Exeter Obliged to Make Several Changes

Saturday, November 11th 1911.
SOUTHERN LEAGUE:BRIGHTON AND HOVE 3 EXETER CITY 1.

Last season: Exeter 2 Brighton 1.
In 1909-10: Brighton 1 Exeter 0.

Early in the week the Exeter City management had hoped to be able to put out a full side for the Southern League mat ch against Brighton and Hove Albion, the ex-Champions, at St. James's Park today. The Midland tour, however, proved quite disastrous as far as injuries to City players are concerned, and yesterday it was reported that Pratt, Lockett, and Parnell were all unfit for duty, owing to strains, the first-named having been hurt at Northampton, and the other two at Stoke. This, of course, necessitated a complete re-arrangement of the side, and, on paper, it was a weak eleven which turned out this afternoon to oppose the Seasiders.

CITY: Chapman Evans Coates Bassett Griffiths Rigby Whittaker(E) Watson Rutter Kent Garside

Referee: Mr A. G.Neale, of London. Linesmen: Mr J.H. Wiltshire, of Plymouth, and Mr E.J. Davies, of Yeovil.

Goodwin Webb Smith Needham Longstaff Haworth McGhie Booth Leeming Henderson Whiting
BRIGHTON

"Bullet" Jones, of Brighton, was not in their ranks today. He is reported to have recovered from a recent strain, but a local player, J.Smith, has been leading the forwards with such marked effect that he was preferred to the old Birmingham man. Brighton, in fact, fielded precisely the same side as beat New Brompton by 7-nil last week. The eleven therefore included Henderson, their new back from Birmingham, who has succeeded Blackman; Archie Needham, from Wolverhampton Wanderers, who has been scoring a lot of goals lately, and Fred Goodwin, late of Leek United. Joe Leeming, the veteran of the side, and an old Bury back, was of course included as Henderson's partner. Exeter, on the other hand, had really six men on the list of casualties, namely Walt Whittaker, Pratt, Cornan, Parnell, Prideaux, and Lockett.

Unfavourable Weather.
When Brighton arrived on the ground it was raining hard, and half an hour before the start there was not a hundred people on the popular side. In fact, it seemed that the unfavourable weather would completely spoil the "gate", while it also boded ill for the game, for the surface, soft and sloppy, was bound to cut up.

The Game.
There were scarcely two thousand spectators present when the to teams turned out. Brighton won the toss, and elected play towards St. James's Road. Enos Whittaker was given a chance by Watson, but hesitated. The ball was slung out to Longstaff, who handled in a vain attempt to get possession. Coates took the free-kick, and Whittaker over-ran the ball when he had a good chance to centre. Brighton then attacked strongly, and Needham was hurt in a collision, but play was allowed to continue. At length Needham was led off, but in the meantime Brighton had come very close to scoring. Garside was pulled up for offside when well away with one of Kent's passes. A similar fate befell Smith, and a little later Chapman saved well from Webb. After he had cleared he was fouled by Smith, against whom a free-kick and a caution were given. Offside spoiled another movement by the Brightonians, and then Coates held up Needham, who had returned to the field, and went through with the ball, Leeming dispossessing Garside after a run down and square pass by Kent. The passing and tackling of the Exeter men were none too certain. Longstaff broke through, and Chapman ran out, only to miss the ball and scramble back just as Needham fired wide. Exeter took up the running for a change, and Watson, with a first-time drive, was a yard off the mark. Back went Brighton, only for Goodwin to be whistled up for offside. In the next minute, however, Smith banged at the ball from nearly thirty yards out, and it sailed into the rigging at great speed with Chapman jumping across in a vain effort to reach it. This sudden reverse seemed to presage a bad time for Exeter City, but play had hardly been resumed before Watson got the Brighton defence in a tangle, enabling Kent to race up with a clear course. His shot, taken at a sharp angle, struck against the right-hand upright, and from there glanced into the net for the equaliser.

More Goals for Brighton.
Brighton responded with great vigour, Chapman picking up with Webb and Smith bearing down upon him. Griffiths passed to Watson, who sent Whittaker off, and the young winger dribbled last Leeming and sent in a fine rising shot, which Whiting was glad to be able to punch away. Whittaker troubled the goalie again with another fine shot, and was now getting into his stride. Whiting then fielded a long, dropping shot by Garside, but soon afterwards a second disaster befell the City, for Smith and Webb fought their way through, and when the defence was looking for a pass Webb shot hard and low, driving the ball into the corner of the net. Brighton were going in for shooting at every opportunity, and this plainly paid, for Chapman's line was plastered in mud. The goalkeeper a minute later dropped the ball after he had gathered it on the ground, and Smith sent it home for a simple goal. This took all the heart out of Exeter, and after Whittaker had forced a corner from which Griffiths headed behind, the Seasiders went down in a line, and Webb narrowly missed with a scorching drive. Brighton later forced a corner from which McGhie shot wildly over after Griffiths had only partially cleared. Griffiths got the ball away from a tight scrimmage in the City penalty area, and Whiting saved from Kent, following a free-kick given for a foul by Booth on Garside.
Half-time:
Brighton 3, Exeter City 1.

