Exeter City take on Nottingham Forest in the final match of the 2025 FA Cup fourth round, hoping to pull off a shock against the Premier League high flyers. With victories over Barnet, Chesterfield and Oxford United, Gary Caldwell's team have exceeded expectations in reaching the fourth round. But the current team has a lot more work to do if they want to match the achievements of the 1980/81 squad.
Promoted to Division Three in the 1976/77 season under Johnny Newman and then Bobby Saxton, Exeter consolidated their position over the next two campaigns. When Saxton made the move to Plymouth during in January 1979, new manager Brian Godfrey arrived with a solid platform to build on.
Godfrey was a striker in his playing days, appearing for Everton, Preston and Aston Villa among others, as well as receiving international recognition with Wales. A successful manager in the Southern League with Bath City - also leading the club to the FA Cup first round in 1977/78 - Godfrey added to his growing reputation, managing Exeter to 9th and 8th placed finishes in his first two seasons at the club.
"We've got a nice side, reasonably experienced - some with 300 or 400 League appearances - and they work very hard," Godfrey revealed during the cup run that made Exeter headline news. With goals flying in at both ends of the pitch, Godfrey's Exeter were certainly entertaining. One player in particular would play a huge part in thrilling Exeter supporters during the 1980/81 season.
Tony Kellow knew where the back of the net was. A prolific striker at non-league level, Kellow continued his goal scoring feats when he moved to Exeter in 1976. Scoring 19 goals in the Grecians' promotion season, the Cornishman moved to Blackpool for £105,000 in 1978. But Kellow returned for £65,000 in March 1980, much to the delight of Exeter fans.
Exeter had reached the FA Cup third round in 1977/78, yet their recent history hardly suggested a cup run was on the cards as the 1980/81 competition kicked off. Paired with Isthmian League Leatherhead in the first round, Godfrey was wary of a potential banana skin ahead of the match at St James Park in November.
"I was a non-League manager myself at Bath, and I know the way these part-timers can lift themselves," Godfrey warned, although in truth his team had little to worry about. Striker Chris Kelly - known as the Leatherhead Lip - predicted a comfortable victory for the visitors, but Leatherhead were bottom of the league and winless in 12 matches.
A 5-0 thrashing started the cup journey, Kellow scoring twice to go with an own goal by Leatherhead player manager Martin Hinshelwood, plus strikes from Ian Pearson and Lee Roberts. "A good FA Cup run is important for our finances," Godfrey admitted before the match. The coffers were about to be filled.
Drawn away at a Millwall team struggling at the wrong end of the third division, Exeter rode their luck at a ground where they had lost 1-0 and 5-1 in their previous two visits. Goalkeeper Len Bond pulled off some fine saves, but Exeter weathered the storm. When Peter Rogers took advantage of a defensive mistake in the 70th minute, Exeter were in the velvet bag for the third round draw.
A trip to Maidstone's London Road stadium provided a decent chance for Exeter to reach the fourth round for the first time in 30 years. Crushing any hopes of an upset, Exeter eased through. "Once we took the lead, I could never see us losing," Godfrey said. "But Maidstone made it hard for us." Dave Pullar scored twice, Kellow and Peter Rogers also finding the net in a comfortable 4-2 win.
Fourth round opponents Leicester were vulnerable to a potential shock, even if Exeter would have to visit Filbert Street. "Exeter's away record suggests they are quite capable of beating Leicester," David Lacey noted in the Guardian in his preview of the round, with Leicester manager Jock Wallace cautious: "I've left out youngsters and brought back the experienced men."
In preparation Godfrey had taken his team to the indoor training centre at Bisham Abbey, "to enable us to work on a playing surface as good as Leicester's excellent pitch." Despite being bottom of Division One, Leicester threatened to crush Exeter in a first half of total dominance. Martin Henderson headed the home team in front early on, and defender Phil Roberts was lucky to stay on the pitch, as Exeter wobbled.
