The Exmouth Program

What I learned from the Exmouth program:

This season 638 clubs have been accepted into the F.A.Vase. That means that Exmouth only need to perform better than the other 637 to win the thing. Now I have a spreadsheet so I thought I would check the total. I looked at the first round qualifying and 218 matches mean that 436 teams enter at this stage. It was at this point I remembered that other teams join the competition at various stages and I now work this out each season as it varies slightly.

156 teams join the competition in the second qualifying round bringing the total up to 592 clubs. Now the notes I have got state that 23 clubs finishing 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th in their leagues enter the competition in the First Round proper whilst 23 clubs that reached the Fourth Round last season are brought in at the ROUND TWO stage. This does bring the total to 638 clubs but manages to leave only 64 qualified at the end of Round Two.

Exmouth Town Football Club was formed in 1933, playing their home games on the Maer Cricket Field. They moved to their current home at Southern Road in 1964. I remember my old cricket club talking about forming a football team to keep us active in the winter but nothing ever happened.

After many successful seasons in the Devon & Exeter League they joined the Western League in 1973. They were promoted to the Premier Division after finishing Runners-Up of Division One in 1981-82 ans won the Premier Division in 1983-84 and again in 1985-86. These must have been the heady days of success.

In 1984-85 they reached the Semi-Final of the F.A.Vase narrowly losing to Fleetwood Town (and look where they are now) by the odd goal over the two games. During this period the Club installed floodlights and hosted many matches against Football League sides. On 28th July 1987 they recorded their highest home attendance of 2,395 for a match against Liverpool.

The success of the Eighties was not repeated during the nineties and the club was relegated after the 1993-94 season. They gained promotion back to the Premier Division for the 2003-04 season but had to withdraw from the Western League during 2005.

On 1st August 2006 the Club reformed as Exmouth Town (2006) AFC playing in the Devon & Exeter League. At the end of the season they were promoted into Division One East of the newly formed South West Peninsula League, a step 7 league in the National Pyramid System. The Club won the East Division in the 2012-13 season losing only one league game. Having achieved promotion to the Premier Division the side finished as Runners-Up in the 2013-14 season.

Finishing positions since then have been 8th in 2014-15, 12th in 2015-16 and 5th in 2016-17. This last season on the history page saw them in the final of the League Cup, the final of the St Lukes Bowl (a Devon competition) and the last sixteen of the F.A.Vase.

I shall now update the history by checking my spreadsheets:

In 2017-18 Exmouth Town finished 15th in the league, lost to Shaftesbury in the Extra Qualifying Round of the F.A.Cup, and lost to Blackfield & Langley in the Second Round of the F.A.Vase. They had gone straight through to the Second Round by virtue of doing so well the previous season. It has to be said that last season was not a good one for the club.

AND NOW ..... ITS ..... Those match reports from the program that I promised you.

Exmouth Town 4 Torpoint Athletic 0

Town started their home league campaign in style with a convincing victory over the previously unbeaten visitors. The match was decided in an eight minute spell in the first half when Ace High scored a sublime hat trick. There had been little to choose between the sides until the twenty eighth minute when the keeper failed to hold a Karl Rickard shot and High reacted quickest to slam home the loose ball. Two minutes later a surging run and pass from Jimmy Hinds found High to race clear and score. The third goal on 36 minutes was arguably the best as this time Aarron Denny a forceful run and his pass to High saw Town's leading goal scorer calmly chip the stranded gloveman. The scoring was completed in the second half when Dan Boere deceived the defence with a drag back and scored into an empty net.

Callington Town 0 Exmouth Town 2

This was a game that Town should have won comfortably and by a bigger scoreline.The home side had their keeper sent off after forty minutes for bringing down Aarron Denny and preventing a clear goal scoring opportunity but despite numerous chances the goals did not arrive until the closing minutes. Whilst the woodwork took a battering it took a debut goal from Chris Ibbeson to break the deadlock scoring from close range following a corner in the 87th minute. Three minutes later the win was secure as Ace High chased down a ball that looked to be going out of play, cut inside, then hammered home a twenty five yard shot giving the keeper no chance and taking his goal tally for the season to six.

Ivybridge 1 Exmouth Town 1

It took Town a quarter of an hour to settle into this game then they dominated for long periods but were unable to find the back of the net. Chances came but a combination of good defending and lack of composure in front of goal kept the scoreline goalless. The opening goal came on 55 minutes when a Karl Rickard shot was blocked and fell kindly for Nathan Cooper to score. The equalised arrived with six minutes remaining when a speculative shot from twenty five yards found the top corner.

I did notice the Town bias in the reports. The Ivybridge 25 yarder was a speculative shot whilst the 25 yarder from Ace High gave the keeper "No Chance". I do realise now that I have to go back and follow the career of Ace High with keen interest. Am I watching a future star or just somebody playing below his true level?