, Fryatt, Spratt, Bird,

Scorers
Exeter City Rees, Harvey,
Bradford Hector, Spratt, Lawrie,

Attendance 9,722,


TUESDAY 21st APRIL 1964.

FASTEST SCORER IN THE CITY.

Since signing for Exeter City Alan Banks has scored 16 League goals in 26 appearances, Only five men in the club's history have scored goals as a faster rate than this player: 

Fred Whitlow 1932-33
Fred Goodwin 1914-15
Harold Blackmore 1926-27
Rod Williams 1936-37
Fred Dent 1927-28
Alan Banks 1963-64
Ted Calland 1958-59.

WEDNESDAY 22nd APRIL 1964.

ONE MORE POINT TO BE CERTAIN.

One more point and Exeter City are sure of promotion for the first time in the club's history. That is the position with just one game to go, the game that decideds City's fate is at Workington who are themselves in thirdp osition, If BradfordCity lose tonight and again at York on Saturday, Exeter need no more points, they could lose at Workington and still go up on goal average. The position at the top is still so tight that City must aim for at least one point to be absolutely certain on their last trip to the North,

THURSDAY 23rd APRIL 1964.
GOOD OMEN FOR CITY?

Exeter City supporters anxiously summing up their teams chance of promtion have been split into two factions after Workington's win at Bradford City last night. There are those who take it as a good omen because they say that Workington will not now be quite so desperate when they meet Exeter in the North on Saturday in the all deciding game, one point apiece, they rightly point out will see each team through, There are those who say that getting two points, at Bradford City, Workington will be full of confidence and go out for two more on the off chance of winning the Fourth Division Championship, The position at the top is so tight it is difficult to forecast anything except to say that with one point on Saturday Exeter City must be promoted and that even if they are defeated, goal average would still put them up if Bradford City lose at York City. All five Exeter City directors will travel to Workington on Saturday and British railways have a special excursion fare offer for the match, This should mean that there will be a large following cheering City on, despite the long trip involved, The club has been flooded with enquiries about travel to the game and it is possible that a coach may be arranged,

FRIDAY 24th APRIL 1964.

ALL ABOARD FOR THE BIG MATCH SPECIAL.

Journeys of nearly 400 miles by road and rail face Exeter City supporters tonight as they go on their way to the tensest match played by Exeter City F.C. in recent years. Fron St Davids Station at 5.30 p,m, a train will pull out with two through coaches added for the trip to Workington. The special fare of 70/- return has proved to be extremely popular,

Using a rival form of transport will be 40 members of the Grecians Association, They are travelling by coach, They will leave Exeter at about 11,30 p.m, and estimate that they will arrive at Workington at about 2.30 p.m.