Match 48
21st April 1964
Chesterfield (Home)
Classic Match | Chesterfield 1964
1964 marked the first promotion in our club’s history, when Jack Edward’s side finished 4th in the old Fourth Division.
The ‘team that Jack built’ was one of the most complete sides seen at St James Park, and contained no less than 4 current ECFC Hall of Famers in Alan Banks, Dermot Curtis, Graham Rees, and the captain Arnold Mitchell.
Players and fans arrived at the ground Tuesday 21st of April 1964 for the final home match of the season, knowing that a positive result would put them back in with a chance to reach the third tier of English football.
Following a poor performance in the previous match against Bradford, many had been sceptical about the teams chances against the Spireites, but the return of Banks, and Mitchell who had been out since Easter, provided a timely boost ahead of the kick-off.
With the Cowshed creating a tremendous atmosphere from start to finish, the team produced some quality football under the SJP floodlights, and their efforts in a competitive opening spell were rewarded on 27 minutes when Banks laid on Rees to open the scoring with a neat finish.
From here on in the goals kept coming at regular intervals with Banks grabbing one of his own just before half time, before Curtis opened the second half with the pick of the bunch as he hit an unstoppable finish past the visiting keeper.
On 63 minutes David Hancock sent Banks away, and he used his characteristic determination to bulldoze through the visiting defence to make it 4-0. At this point Adrian Thorne was the only player in the forward line not to have a hand in the goal-fest, but he wasn’t left out for long and made doubly sure of his contribution by netting the 5th and 6th goals
Chesterfield pulled one back to avoid the whitewash, but that didn’t matter much to the home fans, who at the full time whistle raced onto the pitch to surround Banks and his victorious team mates in congratulating them on the biggest win of a memorable season.
Just one week later many of these fans would be amongst the crowds outside St David’s Station, waiting to celebrate with the players once again as they returned home from Workington with another point on the table and promotion secured.
Final Score: 6-1
Exeter City: Barnett; Smyth, MacDonald; Mitchell, Harvey, Anderson; Rees, Banks, Curtis, Hancock, Thorne.
Chesterfield: Powell; Holmes, Poole; Clarke, Blakely, Beresford; Duncan, Hughes, Frear, Rackstraw, Armstrong.
Man of the match: Alan Banks
Attendance: 9,000
Written by: Will Barrett
2nd Report
Slick Exeter slam six against Chesterfield
BANKS HAS A HAND IN FOUR
By Exonian
Exeter City 6, Chesterfield 1
THIS was Exeter's fighting reply to charges that their promotion hopes have dimmed. With hundreds of schoolboys invading the pitch, the 9,000 crowd gave a standing ovation to a weary but triumphant side as they came off after thrashing Chesterfield. Exeter's highest score of the season wiped out the bitter taste of Saturday's defeat by Bradford. But one cannot help reflect that had Exeter won on Saturday this victory would have made promotion sure. Now remains the last obstacle- Saturday's away match with Workington. After this display confidence can never have been higher. The Exeter team were back in top form. Chesterfield hardly showed any danger against a defence that 'was a rock-like and cool as ever. And with Alan Banks back in the team, the forward line seemed to have a new lease of life. It moved swiftly and effectively, carving huge gaps in the Chesterfield defence. Banks was the hero. At the start he was holding his injured arm which was still obviously causing him some discomfort. But despite this he chased and probed and ended up by scoring two goals and having a hand in two more. The goal rush started in the 27th minute. It was Banks who sparked off the move with his through ball to Adrian Thorne. It looked as if Dermot Curtis in the centre had missed a chance from the cross, but Curtis suddenly flicked the ball out to Graham Rees who hammered it into the net. Ten minutes later Dave Hancock set up the second with a centre to Curtis. He nodded the ball down to the feet of Banks who leapt on the chance and scored.
In the 52nd minute Rees broke through on the wing and sent over a ground pass which Curtis, shot past goalkeeper Powell. Seven minutes later Rees sent Banks away down the middle for a typical goal. With the crowd cheering for five, Banks chased away again and crossed the ball for Thorne to score. Not even when Chesterfield's inside-left Rackstraw scored from a free kick was Exeter's enthusiasm dampened. Three minutes from the end, after goalmouth scramble, a Thorne smashed in number six.
