Our last visit to Exeter

[xerxes]

An historic document - the programme for our last Football League match for 48 years. We were in the bottom four, and our fate was out of our hands, but as it happened the other results went our way, so a win at Exeter would have avoided that fateful re-election application. And we took the lead after 6 minutes, but Exeter equalised before half time, and we collapsed in the second half, with our former player Tony Morrin among the scorers. The rest is history.

Happily this time we have already secured safety, otherwise that 1972 result would have seemed like a horrible omen for many of us.
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[Adam29]

If anyone would like a good omen for Saturday

Only twice before have we won at Exeter - on both of those occasions we completed the league double over them.

We’ve already got the home game ticked

[Suffolk Blue]

A supreme irony of a programme this. Our last game in the League in 72, a 7-1 defeat AND the most expensive programme I've ever bought.

To make matters worse, saturdays fixture probably devalues its resale value.

[Pedro]

We got hammered there 7 -1
Wonder if Rob Kelly will make a announcement after the game about his future ,which I think is already known but kept quiet.
All pointing to him leaving now we ,he could have said he would be staying without stating his position. When asked.

[MisterPleasant]

Thanks xerxes, I love this stuff. Horrible result which, of course, we only found out when the vidiprinter put it up. Little did we know what was to come.

[AyrToBarra]

I'm no expert but that is one bad boy lawn mower (assuming it is actually a lawn mower). Would love one of them instead of my pathetic Flymo!

[Exeter bluebird]

I was there, aged 8. I live about four miles from St James Park and have been waiting for this fixture for 49 years and because of covid can't bloody go!
Still have the programme but not in as good condition as the one shown

[Wintergreen]

Didn’t we banjo Exeter 6-0 or something like that at Holker St in Division 4?

[pjdaly]

Didn’t we banjo Exeter 6-0 or something like that at Holker St in Division 4?

Gary, we went nap against Exeter at Holker Street in our promotion season and, although I may be mistaken, I think all five goals came at the Holker Street end in the second half.

My abiding memory from that match was George Smith's goal. He went flying in the mud as he converted his chance and then rose to salute the Holker End, like the thing from the deep, all brown mud and slime except for the blond shock of hair on top and the pearly white grin from ear to ear. Other than those giveaways you wouldn't have known the creature was human. But it was just our George. And they complained about our pitch this season? They wouldn't know mud, glorious mud, if it hit them and it definitely hit George that day. But we didn't moan about a little moisture on the surface back in those days.

[Wintergreen]

Cheers Paul, nice imagery there and you’ve a better memory than me. I just remember being ecstatic with the result and hoping someone would stop me on the way home and ask me the score.

I played in a schoolboy final at Holker St in the late 60s we had been doing okay but didn’t play well and our keeper had a blinder for 0-0. In the aftermath we came to the conclusion that we didn’t really perform as we had been playing on mud and not grass.

[MisterPleasant]

Didn’t we banjo Exeter 6-0 or something like that at Holker St in Division 4?

Gary, we went nap against Exeter at Holker Street in our promotion season and, although I may be mistaken, I think all five goals came at the Holker Street end in the second half.

My abiding memory from that match was George Smith's goal. He went flying in the mud as he converted his chance and then rose to salute the Holker End, like the thing from the deep, all brown mud and slime except for the blond shock of hair on top and the pearly white grin from ear to ear. Other than those giveaways you wouldn't have known the creature was human. But it was just our George. And they complained about our pitch this season? They wouldn't know mud, glorious mud, if it hit them and it definitely hit George that day. But we didn't moan about a little moisture on the surface back in those days.

This is slightly spooky. I'd just read this then got up, walked into our 'office' and there, on the top of a cabinet, is a letter George sent to me before the FA Cup game v Middlesbrough detailing a few memories of his time with us. This letter had gone missing, presumed lost, during a house move. Mrs P says "Oh yes, I meant to mention it. I found that amongst a load of my ancestry papers".

I'll photograph it and if anyone can explain (assume you're talking to a 5-year old) how to post photographs, I'll put it up. No, second thoughts,
assume you're talking to your granny, a 5-year old would do it in a flash.

[pjdaly]

Here we go Mister Pleasant . . . I well remember you telling us about this 12 years ago at the time of the Middlesbrough match and how you had contacted George via his soccer academy.

Scan the letter to create a picture on your desktop or wherever. Then when you are logged into this forum create your reply and proceed as follows:

Click on "Full Editor and Preview" and then "Attachments" and "Attach File" . . . and select the file from your desktop or wherever.

Hope that helps and thank you, some of us would be pleased to be reminded of what George had to say back in 2009. But he remains definitely one of the best players to ever play for us. If we had only had the great Smith in our midfield this season. Dream on . . .

[Jonty]

Love Devon and Exeter is a cracking little City. Would have been great weekend this one.

[andyg]

Didn’t we banjo Exeter 6-0 or something like that at Holker St in Division 4?

Gary, we went nap against Exeter at Holker Street in our promotion season and, although I may be mistaken, I think all five goals came at the Holker Street end in the second half.

My abiding memory from that match was George Smith's goal. He went flying in the mud as he converted his chance and then rose to salute the Holker End, like the thing from the deep, all brown mud and slime except for the blond shock of hair on top and the pearly white grin from ear to ear. Other than those giveaways you wouldn't have known the creature was human. But it was just our George. And they complained about our pitch this season? They wouldn't know mud, glorious mud, if it hit them and it definitely hit George that day. But we didn't moan about a little moisture on the surface back in those days.

That was our first home win of the season. Up until that game we'd drawn four and lost one at home so it came as a relief when we chalked up that win. Our away form was the opposite we'd won three out of our first five games. We actually then went on to draw our next three home games. Things got better after that and as we know got promoted at the end of the season.

[MisterPleasant]

Here we are, George Smith's letter (apologies, it takes the topic a little off subject). I love how he still refers to "Mr McEvoy" :

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