Exeter City F.C. facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Exeter City

Full name	Exeter City Football Club
Nickname(s)	The Grecians
Founded	1901; 124 years ago (1901) (as St. Sidwell's United)
Ground	St James Park
Ground Capacity	8,720
Owner	Exeter City Supporters' Trust
Chairman	Nick Hawker
Manager	Gary Caldwell
League	League Two
2018–19	League Two, 9th of 24
Home colours Away colours Third colours

Exeter City Football Club is a professional association football team from Exeter, Devon, England. The team is often called "the Grecians." They play in League Two, which is the third level of English football. What's really cool is that the club is owned by its own fans through the Exeter City Supporters' Trust.

Exeter City started in 1901. They have always played their home games at St James Park. In 1914, the team made history by being the first English club to play against the national team of Brazil during a tour of South America. This led to a special partnership with the Brazilian club Fluminense. Exeter City became part of the Football League in 1920.

The club has had its ups and downs. They won their first league title in 1990. After a tough time, they lost their place in the Football League in 2003. But the fans stepped in and took over the club! They worked hard to bring Exeter City back. The team returned to the Football League in 2008 and even got promoted to a higher division in 2009. They have continued to fight for promotion, reaching play-off finals several times. In 2022, they earned automatic promotion back to League One.

The Story of Exeter City

How the Club Began

A team photo of Exeter City in 1907–08

Exeter City F.C. was formed by joining two older clubs: Exeter United F.C. and St Sidwell's United. In 1904, these two local teams decided to become one. They chose the name Exeter City. The new team kept playing at Exeter United's home ground, St James Park. This is still where Exeter City plays today!

The first official match for Exeter City was on September 10, 1904. They won 2–1 at St James Park. About 600 people watched the game. The winning goal was scored by Sid Thomas, who worked for the club for 70 years! Exeter City became a professional team in 1908. They joined the Southern League, replacing Tottenham Hotspur.

The team that played Brazil national team in 1914

In 1908, Exeter City had a huge FA Cup win, beating Weymouth 14–0. Ten of those goals were scored in the first half! In 1910, the club changed its colours to red and white. Before that, they wore green and white, which they thought was unlucky. The new colours stuck, and they are still red and white today.

A match played by Exeter City in Rio de Janeiro during its South American tour of 1914

A very important event happened in 1914. Exeter City went on a historic tour of South America. They played eight matches in Argentina and Brazil. The last game was on July 21, 1914, against the very first Brazil national football team. Brazil won 2–0 in Rio de Janeiro. This tour made Exeter City famous and helped football grow in South America. In 1920, Exeter City was invited to help start the Football League's Third Division.

Years in the Football League (1920–2003)

Exeter City vs Altrincham, a Conference National fixture played on 19 August 2006

Exeter City's first Football League match was on August 28, 1920. They beat Brentford 3–0 at home. The league was later split into North and South divisions. Exeter City was placed in the Third Division South. In 1931, the club reached the sixth round of the FA Cup. They played Sunderland in front of their biggest home crowd ever. Fifty years later, they reached the sixth round again, but lost to Tottenham Hotspur.

Their highest league finish was 2nd in the Third Division South in 1932–33. But only the champions were promoted back then, so they stayed in the same division. In 1963–64, City won their first promotion to the Third Division. However, they were relegated two seasons later. They got promoted again in 1977.

In 1990, Exeter City won their first major trophy. They became champions of the Fourth Division under manager Terry Cooper. They were very strong at home that season, not losing in 31 home matches! After this success, the club faced some tough times. They were relegated in 1994. In 2003, Exeter City lost their place in the Football League. They finished 23rd in Division Three and moved down to the Conference.

The Conference Years (2003–2008)

Jones

Seaborne

Taylor

Tully

Friend

Edwards

Gill

Harley

Stansfield

Logan

Moxey

The starting line-up for the Conference Premier play-off final win against Cambridge United on 18 May 2008, resulting in promotion to the Football League.

After being relegated, the club was taken over by the Exeter City Supporters' Trust in 2003. This meant the fans owned the club! They worked hard to raise money and pay off the club's debts. A big help came in 2005 when Exeter City played Manchester United in the FA Cup. The first game was a 0–0 draw at Old Trafford, which brought in a lot of money for the club. This helped them clear their debts.

The Exeter team celebrates after the 2008 Conference National playoff final win.

In 2004, the club celebrated its 100th birthday. They even played a friendly match against a team of Brazilian football legends! In 2007, Exeter City reached the play-off final at Wembley, but they lost. However, they didn't give up! The very next season, in 2008, they won the play-off final against Cambridge United 1–0. This win earned them promotion back to the Football League.

