EXETER AND ENFIELD

Exeter City is a professional English Football League club sited in Devon, England. The club competes in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of the Football League, following relegation in the 2025-26 season. Known as "the Grecians", the origin of their nickname is subject to speculation and debate. The club is owned by its supporters through the club's Supporters' Trust.

Exeter City was founded in 1901 and began playing their games at St Jame's Park, where they remain to this day. They joined Division One of the Southern League in 1904. After a club tour to South America in 1914 (see below) to generate awareness of football in the continent, the club became the first side to play a national Brazilian team. As a result, City and the Brazilian side Fluminese are now also partner clubs. Exeter were invited to help create the Football League Third Division in 1920. They were assigned to the Third Division South the next year and won the Third Division South Cup in 1934. They remained in the division until becoming founder members of the Fourth Division in 1958.

On 21st July 1914, the Football Association was asked by its Argentine counterparts to send out an English team to help improve the standard of Argentinian football. So on the boat to Argentina was sent a non-league side, Exeter City, who were then members of the Southern League. They played eight matches in Argentina, losing just once. They then agreed to play three matches in Brazil on the way back. In the first of those matches they beat a team of English expats 3-0. The second match was against one of the two major regional teams in Brazil. Brazil was - is - a huge country and their football was based in two separate regional centres - Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo. That second match was against the Rio select side and Exeter won 5-3. The third match - played on July 21st 1914 - was against a combined Rio and Sao Paulo side and was considered to be the first match played by the Brazilian national team. And in their first match Brazil beat Exeter City 2-0 and the fans certainly came out to witness the occasion. OK, not 200,000 at the Maracana but the it was thought that Fluminense's 6,000 capacity Estadio das Laranjeiras ground probably had 10,000 present in it to witness the match. So when you think of Brazil winning the World Cup give a thought to the part Exeter City played played in starting it all off!

AND

21st July 1964
Tottenham Hotspur forward John White was killed by lightning when sheltering under a tree during a thunderstorm at the Crews Hill golf course in Enfield. 'The Ghost' had been an ever-present in Spurs double-winning side of 1960/61 and had played 22 times for Scotland. He was a wonderful footballer, an inside-forward and one of the reasons why I was drawn to Spurs as a ten year old. The other reason was that Spurs won The Double in 1960-61 Season!! Simple!