MATCH IN TIME

Steve Harris

@steveharris84

EXETER CITY (A) 2007

If you asked me to describe Devon football rivalries to an outsider it would probably go something like this; Torquay United fans dislike both Exeter and Argyle, but hate Exeter more because historically they’ve played each other more often.

Argyle hate Exeter and see Torquay as sort of country cousin – probably not too different from the way West Ham fans view Leyton Orient for example. Exeter fans hate Argyle with a passion but pretend not to care about Torquay whilst – at the same time – being very bothered about them.

After appearing in the same division – Division Three (League Two in new money) – as each other between 1998 and 2002, the rivalries that existed between the trio soon found themselves in a state of flux.

Firstly, Plymouth Argyle won the Third Division title in the 2001-02 season as they began a descent up the leagues which culminate in a return to the Championship in 2004. Secondly, Exeter City were relegated from the Football League in the 2002-03 campaign, under the disastrous ownership of Messrs Russell and Lewis. A year later, the Gulls won promotion under Leroy in 2003-04, which saw a two-division gap open between United and the Grecians.

However, in 2007, the Gulls joined Exeter in non-league as United themselves were relegated from the Football League at the end of the 2006-07 campaign, which is best remembered for the unrest from Chris Roberts’ brief chairmanship, and the pair were due to meet on Boxing Day 2007.

United were managed, of course, by Paul Buckle who had left his role as assistant manager at St James Park to take charge at Plainmoor. He had also enticed Martin Rice, Chris Todd and Lee Phillips to leave the Grecians and sign for the Gulls, and all three featured for United.

The Exeter City side, meanwhile, included former Gulls right-back Steve Tully and two future United players in Wayne Carlisle and Dean Moxey.

To add extra spice to the occasion, both teams were in contention for promotion back to the Football League at the time.

In front of a crowd of 7,839, most of the first quarter was fairly cagey stuff, but in the 23rd minute United were badly caught out by a simple City attack. Steve Basham came short and volleyed the ball over the Gulls defence, and Mackie was away between Steve Woods and Nicholson. Mackie’s first touch wasn’t the best, but he was still allowed to get the ball under good enough control to smash it past Rice with an angled right-foot shot from ten yards.

Eleven minutes later, following a good Woods tackle on Mackie, City took a corner from their left. Defender Matt Taylor nodded down Matt Gill’s flag-kick at the far-post, one shot was blocked, but the ball fell kindly for Dean Moxey to roof it with his left foot from eight yards to make it 2-0.

The Grecians then enjoyed their best spell of the game as Rice held long-range efforts from Carlisle and Basham, and it was almost the interval before United created only their second good chance of the half. Robertson crossed deep from the right and Hargreaves popped up unmarked at the far post and headed narrowly wide. “Buckle, Buckle what’s the score?” chanted City fans at their old player-coach as the stony-faced Torquay boss followed his players down the tunnel.

United had to hit back early in the second half. And they did. Lee Mansell’s touched free-kick from outside the area Nicholson for a rasping sew drive, and the ball came low back off Jones, hit Seaborne and bounced over for a corner. Mansell took it from the left, City only half-cleared, Hargreaves nodded the ball back into the goalmouth and Todd eventually looped a ten-yard header over Jones…2-1. It was Todd’s seventh goal of the season.

Buckle sent on right winger Stevens for Welsh, shifted Phillips to the left at first and Zebroski up front. Sills had a goal bound snapshot blocked. But in the 56th minute, United were badly caught out by a City counter-attack. Carlisle ran with the ball out of defence, put Mackie away down the right, he cut back inside Nicholson and crossed with the outside of his right foot. Carlisle had kept running into the box, Mackie’s ball could hardly have been better timed and it flew in off Carlisle’s head at the near-post with Rice still coming off his line for a catch…3-1.

Two minutes later Sills and Seaborne had a disagreement off the ball. Sills appeared to kick out at the young City defender, who reacted by shoving his face into Sills’. Sills went down – Grecians fans howled that he’d gone to ground too easily, but he did leave the ground with a plaster over a wound to his upper lip. Referee Phil Gibbs and just as important, his linesman had all the evidence they needed and Seaborne was shown the red card.

Two goals behind with half-an-hour to go against ten men was still eminently do-able for United. Yet only four minutes later, Tully’s overhit through-ball must have been 60-40 in Rice’s favour. But he started, stopped, tried to get back, ended up in no man’s land and Mackie, who was ready to give up the cause a second or two earlier, could hardly believe his luck as he put the Grecians 4-1 up.

Buckle then switched Phillips to the right wing and Stevens to the left, with Bedeau for Robertson at right-back. It was all or nothing now, with Stevens’s fresh legs the big hope. Basham cleared off the City line from Stevens. In the 71st minute, Stevens crossed from the left and Phillips powered a free far-post header past Jones to score his eleventh goal of the season.

Seven minutes later Edwards, under pressure from Phillips, passed back. If Jones had been in any doubt, he should have kicked it, but he picked it up and United were awarded a free-kick. With City stretched out along their own goal line, Mansell touched the ball to Nicholson, who belted it home from just off the penalty spot to reduce their arrears to a single goal.

For the last 12 minutes, plus three of stoppage time, United poured it on. Most of the telling passes came from Nicholson to Stevens, who cut in and had a shot deflected agonisingly wide, another up for Zebroski to nod down and Sills to fire off-target. From a Nicholson long throw, Hargreaves saw a header cleared off the line by Andy Taylor. Stevens then had a shot blocked by Edwards and, in the very last minute, Stevens beat Tully on the left and, with teammates howling for the ball to be pulled back, tried to beat Jones at his near post, but didn’t manage to do so and so it finished 4-3 to the Grecians.

United would later gain revenge on New Year’s Day with a 1-0 win over the Grecians at Plainmoor, with Tim Sills scoring the game’s crucial goal. They would also meet again in the play-offs, which saw the Grecians emerge victorious before going on to return to the Football League. United would return to the League themselves a year later.

Nevertheless, few subsequent meetings have served up the same level of goals and excitement.