Back in the Football League (2008–Present)

Chart of yearly performance of Exeter City in the Football League

After returning to the Football League, Exeter City continued their success. In 2009, they finished second in League Two and were promoted to League One. They stayed in League One for three seasons.

A sad event happened in 2010 when striker Adam Stansfield passed away from cancer at age 31. The club postponed their next game to show respect. Despite this, Exeter finished a strong 8th in the league that season. In 2012, they were relegated back to League Two.

The club is still owned by its fans, which is very special. In 2014, the team went on another tour to Brazil to celebrate 100 years since their first match there. They played against Fluminense's Under 23 team and other local clubs.

In recent years, Exeter City has often been close to promotion. They reached the play-off finals in 2017, 2018, and 2020, but couldn't quite win them. In 2018, Matt Taylor, a former player and coach, became the new manager. Finally, at the end of the 2021–22 season, Exeter City earned automatic promotion to League One after a great season!

The Grecians Nickname

The club's nickname is The Grecians. No one is completely sure where this name came from, but there are a few ideas!

One idea is that people living in the St Sidwells area of Exeter were called "Greeks" or "Grecians." This might be because their part of town was outside the old city walls. Another idea is that it came from a group of children in St Sidwells who were called the 'Greasy Un's'. Some people think it might be from a jewellery shop near the stadium that had 'Grecians' on its clock. There's even a theory that it comes from an old Welsh name for Exeter, Caerwysg.

Fans and Rivalries

Famous Supporters

Many famous people support Exeter City! These include Coldplay singer Chris Martin, actors David Earl and Adrian Edmondson, and TV presenter Noel Edmonds. Even pop star Joss Stone joined the supporters' trust! In 2002, pop icon Michael Jackson was made an honorary director of the club. He visited St James Park with his friend Uri Geller, who was also a director.

Local Rivalries

Exeter City has a big rivalry with Plymouth Argyle. Their matches are often called the "Devon derby." These two teams first played each other in 1908. Exeter City also has a friendly rivalry with Torquay United. These clubs are closer geographically and have played each other more often. Even though they are rivals, the clubs have helped each other out when one was having financial difficulties.

Players

Current Team Squad

No. Position Player 1 GK Joe Whitworth (on loan from Crystal Palace) 2 DF Jack McMillan 3 DF Ben Purrington 4 DF Tristan Crama (on loan from Brentford) 5 DF Jack Fitzwater 6 MF Ryan Woods 7 DF Demetri Mitchell 8 MF Edward Francis 10 FW Jack Aitchison 11 FW Millenic Alli 12 MF Reece Cole 13 FW Yanic Wildschut 14 MF Ilmari Niskanen 15 DF Johnly Yfeko (on loan from Rangers) 16 FW Pat Jones 17 MF Caleb Watts 18 DF Vincent Harper

No. Position Player 19 FW Sonny Cox 20 MF Kamari Doyle (on loan from Brighton & Hove Albion) 21 FW Amani Richards (on loan from Leicester City) 22 GK Harry Lee 26 DF Pierce Sweeney (captain) 27 FW Josh Magennis 28 MF Kevin McDonald 29 FW Mustapha Carayol 31 FW Jay Bird 34 MF Gabriel Billington 37 GK Shaun MacDonald 38 DF Max Edgecombe 40 DF Ed James 46 MF Liam Oakes 47 MF Jake Richards 48 DF Louie Cayliss

Players on Loan

No. Position Player 33 MF Tom Dean (at Plymouth Parkway FC until 1 January 2025) 36 MF Mitch Beardmore (at Plymouth Parkway FC until 1 January 2025 ) 39 DF Cheick Diabate (at Bradford City until 31 May 2025) 41 MF Pedro Borges (at Yeovil Town until 1 January 2025 ) 45 MF Charlie Cummins (at Poole Town until 1 January 2025) GK Frankie Philips (at Exmouth Town until 1 January 2025)

Retired Shirt Numbers

After Adam Stansfield passed away in 2010, Exeter City decided to retire his number 9 shirt for nine seasons. This was a way to honour him. Since the 2020–21 season, the number 9 shirt is only worn by players who came up through the club's own youth academy. In 2022, Adam's son, Jay Stansfield, even wore the number 9 shirt when he played for Exeter City on loan!

Famous Former Players

Many great players have played for Exeter City. Some went on to play for bigger clubs or even for their national teams.

