Ok readers the jury has taken it upon itself to vote for the Exeter City Top Tenuous.
The best tenuous connections between Portsmouth and Exeter.
Before the countdown however they would like to draw your attention to some events and personalities that were not linked … that’s not to say they can’t be, so if any reader wants to add to the list please feel free and post a comment below.
Unfortunately, Coldplay’s frontman Chris Martin, comedian Ade Edmondson, father of the computer Charles Babbage and soul singer Joss Stone who were all born in Exeter, were not linked.
J.K. Rowling attended Exeter University but despite two of our entries referencing the Uni no link could be made between Rowling and Pompey.
Comedian Tommy Cooper although born in Caerphilly lived in Exeter from the age of three… Just like that !
Finally in 2002 pop singer Michael Jackson was made honorary director of Exeter City. He visited St James Park with celebrity friend Uri Geller, who was also a director. .. The Jury didn’t realise there were connections between Exeter and Mohamed Al-Fayed.
So there’s a little taster of things that may have been missed but without further ado here comes the Top Ten countdown.
This weeks No.10 is a coalition of entries as Pompeyjake (Who attends Exeter University) reminds us of the fact that the late great Alan Ball managed both teams and Rug who recalls how Bally once famously claimed Martin Phillips would become this countries first £10m player. Unfortunately that didn’t happen but he did play for both Pompey and Exeter.
Ironically, the first £10m player actually became Alan Shearer when he moved to St James’ Park …… Newcastle.
At No.9 Rug tells us that former Pompey ‘Player of the Year’, and Scummer come good, Scott Hiley not only played under Alan Ball for both Exeter and Pompey but he also captained both clubs.
Penton restores normality at No.8 with his fact that both Pompey and Exeter have (or in Pompey’s case had) a pub named after Britain’s most famous Admiral. Exeter has The Lord Nelson Inn whilst The Lord Nelson pub was in Portsmouth’s Commercial Road.
Penton comes good again at No.7 with the geographical entry that Pompey is 133 miles from Exeter, the same distance as Pompey is from Lichfield in Staffordshire, but not Lichfield Road in Exeter.
Eastneydave and the Toast Team make their usual informative entrance at No.6 telling us that Pompey have transferred a lot of and loaned many more players to Exeter over the years but the only player Pompey have signed from them is a certain former trendsetter and Pompey girls heartthrob George Ley.
Chix makes his first entry at No.5 with a bizarre claim that he lived in the longest lettered house in the longest lettered street in the longest lettered village in England… when he lived just outside of Exeter …eight , lowerkinsmansdale. Moretonhampstead.
A very quick entry at No.4 reminds us that Portsmouth FC are owned by the a Supporters Trust and Exeter City FC are owned by a Supporters Trust.
At No.3 this week is a soft story from Chix who tells us that his first daughter was born in Exeter, but in true Chix fashion it was full of drama as he chased (and lost) a flashing Blue Light Ambulance up the M5 after his poor wife, after 12 hours of labour, had to change from a little cottage hospital in Newton Abbot to a big proper hospital with all the right gadgets in Exeter.
Just missing out on the topspot this week at No.2 is Penton who claims that his eldest son pretends he studies at Exeter University but he’s not quite sure what he studies and firmly believes the Uni must have lowered the entrance standard these days. Penton cements his placing with the anecdote that he (his son) told him that he’d decided to make an omelette but two beaten eggs looked too small so he cracked a few more and made a ten egg omelette!!
Ok we have worked through the rest and have arrived at this weeks topspot which goes to Lemmi who enlightens us with a piece of historic rhetoric from the 18th century. Lemmi informs us that Exeter in New Hampshire was named after Exeter in Devon. During the American Revolution it became the capital of New Hampshire, moved from the colonial capital …… Portsmouth.
Nice one Lemmi !
So that’s your lot from ten to one and then some. I dread to think what tenuous rubbish we will come up with for our next home game against Scunthorpe… Thinking caps on people.
Click here to make your prediction: Pompey v Exeter.
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