SECOND HALF.
Whittaker beat Leeming from Bassett's pass, and made tracks for goal, only to shoot straight into Whiting's hands. Smith shot wide from a clear opening, and with the ground now well churned up long kicking became the feature of the game. A poor transfer by Kent enabled McGhie to set up a further Brighton attack, but this was halted for offside. Exeter came into the picture, however, when Watson put Whittaker away. The winger was, to the crowd's displeasure, given offside, but Garside got moving on the other wing and placed a good centre which went begging. Play was briefly held up because injury to Booth, and Whiting touched the ball behind for a of an corner off Garside's shot. Whittaker put the flag kick too far out, and Goodwin took play up to the Exeter end. The Brighton forwards were playing excellent football on the muddy surface, and dazzled with their inter-weaving and close-passing.

No Excuse for Exeter.
Whittaker, set going by Watson, landed over a shot which Whiting had no difficulty in fielding. The game was stopped for attention to McGhie by the Brighton trainer, and then Chapman made a good save from Smith following a corner. A free kick was given the City for a foul on Kent, and Rigby lobbed the ball to Griffiths, who shot over. Griffiths next came to the City's rescue by stopping Webb when the inside-left was making tracks towards goal. Following yet another Brighton corner, Goodwin shot yards wide, and at the other end Watson followed suit from a square pass by Kent. The Grecians' passes in these closing stages continually went astray, and one would have been inclined to excuse them, having regard to the slippery turf, but for the fact that the visitors, by comparison, were very nearly always able to do the right thing. In these circumstances, no excuse could be made for Exeter. Smith shot over from close range after Evans and Coates had tried to dispossess him, and following the goal kick the City went straight down the field, and Whiting ran out of his goal and punched away from Watson. The game had now degenerated into a very poor affair, and all hope had now gone of Exeter being able to make up the leeway. Brighton, in fact, came near to increasing their lead, Goodwin scooping the leather just over the bar.

Notes on the Game.
Brighton played a good game, under adverse conditions, and Exeter played a very poor one. All the excuses imaginable will not alter the fact that the City were deservedly beaten by a better, sounder, smarter, faster, and cleverer team. Exeter cannot blame the muddy ground, and the wind and rain for their defeat, for Brighton passed well and controlled the ball under these contrary conditions. Neither can they excuse themselves on the grounds that Brighton's goals were lucky. It looked rather as if one (the first) was offside, while the third was due to a slip by Chapman, but, even granted this, the visitors were so superior that they would have been most unfortunate not to have won. Exeter's team, of course, was not a formidable force, on paper, with so many players injured, but at the same time the eleven who represented the club ought to have put up a much better game than they did. The display was so poor that one would hardly know where to end if individual men were criticised. There was not one who enhanced his reputation, and Chapman's blunder over the third goal, pardonable though it was, does something to retard the reputation he was rapidly building up. Rigby, Coates, Evans, and Griffiths, were players who did good work, but even they were nothing great. None of the others played up to their reputations.

CITY RESERVES v 4TH. MIDDLESEX REGIMENT.
This Plymouth League match was to have been played on the Regimental ground this afternoon, but the Exeter officials received a telegram this morning just as the team was ready to start for St. David's, saying that the pitch was unfit to be played on, and postponed the fixture.

• EXETER CITY'S CUP TIE.  The Merthyr Town team (red and green are their colours) for the F. A. Cup-tie at Exeter next week will probably be as follows:- Lewis; White and Russell; Gray, Gates (captain) and Churchill; Savage, Draper, Costello, Lowe, and Taylor. Costello, the centre-forward, is the old Southampton and West Ham player. It is interesting to note that Merthyr beat Camerton by twelve goals to nil, and that Camerton had previously beaten Bath City at Bath by a couple of goals, and Chippenham 3-0, while they had also beaten Paul ton Rovers in the Somerset Cup, so that the Welshmen's victims were not the "small fry" which the score against them might seem to indicate.

• EXETER CITY AND THE THIRD DIVISION A private meeting of representatives of Southern League clubs was held at the Manchester Hotel, London, on Friday, November 10th., to consider the question of amalgamation with the Football League, and the scheme, if any, to be put before the special meeting of the Southern League on Tuesday next, the 14th. The following clubs were represented: Brentford Brighton and Hove Albion Cardiff City Croydon Common Exeter City Leyton Luton Town Plymouth Argyle Queen's Park Rangers Southampton Southend United Swindon Town Watford Stoke .It was noticeable that no member of the Management Committee of the League was present. Mr Sidney Thomas represented Exeter City. The meeting lasted about two hours, and at the end no result was announced. The question of amalgamation did not receive particularly warm support, and it was freely stated that there will have to be a great change of opinion if a resolution to amalgamate is carried at the special meeting. Exeter City, it is expected, would have voted against it, although the management have not publicly made known their views.

It will be remembered that the formation of a third division was discussed in 1909, but the proposal was rejected by the Football League.