Attendance 9,449.
The ‘team that Jack built’ was one of the most complete sides seen at St James Park, and contained no less than 4 current ECFC Hall of Famers in Alan Banks, Dermot Curtis, Graham Rees, and the captain Arnold Mitchell.
Players and fans arrived at the ground Tuesday 21st of April 1964 for the final home match of the season, knowing that a positive result would put them back in with a chance to reach the third tier of English football.
Following a poor performance in the previous match against Bradford, many had been sceptical about the teams chances against the Spireites, but the return of Banks, and Mitchell who had been out since Easter, provided a timely boost ahead of the kick-off.
With the Cowshed creating a tremendous atmosphere from start to finish, the team produced some quality football under the SJP floodlights, and their efforts in a competitive opening spell were rewarded on 27 minutes when Banks laid on Rees to open the scoring with a neat finish.
From here on in the goals kept coming at regular intervals with Banks grabbing one of his own just before half time, before Curtis opened the second half with the pick of the bunch as he hit an unstoppable finish past the visiting keeper.
On 63 minutes David Hancock sent Banks away, and he used his characteristic determination to bulldoze through the visiting defence to make it 4-0. At this point Adrian Thorne was the only player in the forward line not to have a hand in the goal-fest, but he wasn’t left out for long and made doubly sure of his contribution by netting the 5th and 6th goals
Chesterfield pulled one back to avoid the whitewash, but that didn’t matter much to the home fans, who at the full time whistle raced onto the pitch to surround Banks and his victorious team mates in congratulating them on the biggest win of a memorable season.
Just one week later many of these fans would be amongst the crowds outside St David’s Station, waiting to celebrate with the players once again as they returned home from Workington with another point on the table and promotion secured.
Final Score: 6-1
Exeter City: Barnett; Smyth, MacDonald; Mitchell, Harvey, Anderson; Rees, Banks, Curtis, Hancock, Thorne.
Chesterfield: Powell; Holmes, Poole; Clarke, Blakely, Beresford; Duncan, Hughes, Frear, Rackstraw, Armstrong.
Man of the match: Alan Banks
Attendance: 9,000
Written by: Will Barrett
2nd Report
Slick Exeter slam six against Chesterfield
BANKS HAS A HAND IN FOUR
By Exonian
Exeter City 6, Chesterfield 1
THIS was Exeter's fighting reply to charges that their promotion hopes have dimmed. With hundreds of schoolboys invading the pitch, the 9,000 crowd gave a standing ovation to a weary but triumphant side as they came off after thrashing Chesterfield. Exeter's highest score of the season wiped out the bitter taste of Saturday's defeat by Bradford. But one cannot help reflect that had Exeter won on Saturday this victory would have made promotion sure. Now remains the last obstacle- Saturday's away match with Workington. After this display confidence can never have been higher. The Exeter team were back in top form. Chesterfield hardly showed any danger against a defence that 'was a rock-like and cool as ever. And with Alan Banks back in the team, the forward line seemed to have a new lease of life. It moved swiftly and effectively, carving huge gaps in the Chesterfield defence. Banks was the hero. At the start he was holding his injured arm which was still obviously causing him some discomfort. But despite this he chased and probed and ended up by scoring two goals and having a hand in two more. The goal rush started in the 27th minute. It was Banks who sparked off the move with his through ball to Adrian Thorne. It looked as if Dermot Curtis in the centre had missed a chance from the cross, but Curtis suddenly flicked the ball out to Graham Rees who hammered it into the net. Ten minutes later Dave Hancock set up the second with a centre to Curtis. He nodded the ball down to the feet of Banks who leapt on the chance and scored.
In the 52nd minute Rees broke through on the wing and sent over a ground pass which Curtis, shot past goalkeeper Powell. Seven minutes later Rees sent Banks away down the middle for a typical goal. With the crowd cheering for five, Banks chased away again and crossed the ball for Thorne to score. Not even when Chesterfield's inside-left Rackstraw scored from a free kick was Exeter's enthusiasm dampened. Three minutes from the end, after goalmouth scramble, a Thorne smashed in number six.
Attendance 9,449.
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