• Cliff Bastin later played for Arsenal and the England national team.
• Goalkeeper Dick Pym was sold to Bolton Wanderers in 1921. The money from his sale helped Exeter City buy St James Park!
• Tony Kellow is Exeter City's record goalscorer.
• George Reader played for Exeter City and later became the first Englishman to referee a World Cup final in 1950.
• More recently, players like Dean Moxey, George Friend, Matt Grimes, Ethan Ampadu, and Ollie Watkins have gone on to play in the Premier League.
• Ethan Ampadu plays for the Wales national team.
• Ollie Watkins plays for the England national team.
• In 2007, fans voted Alan Banks as their all-time favourite player.

Hall of Fame

In 2014, Exeter City started a Hall of Fame. This honours "genuine legends" who have made a big difference to the club.

The following players are in the Hall of Fame:

Inducted	Name	Nationality	Position	Playing career	League		Ref
					Apps	Goals
2014	Alan Banks		FW	1963–66, 1967–73	258	101
	Cliff Bastin		FW	1928–29	17	6
	Reg Clarke		MF	1927–37	315	18
	Dermot Curtis		FW	1963–66, 1967–69	157	33
	Jimmy Giles		DF	1971–75, 1977–81	313	13
	Tony Kellow		FW	1976–78, 1980–84, 1985–88	332	129
	Arnold Mitchell		MF	1952–66	495	44
	Dick Pym		GK	1911–21	203	0
2017	Peter Hatch		DF	1973–82	346	18
	Graham Rees		FW	1954–66	345	85
	Adam Stansfield		FW	2006–10	158	39
	Sid Thomas		FW	1904–08	38	16

Club Leadership

Who Runs the Club?

Coaching Team

Position	Name
Manager	Gary Caldwell
Assistant Manager	Kevin Nicholson
First-Team Coach/Under 23-Coach	David Perkins
Goalkeeping Coach	Kevin Miller
Player Development Phase Coach	Dan Green
Head of Strength and Conditioning	Les Barrow
Strength and Conditioning Coach	Tom Yates
Head of Performance Analysis	Lauren Jones
First-Team Analyst	Sam Barrell
First-Team Analyst	Alex Mitchell
Head of Performance and Wellbeing	Jon Pitts
Club Secretary	Andy Gillard
Club Doctor	Dr. Peter Riou
Head Physiotherapist	Michael McBride
Sports Therapist	Sam Alfieri
Kit Room Lead	Sue Matthews
Matchday Kit Co-Ordinator	Keith Stone
Technical Director	Marcus Flitcroft
Chief Scout	Malcolm Crosby

Club Managers Through the Years

Name	From	Until	Played	Won	Drawn	Lost	Win %	Honours / Notes
Unknown	1904	1908	—	—	—	—	—
Arthur Chadwick	1 April 1908	31 December 1922	113	31	32	50	27.43%
Fred Mavin	1 January 1923	1 November 1927	209	76	41	92	36.36%
Dave Wilson	1 March 1928	1 February 1929	42	11	10	21	26.19%
Billy McDevitt	1 February 1929	30 September 1935	295	117	66	112	39.66%
Jack English	1 October 1935	31 May 1939	168	48	48	72	28.57%
George Roughton	1 August 1945	1 March 1952	270	99	55	116	36.67%
Norman Kirkman	1 March 1952	31 March 1953	52	14	16	22	26.92%
Tim Ward	1953	1953	—	—	—	—	—
Norman Dodgin	1 April 1953	30 April 1957	199	62	50	87	31.16%
Bill Thompson	1 May 1957	1 January 1958	28	7	5	16	25%
Frank Broome	1 January 1958	31 May 1960	116	48	26	42	41.38%
Glen Wilson	1 June 1960	30 April 1962	97	27	24	46	27.84%
Cyril Spiers	1 May 1962	1 February 1963	28	7	4	17	25%
Jack Edwards	1 February 1963	31 January 1965	102	41	33	28	40.19%
Ellis Stuttard	1 February 1965	1 June 1966	66	16	19	31	24.24%
Jack Basford	1 June 1966	30 April 1967	50	15	16	19	30%
Frank Broome	1 May 1967	1 February 1969	91	23	31	37	25.27%	Second tenure
Johnny Newman	1 April 1969	21 December 1976	377	138	98	141	36.6%
Bobby Saxton	1 January 1977	5 January 1979	109	45	33	31	41.28%
Brian Godfrey	1 January 1979	1 June 1983	240	88	57	95	36.67%
Gerry Francis	20 July 1983	14 May 1984	50	6	16	28	12%
Jim Iley	7 June 1984	30 April 1985	47	13	14	20	27.66%
Colin Appleton	1 May 1985	11 December 1987	128	35	46	47	27.34%
John Delve	11 December 1987	8 May 1988	27	4	9	14	14.81%
Terry Cooper	9 May 1988	1 August 1991	157	67	26	64	42.68%	Fourth Division Champions: 1989–90
Alan Ball	6 August 1991	20 January 1994	135	36	43	56	26.67%
Terry Cooper	24 January 1994	31 July 1995	69	14	16	39	20.29%	Second tenure
Peter Fox	1 August 1995	9 January 2000	235	69	70	96	29.36%
Noel Blake	10 January 2000	24 September 2001	86	20	24	42	23.26%
John Cornforth	24 September 2001	6 October 2002	54	17	14	23	31.48%
Eamonn Dolan	6 October 2002	17 October 2002	1	0	1	0	0%	Caretaker Manager
Neil McNab	17 October 2002	25 February 2003	26	6	8	12	23.08%
Gary Peters	25 February 2003	24 May 2003	13	5	5	3	38.46%
Eamonn Dolan	9 June 2003	7 October 2004	62	26	19	17	41.94%
Steve Perryman Scott Hiley	7 October 2004	18 October 2004	2	0	2	0	0%	Joint Caretaker Managers
Alex Inglethorpe	18 October 2004	25 June 2006	89	44	16	29	49.44%	FA Trophy Semi-finalists: 2005–06
Paul Tisdale	26 June 2006	1 June 2018	626	241	159	226	38.50%	Conference National Play-off Finalists: 2006–07 Conference National Play-off Winners: 2007–08 League Two Runners-up: 2008–09 League Two Manager of the Year: 2009 Football League Trophy Finalists: 2010–11 League Two Play-off Finalists: 2016–17, 2017–18
Matt Taylor	1 June 2018	4 October 2022	227	100	67	60	44.05%	League Two Play-off Finalists: 2019–20 League Two Runners-up: 2021–22
Kevin Nicholson Jon Hill	4 October 2022	24 October 2022	6	3	0	3	50%	Joint Caretaker Managers
Gary Caldwell	24 October 2022	Present	95	34	20	41	35.79%	Current manager

