Exeter City’s trio of signings fuel ambitions

Exeter City have confirmed the signing of versatile attacker Andrew Oluwabori from National League side FC Halifax Town on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

The 23-year-old joins the Grecians as their second deal with the Shaymen following the transfer of Millenic Alli last January. Oluwabori, who has netted six goals in 27 appearances for Halifax this season, is coming off a strong finish, scoring two goals in his final two games against Gateshead and Solihull Moors.

Oluwabori is known for his versatility, capable of playing across the front three, and started his career with Huddersfield Town's youth academy before making the move to Peterborough United in 2021. His time with Peterborough included loan spells at Borehamwood, Kettering Town, and Yeovil Town, where he continued to impress with his goal-scoring form.

Manager Gary Caldwell shared his excitement about the new arrival, saying: “Andrew is someone who is a replacement for Millenic Alli, but he is a slightly different type of player. He plays anywhere across the front three as wide or a number 10, and we think he can evolve into a number nine."

“He is someone who is really exciting as a young player with potential, that has pace and power, and he has scored goals at National League level. We believe with the right coaching he can be as good, if not better, than what Milli was for us.”

In addition to Oluwabori’s arrival, Exeter have also secured the signing of Ed Turns from Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion. The 22-year-old centre-back, who has captained Brighton's under-21 team, joins the Grecians on a permanent deal after an impressive loan spell at Leyton Orient. Turns has also played for Crewe Alexandra and represented Wales at under-21 level.

Manager Gary Caldwell praised Turns’ potential, saying: “Ed is a young player with huge potential that has experience of League One, and has played a lot of football for his age. He has won League Two."

“We believe he is the type of player we want to be signing. We can develop him to help the team, and as permanent signing he is here on our terms and we don’t have the risk of losing loan players. He is a ball-playing centre-back who is aggressive out of possession and adds to an area of the team that is seriously depleted.”

Exeter City have also added experienced central defender Angus MacDonald to their ranks on a short-term permanent contract. The 32-year-old joins from Scottish side Aberdeen, where he made 50 appearances, including in the Europa League.

MacDonald is well-known to assistant manager Kevin Nicholson from their time together at Torquay United, where MacDonald was named captain. In 2019, MacDonald was diagnosed with bowel cancer but has since fully recovered and established the Angus MacDonald Foundation to raise awareness about the disease and early screening.

Gary Caldwell explained the reasoning behind MacDonald's signing: “Angus we know through Nicho and we felt that we need an experienced figure in defence at the moment to get us organised, to stop us conceding far too many goals.”

“Experience is a vital part of any defence and he will be a massive part of what we do from now until the end of the season. The short-term nature of it allows him to see us, us to see him, and then in the summer we can see what happens from there.”

With a mix of youth, potential, and experience now bolstering the squad, it’s safe to say Exeter City are making all the right moves as they push for the next chapter in their promotion bid. Watch this space!