SOUTHERN LEAGUE: CITY V NEW BROMPTON

Opening Game at St. James's Park

GOALS GALORE: BRILLIANT HOME FORWARDS

Saturday, September 9th 1911.
EXETER CITY 8 NEW BROMPTON 1.

Last season: City 2 Brompton 2.
In 1909-10: City 3 Brompton 2.

The Gillingham directors were evidently by no means very pleased with their team's performance of a week ago against Luton Town, and they made three changes from the side which did duty then. Lee, formerly with Grimsby Town, was brought in at left-half, while the right wing was Dawes, a player recently signed on, and Weavers, a native of Portsmouth who was secured from Sittingbourne during the close season. Then, upon arrival at Exeter, one further change was announced, Westwood being played for Dawes at outside right. Exeter relied upon the same eleven as drew at Watford, as Parnell's damaged knee had not yielded to treatment.

EXETER CITY:
Whittaker (W)
Evans Coates
Bassett Pratt Prideaux
Whittaker (E) Watson Rutter Lockett Garside

Referee:- Mr P. Farr, of the Welsh F.A. Linesmen: Messrs Davis and Dunstan. -

Massey Whiteside Court Weavers Westwood
Lee Strang Mahon 
Nobbs Mosley
Bailey
NEW BROMPTON:

Shortly after three o'clock the crowd began to turn up in force, and naturally a good deal of interest was taken in the huge alterations which have already been effected at the lower end. The trees have gone, and excavations have been carried out half-way across. At 3.15 there were nearly five thousand on the ground, and the prospect was good for a 6,000 gate. The weather was beautiful with a brilliant sun shining from the Exeter end, but much too hot for football.

A roar of cheering greeted Watson at the head of the City team, to be followed a minute later by a right royal reception for Strang and his men from Kent. Watson lost the toss, and was set to face the sun.

A Glorious Start.

The start of the match was a glorious one. Watson received the ball from Rutter's kick-off and square passed. Bassett raced to possession and slipped it on to his skipper again. Watson dashed between the backs and shot hard and true. The Brompton goalkeeper fell at full length and touched the ball, but the force of the shot swirled it to the back of the net, for a goal in 30 seconds. The crowd went wild with delight.
Up and down went the play. Coates once miskicked, blinded by the sun's glare, but Evans came in behind him and cleared. Then in five minutes came another goal, and again Watson was the scorer. He shot with terrific force from 14 yards out, and Bailey could only tip the ball high in the air. He stood and waited for its descent, but Watson followed up, and with a stunning header put the ball safely into the net. Another roar of cheering greeted this welcome start to the new season.

Whittaker in Action.
Lockett was the next to try his luck, and a fine shot it was, too, from twenty yards out. Bailey caught the ball and dropped it, but recovered before anyone could get near him. Then at the other end Whittaker's charge nearly fell. In a scrimmage Whittaker fisted the ball out, and it hit Evans and bounced towards the line. Almost underneath the crossbar "Big Walt" fastened on to it a second time and kicked clear. In double quick time Exeter were at it again, splendid in footwork and bristling with energy. A quarter of an hour from the start the third goal came from the foot of Rutter. It was another beautiful goal, the shot of an opportunist, for he was hemmed in by the backs but chested the ball down and whacked home an unstoppable shot. New Brompton, three goals in arrears in the first fifteen minutes, were becoming demoralised, and no wonder, for the fourth goal was not far away. Watson fed E. Whittaker, who beat his man and swung over a high centre. Bailey ran across his goal, but too late, for the speedy Rutter galloped in as the ball dropped and brushed it into the net.

A gallant attempt was made by New Brompton to stem the tide. Once they were given a free kick close to the goal line, and the ball beat Whittaker but Bassett was on hand to kick away. Then another time, when the auburn haired Whiteside was going towards goal at great speed, Pratt nipped around him and took the ball off his toes. As for much else the Hoppers did, it was poor stuff. They shot twice, for instance, from fairly good positions, but high over the bar.

The Fifth Goal.

Bailey had to be as agile as a cat to save a rasping shot from the younger Whittaker, but only seconds later he was beaten to the wide by Exeter's fifth goal. A delightful bout of passing between Bassett and Watson left the skipper in possession, he dribbled round at least three Brompton men and flashed the ball into the rigging from about ten yards.
Whiteside scored for New Brompton ten minutes before half time, and in another attack Westwood just skimmed the crossbar with a fierce shot.
Half-time:

EXETER CITY 5-1 NEW BROMPTON

The second half was practically a repetition of the first, for the City had no difficulty in increasing their lead. Lockett scored the sixth with a rising shot which flew into the net wide of Bailey's outstretched arms, Garside the seventh with a lobbed shot over the goalkeeper's head, and Lockett the eighth with a beautiful header from E. Whittaker's centre.
In the closing minutes the visitors were awarded a penalty when Whiteside was brought down fifteen yards out. Whiteside took the kick himself, but sent in such a weak shot that Walter had no difficulty in catching the ball.



Plymouth and District League
CITY RESERVES V NORTHANTS REGIMENT.
Postponed

Exeter City Reserves were to have opened their Plymouth and District League programme at the Brickfields today, against the Northamptonshire Regiment, but Mr S.H. Thomas received information yesterday that the Regiment would be detained on military duties today, and asking for another date suitable to Exeter City.