Match Report: Exeter City v Newport County – 25 September 1920

Report of a Division 3(South) game played at St James Park on Saturday 25th September 1920. The following report is from the Western Times printed on Monday 27th September 1920. This is the first league encounter between the 2 sides, though they had met the previous season at Somerton Park in the FA Cup (which Newport won).

Exeter City Beaten on Own
Ground
MISSED CHANCES

There was large crowd, between 7,000 and 8,000, at St. James’s Park, Exeter, on Saturday, when Newport, one of the lowest placed sides in the Third Division, beat Exeter by the only goal scored in the match. Exeter should have made victory assured in the early stages of the game, but the home inside forwards were weak in front of goal, and at least three open chances were not taken advantage of. Newport scored their goal immediately after the second half had been started, a blunder on the part of the defence allowing Wolstenholme to race through to beat Pym at close range.

The teams lined up as follow:-
Exeter City.—Pym; Coleburne, Feebury; Crawshaw, Carrick, Mitton; Appleton, Makin, Wright, Hetherington and Dockray.
Newport County.—Cooper; Jones Pullen; Walker, Hillman, Blott: Thompson, Dobson, Devlin, Wolstenholme and Gaughan.

THE GAME.

In the first minute Pym came out to a fine centre from Thompson and drove to the centre of the field for Wright to send Appleton away in possession. The winger took deliberate aim, but his centre fell to the top the goal net. Newport changed the venue, and Thompson got in the way of a clearance by Feebury. Dobson fastened on the ball, and Carrick sent behind for a corner. Thompson’s flag kick was cleared promptly, but clever forward work by Newport saw the ball swung across the Exeter penalty area to Gaugham, who, however, was pulled up for off-side. Again Newport raced ahead from the centre line, and Gaugham forced Coleburne to concede another corner. This led to some exciting passages near the Exeter goal, but Feebury brought relief, and the City promptly set up a keen attack. Dockray won through cleverly as the left wing and Jones handled. From the free kick Feebury drove the ball goalwards, but Cooper gathered tihe leather confidently and got it away.

Exeter came again, and Wright shot over the bar. Play became very fast and full of interest. Appleton won hearty cheers for a brilliant dash along the wing, and a moment later Wolstenholme shot wide from twenty yards out. Then, from a throw-in, Wolstenholme gave Pym a hot handful. Exeter retaliated, and Pullen miskicked and let Makin through. The nippy inside right shot finely from the edge of the penalty area, but the ball travelled just outside the angle formed by the upright and the crossbar. Newport now applied persistent pressure. Devlin broke through, and Pym met him half-way and held the shot, and the visiting centre-forward drove the ball wide next minute.

Exeter now set about their work businesslike fashion, and all the forwards participated in some spirited movements. Appleton tested Cooper at short range, and the goalkeeper did well to turn around the post a hard shot from Makin. This player was manoeuvring for position just afterwards when he was fouled on the edge of the penalty area. Feebury drove the ball hard and low right through the tangle of players, and Pullen just managed get his foot it on the goalline and diverted it for a corner kick. This was headed just outside by Carrick. Makin caused another thrill by dribbling cleverly goalwards with the opposition dancing attendance on him, but he missed when in the act of shooting.

Newport shook themselves free for a moment, and pretty combination forward won an opening for Devlin, but he shot weakly. Exeter looked like going through as the result of bright footwork by Wright and Appleton, but the referee pulled up the last-named for off-side. Then Makin broke clear, and, taking the ball close in, shot forcefully and well, but Cooper, with splendid judgment, beat the ball down with his left fist, and a corner resulted. This led a lot of clever head work inside the Newport penalty area, and Cooper cleared from Wright.

Another free to Exeter saw Feebury repeat his ground shot and again Pullen got his boot to the ball close home and saved a goal. The Exeter forwards and halves were playing splendid football, and fully deserved a goal. It looked as one was coming when Appleton swung the ball neatly across the goal-mouth, but Jones headed it out, and hot shot from Dockray cannoned off an opponent Towards the interval Newport again asserted themselves, and the game opened out very attractively. In one spirited dash Hetherington swung the ball across to Appleton, who Worked goalwards, but Pullen sent it behind. This corner, and another just afterwards, was cleared, and the interval came with the score sheet blank.

EXETER CITY …………………… 0
NEWPORT COUNTY …………. 0

SECOND HALF.

Within a minute of the resumption a mistake by the home defence left Wolstenholme with clear opening, and found the net with a capital shot well out Pym’s reach. Newport promptly pressed again, and won a corner. Pym, in clearing the flag kick, bowled over two of the City defenders, and the crowd smiled broadly. Encourage by their success, Newport made further raids. Pym failed gather a shot from Thompson, but followed the ball and got it away. Exeter rallied, and Cooper dealt capably with shots from Crawshaw and Carrick. Newport made headway On their right wing, and clever combination between their forwards resulted in Gaughan twice testing Pym with fine shots, but the goal, keeper refused to be beaten again.

At the other end, the City forwards swung the ball about very promising fashion, and Gowper was applauded for fine save from Dockray. Jones mis-kicking, Dockray shot from a difficult angle, but measured his kick so nicely that Cooper was forced clear with flying kick at short notice. Blott aroused the temper of the crowd by repeatedly holding Appleton and Makin, and at length the referee observed it and penalised the old Argyle man. Hands against Pullen just outside the Newport penalty area enabled Feebury to try his luck a third time, but the ball struck defender and was cleared. Then Gaughan won past Coleburne, and had a clear field to the goal, but was overhauled, and robbed. A corner to Newport resulted in Pym saving an awkward dropping shot. Twenty minutes’ play remained, and still Newport led by the only goal.

Pym gathered a ground shot from Gaughan right in the goal-mouth, cleared another fine effort from Dobson. Next, with the crowd in a ferment, Appleton skilfully forced a corner, and there was much excitement as the Exeter forwards strove hard to net the ball. They failed, and a brilliant lightning swoop by the Newport vanguard was punctuated with a full stop by Pym. The sun was troubling the Newport defence considerably, but the visitors were playing keen football, and did not look like losing their lead. Ten minutes from the finish, Appleton worked his way down the field, and finished with skilful centre, but Cooper met the ball with an upper-cut a la Beckett, and drove it staggering to the side rails. Exeter strove hard to get terms in the last few minutes, but the visitors defended stubbornly and kept their goal intact.
Result: NEWPORT COUNTY l EXETER CITY 0