90 years ago today, on Wednesday, May 2, 1934, Exeter City won their first major professional trophy – the Division 3 South League Cup. It cemented one of the most successful periods we have ever had.
This was the first year of the competition in which there were six ties in the first round with the other 10 clubs joining in the second. All the games were played after Christmas. City were one of the first round participants and won the cup the hard way, playing eight matches including three replays.
The first round game at home to Crystal Palace on 24 January has got to be one of the most extraordinary in our 123 year old history. The Grecians won 11 (ELEVEN) – 6! To be fair to Palace they played a weakened team because of an upcoming FA Cup match with Arsenal. But a full strength City made the most of the opportunity with Fred Whitlock scoring six times in front of a Wednesday afternoon crowd of 2000. As it was 4-1 at half time a total of 12 goals were scored in the second half.
Another home game followed on 21 February and Watford were dispatched 4-2 in an afternoon game (we were two decades before floodlights arrived at St James Park).
A third home game resulted with Coventry City the visitors on Wednesday 14 March. A local newspaper reported that torrential rain kept the attendance down to under a thousand and that ‘pools of rain water were floating on the ground, making scientific football out of the question’. A 1-1 draw resulted in a replay at Coventry eight days later. This time City took the tie 1-0 and so replicated a similar home draw, away win against Coventry from their famous 1930-31 FA Cup run.
City had now reached the semi finals to be played on neutral grounds. On 11 April Torquay beat Norwich at Arsenal’s Highbury Stadium. So there was the prospect of an all Devon final when Exeter faced Brighton and Hove Albion at Fulham’s Craven Cottage the following day. A crowd of 3221 saw a 1-1 draw.
City got home advantage in the replay and a crowd estimated at around 5000 saw another 1-1 draw in ever darkening conditions on 23 April. And so there was a second replay, played three days later at neutral Home Park. This time there was goal fest with Exeter edging the day 4-3.
Our first ever major Cup Final was played the following week, once again at Home Park. Many Exeter supporters made their way to watch as part of a 6198 crowd. It was a close run thing but a Stan Hurst goal won the day and our first ever major trophy. City skipper and Hall of Fame legend Reg Clarke was presented with the cup by the Chairman of Crystal Palace.
The victory crowned a glorious era in our history which had seen us reach the FA Cup Quarter Finals (we were actually in the semi final draw) in 1930/31, finish seventh in Division 3 South in 1931/2, a tantalising second in the following season when only one team were promoted and then the Division 3 South Cup in 1933/34.
All the winning City players were awarded a medal and the Exeter City Football Club Museum has one of these on display - loaned from the family of Stan Hurst the scorer of the cup winning goal.
The Division 3 South Cup carried on for another six seasons but for a long time the whereabouts of the trophy was unknown. It has now been tracked down to Reading (winners in 1938). An approach has been made to borrow the trophy for display in Exeter and it is hoped this might be possible in the future.