"We had scarcely strung two passes together in the first half and were still only one goal down, so I told them to keep passing the ball and I reckoned we were in with a good chance," Godfrey noted. Backed by 3,000 travelling fans, Exeter gained a foothold. Kellow set up Pullar for the equaliser in the 54th minute, setting up a replay in Devon four days later.
Played in front of a crowd of 15,268, the return match was very much the Tony Kellow show. "Devon rose to its Cornish folk hero at St James Park last night," Robert Armstrong wrote in the Guardian, as Kellow's hat-trick deservedly dumped Leicester out. Kellow's dad was present in the crowd for the second time that season, the previous occasion seeing Kellow Jnr scoring a hat-trick against Charlton.
With Kellow's season total standing at 25 goals, inevitably there were discussions as to whether he would attract interest from other clubs. "Amazingly, there have been no enquiries for Kellow," a relieved Godfrey explained. "It hurts to see players going for big fees without a fraction of my goal record," the 28-year-old striker openly admitted.
You can imagine the collective concern among Exeter ranks when Kellow limped off with a hamstring strain in a 5-0 defeat at Portsmouth just four days before their fifth round tie at Second Division Newcastle. Fortunately, Kellow passed a fitness test, and as 2,000 Exeter fans made the 700-mile plus round trip there was genuine hope.
"It would not be a major surprise if the Geordies were taken to a replay at the St James Park of the South Coast," Armstrong declared. Yet for large portions of the match, Exeter were hanging on. Skipper John Delve cleared an effort off the line, Bond superbly denied Ray Clarke, but eventually the pressure told as Alan Shoulder put Newcastle ahead in the 57th minute. Yet Exeter would not go away easily.
A long throw from Peter Hatch in the 85th minute led to Exeter's leveller, as defender Lee Roberts slotted past Kevin Carr. Roberts, in the team at the expense of Jimmy Giles who refused to travel after being dropped, was knocked out in the process. But his intervention set up a replay with the winners drawn to play Tottenham away in the last eight.
What a night to remember. The BBC cameras were present to witness a total demolition of Arthur Cox's team, 17,668 packed in providing "a cockpit atmosphere fuelled by high Devonian enthusiasm," to use the words of the Guardian's Russell Thomas. Newcastle were simply blown away. When Carr fumbled a Hatch corner over his own line in the 13th minute, it proved a sign of what was to follow.
Hatch was involved for the next two goals, his throw setting up Pearson for a lovely finish, and a cut back allowing Peter Rogers to put Exeter three up by the break. When Martyn Rogers scored the final goal with three minutes remaining, Exeter were now in the sixth round fifty years after their only other appearance at that stage.
The story of Exeter was now beginning to fill column inches. Hatch became known to the public as the 'Cornflake Kid' due to his pre-match meal of two bowls of cereal; Pearson was labelled the 'fastest milkman in the west' due to his part-time job that saw him deliver 600 pints the day after the Newcastle win; there was a photo opportunity too good to miss of the players at the Exeter Spaghetti House.
Many fans slept overnight in a queue to make sure they got a ticket for the quarter final, with Exeter taking 7,500 to a White Hart Lane that resembled a building site. In filthy conditions, Exeter held their own for an hour, with Peter Rogers and Kellow missing decent chances to send the travelling army delirious. But a concussion injury suffered by Pearson seemed to knock the stuffing out of the visitors.
A 62nd minute corner was headed home by Graham Roberts, and when Paul Miller capitalised on a mistake from Bond 12 minutes later, Exeter's dream was over. The clinching goal was harsh on Bond, who had been excellent all afternoon, but the Exeter keeper along with his team mates could take huge pride in their performances.
Rumoured to have earned £100,000 from the run, Exeter's story had charmed the footballing nation. Kellow would go on win the Football League Golden Boot - scoring 25 leagues goals and 33 in all competitions - and although ultimately the club failed to build on their relative success, the joy they brought during the 1980/81 FA Cup was undeniable.
"It's been fun, but it had to end some time," Godfrey reflected. Very true. Within two seasons the club would suffer relegation and be on the end of a shock in the FA Cup, losing to Maidstone. But even during the bad times Exeter fans could relive that run that took them just two matches from Wembley.
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