Games against Aldershot have always been thrilling
Whilst the 3-2 win seven days ago saw City recover from a 2-1 deficit, they did even better against the Hampshire side when they met at the Park in November 1962.
The Grecians were languishing toward the bottom of the Fourth Division, having only won four matches prior to then, against York City, Workington, Oldham Athletic and Hartlepool United.
On the debit side City had lost no fewer than 11 matches and drawn another three.
Also, a week before the visit of Aldershot, the Grecians suffered a humiliating first round FA Cup exit at the hands of Southern League Gravesend & Northfleet, losing 3-2 at the Kent club's ground.
It hadn't been a good time for the club, although they did receive a cash boost following a crisis meeting between the Exeter City board of directors and the 15-strong committee of the Grecians' Association.
The latter organisation had decided to release the funds which they had been holding back all season in support of their letter of 'no confidence' in the management or direction of the club.
City chairman Reg Rose met the Grecians' Association for talks, along with co-director Jack Rodgers, and with vice-chairman George Gillin on holiday in Honolulu, that comprised the entire club board.
On the same day, Exeter heard the FA had rejected the club's protests over their first round cup tie at Gravesend because they did not enclose the two guinea fee with their letter! City had complained about the floodlighting at Stonebridge Road, claiming it had been inadequate.
Needless to say, morale was not at it's highest level and only 3,007 went through the turnstiles for the Aldershot game — 850 down on the previous home game, which the Grecians lost 3-1 to Darlington.
Things took a turn for the worse when Alan Burton put Aldershot one up and, just five minutes, later Exeter were two down as Arthur Tyrer netted.
All of a sudden, however, City stepped up a gear and, encouraged by the vast majority of the crowd, reduced the arrears when centre-forward Barry Pierce scored his first goal of the season.
Amazingly the home side clawed their way back into the game by half-time as winger Eric Welsh made it 2-2.
With their tails up there was only one team who were going to win and that had to be Exeter City — as they tore into the Shots defence.
Leading scorer Ray Carter put the Grecians in front — he eventually totalled 18 goals for what was otherwise a quite miserable season — and then captain Arnold Mitchell added a fourth.
In fact it could have been more as City not only hit the woodwork, but the visiting keeper also made a string of fine saves.
Pierce collected the man-of-the-match award, the former York City player hitting top form — yet he never recaptured that for the rest of the season and was eventually released to join Western League Salisbury City.
The defence, after what had been a quite disastrous start, just got better and better as the game progressed, with half-backs Mike Hughes and Jimmy Saunders being the star men.
Like Pierce though, both of them were to be released by the end of the season, Hughes moving to Chesterfield and Saunders returning to his previous employment as a travelling showman with a fair.
The City team against Aldershot was: Colin Tinsley, Cecil Smyth, Les MacDonald, Hughes, Des Anderson, Saunders, Welsh, Mitchell, Pierce, Carter, Graham Rees.
The four goals City scored that afternoon proved to be their highest total all season in any one match, as the team eventually slumped to 17th place in the Fourth Division.
Had it not been for a run of nine unbeaten matches under new manager Jack Edwards, who had replaced Cyril Spiers, then the team could well have found themselves in the re-election places.
Matt Gill on the ball against Aldershot last Saturday and, inset, Grecians legend Ray Carter