Club Chairmen

The Conservative Member of parliament for Exeter, Edgar Vincent, 1st Viscount D'Abernon, was the second chairman of the club

The following people have been chairmen of Exeter City Football Club:

† Means they were a co-chairman.

Club Achievements

League Titles

• Fourth Division / League Two (level 4)
  • Champions: 1989–90
  • Runners-up: 1976–77, 2008–09, 2021–22
  • Promoted: 1963–64
• Conference (level 5)
  • Play-off winners: 2008

Cup Wins

• Third Division South Cup
  • Winners: 1933–34
• Devon St. Luke's Challenge Cup
  • Winners (22 times): 1925–26, 1926–27, 1927–28, 1953–54, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1964–65, 1967–68, 1973–74, 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1996–97, 1997–98, 2001–02, 2003–04, 2004–05, 2008–09, 2018–19.
• East Devon Senior Cup
  • Winners: 1953–54, 1980–81, 1981–82
• Trowbridge Charity Cup
  • Winners: 1927–28
• Hospital Cup
  • Winners: 1969–70
• Bill Slee Cup
  • Winners: 1985–86
• Brian Lomax Supporters Direct Cup
  • Winners: 2017–18

Club Records

• Biggest League Win: 8–1 against Coventry City in 1926, and 8–1 against Aldershot in 1935.
• Biggest FA Cup Win: 14–0 against Weymouth in 1908.
• Biggest Total Score in a Match: 11–6 against Crystal Palace in the Third Division South Cup, 1933–34.
• Biggest League Loss: 0–9 against Notts County in 1948, and 0–9 against Northampton Town in 1958.
• Record Home Attendance: 20,984 people against Sunderland in the FA Cup in 1931.
• Record Away Attendance: 67,551 people against Manchester United at Old Trafford in the FA Cup in 2005.
• Most Away Wins in a Season: 13 wins in the 2016–17 season.
• Furthest in the FA Cup: Reached the Quarter-finals in 1930–31 and 1980–81.
• Furthest in the EFL Trophy: Reached the Area finals three times.
• Furthest in the FA Trophy: Reached the Semi-finals in 2005–06.
• Highest Ever League Position: Runners-up in the Third Division South (Tier 3) in 1932–33.

Images for kids

• 

  Exeter City warming up at Estádio das Laranjeiras ahead of their pre-season friendly against Fluminense U23s in 2014

See also

In Spanish: Exeter City Football Club para niños

• Exeter City Supporters' Trust
• Exeter City Women F.C.
• List of fan-owned sports teams