CITY BELOW STRENGTH
Another Experiment at Half-Back
Saturday, October 21st 1911.

SOUTHERN LEAGUE: 
BRISTOL ROVERS 2 EXETER CITY 1.

Last season: City 3 Rovers 1.
In 1909-10: Rovers 1 City 0.

This morning opened with driving rain and blustering wind, just the sort of weather when surprises happen in football, and when even Bristol Rovers might score a glut of goals. Up to this morning the Bristolians had picked up seven points as a result of seven matches, but the forwards had scored but two goals at home and one away, in ten and a half hours. The weak ness of the side, therefore, was self evident.

Pratt Suspended.
Exeter were forced to make several changes today. Pratt has been suspended for seven days over the Millwall incident, and it was decided to experiment with Bassett in his place, and give Rigby his first chance in the Southern League team, at right-half. Watson hoped to play despite his injury of last week, but today he broke down in training, and Cornan, who was to have appeared in the Reserves, was called upon, this being his first League match also. Walter Whittaker, with a broken finger, was an absentee, and Chapman, the reserve, was given the custodianship of the City goal.

Hughes Dropped.
The Rovers reported yesterday that they intended to drop Archie Hughes, who was transferred to them from Exeter City last season. Last week he was played at centre-forward, but now gave place to Richards, a local, who has been getting a few goals with the Reserves. 

Well over four hundred Exonians took advantage of a cheap excursion run by Mr. Davey, and the Exeter City band was with them. A crowd of Exonians living in Bristol met the travellers at Stapleton Road, and the red and white favours were very much in evidence on the ground.

The Exeter band joined forces with Bristol's, and no fewer than forty performers, under Mr Newman's conductorship, passed the time for the crowd for an hour before the start with a musical selection of both club's airs. The afternoon was beautifully fine after the early rain, and the pitch appeared in perfect condition. Archie Hughes and Ed. Jones met the City team at Stapleton Road. Teams:

ROVERS:
Roney Harvie Westwood Williams Morris Shaw Peplow Walker Richards Brogan Rankin

Referee:- Mr. A. Tearle, of Luton.

Garside Cornan Rutter Lockett Parnell Griffiths Bassett Rigby
Coates Evans
Chapman
CITY:

Garside was appointed captain for the day, and as soon as he led the Grecians out an enthusiastic supporter from Exeter ran on to the field and presented Chapman with a "lucky horseshoe" tied in red and white ribbons. Williams beat Garside with the toss, and set Exeter to face the sun. Rutter started the game before about 6,000 spectators, and Westwood got the ball off Lockett and sent it to half-way. The Rovers then made headway, and Coates effected a very opportune clearance. Rigby was next prominent in checking Richards. Parnell was set going on the right, but was forced over the touchline by Westwood. Richards was stopped by Coates, then Garside worked his way near to the goal only to find Harvie too good for him. Evans stopped Richards, who was a persistent leader and showing up well in these early Bristol raids, and when Exeter attacked on the left Westwood gave away a corner. The next minute the Rovers forced a corner, from which they scrambled the ball through the goal, but the referee promptly disallowed the score on the grounds that Chapman was impeded. Another corner to Bristol was beaten back, and Parnell got away up the wing. Westwood failed to stop him, and with Roney coming out he passed inside to Rutter, who volleyed the ball over the bar from fifteen yards. The game was becoming very exciting, and play veered from end to end at a breathless pace. Lockett shot wide from an oblique angle, following a pass from Parnell, but a sudden break by the Rovers ended with them gaining a corner off Coates, from which Chapman saved expertly from Brogan.

Chapman in Good Form.
Chapman cleared again from Richards, and the new goalkeeper was playing a very smart game. Rutter was given a chance, but hesitated, and was robbed. Exeter pressed again, and Lockett took the ball over the goal-line when hemmed in by Harvie. Rankin was given a simple opportunity for Bristol, and shot hopelessly wide, drawing derisive cries from the crowd for his mistake. Both sides were getting plenty of good chances, more especially Bristol, but Chapman was in good form and showing splendid judgment in dealing with everything that came his way. He gathered a dropping shot from Brogan, and punched behind another from Rankin. From the corner Brogan again missed badly, shooting wide from only two or three yards range. Bristol appealed for a penalty for hands, but the referee gave a corner instead. Peplow was the next Bristol player to miss the goal, and a minute before the interval Chapman made yet another save from Brogan, and was applauded all round the ground.
Half-time: ROVERS 0-0 CITY

