Dignity in defeat after a happy Christmas for Exeter City Football Club

From the roar of 7,800 Grecians at the Etihad, to a packed St James Park rocking through the festive fixtures, the past few weeks have reminded us exactly what makes this club so special.

December brought some excellent results against strong opposition, including a 3-0 win against Barnsley, a 1-0 victory over Luton and a hard-earned draw against Huddersfield.

Those performances were very welcome and saw us moving up the table.

We’d really found some nice form over the last few games, with some outstanding team performances. December also saw five assists and a much-deserved goal for the flying Finn, Ilmari. That momentum carried us into the FA Cup, where we beat Wycombe 4–0 to set up a mouth-watering tie away at Manchester City.

As ever, we went to the Etihad with hope in our hearts. What a sight those 7,800 Exeter City supporters were, and what a noise they made. When the Man City team sheet came out, it was clear Pep was taking this every bit as seriously as we were. No second-rate side for us - it was the big guns, including a certain Erling Haaland, lining up against our boys in red and white.

There was certainly a shiver down the spine as the teams ran out onto that perfect carpet of a pitch. A tough 90 minutes followed as we were put to the Man City sword, but the lads battled all the way and never gave up - just as the fans never stopped singing.

And what a moment for young George Birch, who came on as a sub and pulled a goal back, scoring his first senior goal in only his fifth appearance for the club. Just a week earlier he’d been on loan at Weston-super-Mare.

George, who’s been with us since under-14s and signed his first professional contract last May, showed real maturity - no celebration, just picked the ball out of the net and went straight back to the game. We’re all incredibly proud of him.

It was also a memorable day for Liam Oakes, another Academy graduate, who signed his first pro contract last March. What a way to mark your 19th birthday - playing Manchester City at the Etihad - and he came so close to scoring in the opening minutes.

What was impressive to me, was how gracious Gary was in defeat, something which was commented on by broadcaster Danny Baker – who said of Gary’s post-match interview on Twitter, ‘this is magnanimous dignity…Gary Caldwell doesn’t hide and doesn’t shrink’.

And I’ve got to agree with him. Gary’s honest and integrity and how he manages that with the players, focusing on the young players who did so well and the incredible opportunity it was for the team, shows his great class and style.

So, while it may have been a tough night on the scoreboard, the future is bright with the likes of George and Liam coming through. Thank you to every one of you for your incredible support. Now we dust ourselves down, pick ourselves up and go again.

Elsewhere at the club, the Exeter City Women ended the year in style with a stunning 6–1 win against Gwalia. They’re back in action at St James Park on January 25 against AFC Bournemouth - get along if you can and back a team sitting fourth in their league.

Off the pitch, it seems like a long time ago now, but the Exeter City Community Trust’s Santa Run was a brilliant spectacle, as usual, with more than 750 Santas, elves and even a Christmas tree or two, dashing down the High Street.

If you’ve decided that this is the year you take up running then take a look at the Exeter City Community Trust website, they’ve got events of varying distances planned all through the year www.exetercct.org

Looking ahead, the next 22 league games are the ones that really count. With just a few points separating eight or nine teams in mid-table, there’s plenty still to play for.

We’re back at the Park this Saturday against Stevenage, followed by Port Vale away, Reading away and then Rotherham at home. We look forward to seeing you there – Up the City!

Julian Tagg
President and Director of External Affairs at Exeter City Football Club