Second Half.
Parnell was given offside from Cornan's pass just after the resumption, and from another pass he was beaten for speed by Westwood. Peplow was despatched towards goal by Williams, and had the defence all beaten, but could only shoot behind. Then a free-kick was given against Griffiths, but Chapman fell to Williams' shot and saved by the post. The crowd appealed for a goal on the fact that the ball appeared to have passed over the line. Chapman had been hurt in making the save, and he was lying helpless on the ground. When he got up the referee went over to consult one of his linesmen, then signalled a goal to the Rovers, amid the unsuccessful protests of the City team. Exeter attacked with promising vigour, but all they could get out of it was a corner which came to nothing. Richards then got away, but was checked by Coates in the nick of time. Evans cleared, and in Exeter's next attack Rutter shot just over the top from Bassett's pass. Rankin was injured during an assault on the Exeter goal, and was led off, limping badly. Coates failed to stop Richards breaking through, and the new centre-forward scored Bristol's second goal with a deliberate shot from about eight yards, the second point being just as good as the first was bad. Lockett shot over when ideally placed, and Roney saved from Cornan. With only eight minutes remaining and the Rovers two goals in the lead, the crowd began to drift off, but the City were yet to score. Lockett got to the ball and centred for Cornan to run in and first-time it into the corner of the goal. In the last move of the match Lockett raised the hopes of the Exonians present, for he ran in and shot with plenty of force, but the ball hit the outside of the net.
Final: ROVERS 2-1 CITY.
The City were unlucky to lose, so far as the actual goals went, for the Rovers' first goal did not look like a legitimate one, and the award was hotly disputed by the Exeter players. However, the Rovers were slightly the better side, and what is more, their defence was so good that Exeter's forwards were never able to get going properly. Chapman, making his first appearance, played brilliantly in goal.

CITY RESERVES v BABBACOMBE. Plymouth and District League.

At St. James's Park, before a large attendance. After play had been in progress for twenty-five minutes A.Burgoyne scored for the "Babes" with a shot that gave Pym no chance. The City equalised, then gained the lead, within five minutes of the second half starting, the scorers being Bailey and Taylor. Gilchrist then scored for Babbacombe, and Chenneour for the City.
Final:- City Reserves 3, Babbacombe 2.
Reserves: Pym; Fort, White; Lewis, Martin, Clarke; Whittaker, Taylor, Bailey, Chenneour, and Seddon.
Babbacombe: Fleet; Hopkins, Crute (F); Udranfski, Burgoyne (F), Prowse; Burgoyne (A), Gilchrist, Truscott, Clifford, Port.


Wednesday, October 25th 1911. Friendly: Cardiff City v Exeter City.

The visit of a Southern League First Division team to Cardiff did not draw quite the "gate" that was expected. The game was very interesting as a pretty exhibition of the soccer code, although its control was not marked by any particular strength.
Cardiff: Husbands; Duffy and Waters; Lawrie, Lathom, and McDougall; Pinch, J.Burton, G. Burton, Featherstone, and Evans.
Exeter: Chapman; Fort and Coates; Rigby, Chadwick, and Martin; Whittaker, Lockett, Bailey, Rutter, and Griffiths.
In the first half Exeter City had slightly the better of the play, and the Cardiff half-backs were too hard pressed to be able to feed their own front line. Waters, deputising for Leah, was a weakness in the Cardiff defence, and Exeter were bad judges of their opportunities in not giving Enos Whittaker a greater share of the ball. Nevertheless, it was Whittaker's centre that put Rutter through with the goal at his mercy, and he beat Husbands with a low shot into the corner.
Interval: City 1 Cardiff 0.
Later on Cardiff did better, forcing several corners, but Exeter soon got back again, and Husbands was relieved to see an express shot from Lockett go inches wide. Cardiff drew level twenty minutes from the end, when Evans met a cross-field pass from Featherstone and gave Chapman no chance with a fast shot.
Result: Cardiff City 1, Exeter City 1.