Exeter City F.C.
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Exerter City Club Badge | |||
Full name | Exeter City Football Club | ||
---|---|---|---|
Nickname(s) | The Grecians | ||
Founded | 1904 (or 1890 as Exeter United F.C.) | ||
Ground | St James Park, Exeter | ||
Capacity | 8,830[1] | ||
Chairman | Denise Watts | ||
Manager | Paul Tisdale | ||
League | League One | ||
2008–09 | League Two, 2nd (promoted) | ||
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Exeter City Football Club is an English football club, based in Exeter, which was a member of the Football League from 1920 to 2003, and rejoined the league for the 2008–09 season after five seasons in the Conference National. They achieved automatic promotion to League One for the 2009–10 season at the first attempt.
Exeter City was founded in 1904 and began playing on an old field used for fattening pigs, St. James Park (not to be confused with the home of Newcastle United or Brackley Town) Exeter remains at St James Park to this day. The club is nicknamed "The Grecians". For the 2009-10 season City's home kit is supplied by Carbrini Sportswear and it consists of red and white shirts, white shorts, and white socks[2].
History
Early history
Exeter City FC was formed from two predecessor clubs: - Exeter United and St Sidwell's United. Exeter United was a football club from Exeter, Devon, that played between 1890 and 1904. In 1904, Exeter United lost 3-1 to local rivals St Sidwell's United and after the match, it was agreed that the two clubs should become one. The new team took the name 'Exeter City' and continued to play at Exeter United's ground, St James Park, where Exeter City still play today. The team was formed from the cricket team of the same name and thus the first football team with the moniker 'United'. St Sidwell's United (which had also been known as St Sidwell's Wesleyans and St Sidwell's Old Boys) was a club that had formed from the regulars who frequented the Foresters Inn in Sidwell Street, Exeter; although the public house was always known as the Drum and Monkey. The team played in St Sidwell's old colours of green and white.
On September 10 1904, Exeter City played its first ever competitive match: - a 2-1 victory at St James over 110th Battery of the Royal Artillery, in the East Devon League. The attendance was 600, and the winning goal scored by Sid Thomas, who was to serve the club in various capacities for 70 years. City topped the East Devon League with 11 wins, 2 draws, 1 defeat in its 1st season, and transferred to the Plymouth & District League for next 3 seasons.
In 1908, Exeter City AFC became a limited company. City became a full-time professional team, and applied successfully for membership of the Southern League, replacing Tottenham Hotspur. A wooden grandstand was erected, and the club entered into a leasing arrangement over the ground.
On October 3, 1908, City got its record highest FA Cup win: - Exeter City 14 Weymouth 0. The match was in the 1st Qualifying Round. James ("Daisy") Bell scored 6 goals, and 10 of Exeter's 14 goals came in the first half.
City changed to its current colours of red and white in 1910. This was after having had a poor start to the season (only 2 wins out of 11). City abandoned its supposedly unlucky green and white kit, and turned out for the first time in red and white striped shirts at home to West Ham United on November 12. The result of the game was a 0-0 draw, but 5 consecutive League wins came for the club in December.
City made an historic tour of South America in 1914, during which time it played 8 matches against teams in Argentina and Brazil. The Brazil national football team is believed to have played its first ever game against City on July 27, at the Laranjeiras stadium, Rio de Janeiro, home of Fluminense Football Club. The result of the match is disputed[3], with some sources claiming City lost 2-0[4][5], whilst others claiming a 3-3[6][7] draw. That was the last match of the tour, which yielded 5 wins, 1 draw and 2 defeats. The only other loss was in a match that kicked off 12 hours after the players got off the boat.
Exeter City was invited by the Football League to become founder members of the Third Division in 1920.
Football League (1920-2003)
City's historic first match in the Football League took place on Saturday 28 August 1920, when Brentford was the visiting team to St James Park. Exeter won 3-0.
In 1931, City reached the sixth round of the FA Cup, losing a replay 4-2 to Sunderland in front of its largest ever home gate. Fifty years later, City reached the sixth round again, but lost 2-0 to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur. Earlier Exeter had beaten Newcastle United 4-0 having beaten Leicester City in the previous round.
City's only major trophy was the Fourth Division Championship which it won in 1990. In that season, City won 20 league games at St James Park, and remained undefeated in 31 home matches, including dramatic draws against Norwich City in the FA Cup andThis article, Exeter City F.C., has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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The end of the 1970s and the very early 1980s were regarded as City's most successful spell in the Third Division, including a finish of 8th in 1979-80 and an FA Cup run the following season. Star players included Tony Kellow, John Delve and David Pullar.
Following that promotion, City rarely shone at the higher level. The departure of manager Terry Cooper and key players such as Shaun Taylor, Richard Dryden, Clive Whitehead, Brian McDermott and Steve Neville left new boss Alan Ball to pick up the pieces. There were some successes under the former World Cup winner - including winning both games against local rivals Plymouth in the clubs' first derbies for a decade - but Ball left for Southampton and the returning Cooper was unable to stop Exeter avoiding relegation.
Back in the bottom division, City struggled for several seasons, with chairman Ivor Doble taking the club into administration and starting a chain of events which resulted in the sale of the club's ground for what was considered by many to be a very low sum.
In 2003, City finished 23rd in Division Three and was relegated to the Conference National - Exeter was the first club to suffer automatic relegation without finishing bottom of the league. Exeter won its last game but was still relegated asThis article, Exeter City F.C., has recently been created via the Articles for creation process. Please check to see if the reviewer has accidentally left this template after accepting the draft and take appropriate action as necessary.
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Conference Era (2004-2008)
Following relegation to the Conference, the club was taken over by the Exeter City Supporters Trust. In May 2007 two of the Directors who had been in charge during season 2002-2003 were convicted of fraudulent trading at the club, John Russell receiving a prison sentence and Mike Lewis a community service sentence.
Several million pounds in debt and with no big investor in sight, the Trust kept the club going through fund-raising activities amongst rank and file supporters. Complex legal arguments with both the Inland Revenue and the football authorities meant that City's first season of non-league football was plagued by off the field uncertainty.
In 2004, a Creditors Voluntary Arrangement (CVA) was put in place to reduce the club's debts. Through the club's "Red or Dead" scheme, hundreds of fans pledged at least £500 each to fund the CVA repayments, but the FA Cup proved to be the income boost the Grecians had needed, as City was drawn Manchester United away in the third round of the FA Cup. City drew 0-0 at Old Trafford in January 2005, gaining £653,511 as City's share of receipts from the near 70,000 attendance. Further income from a televised replay - won 2-0 by United - coupled with ongoing fund-raising and unpaid work from the club's supporters helped the club to repay its debts, and the CVA was cleared in December 2005.
2004 also saw the club's centenary. In May 2004 a friendly fixture was arranged against a Brazilian masters team at St James Park, a celebration of City's South American tour of 1914. The Brazilian team, containing such notable players as Careca and Dunga, won 1–0.
City's first team finished the 2006–07 season in fifth place, qualifying for the play-offs. After beating Oxford United on penalties in the semi-final City met Morecambe at Wembley in the final, where it lost 2–1 despite taking an early lead. Exeter reached the play-off final in the following season, this time Exeter looked to be heading out of the play-offs after losing the first leg of the semi final at home to local rivals Torquay United 2-1 but came back to win the second leg 4-1 with 3 goals in the last 20 minutes. In the final Exeter met Cambridge United in front of a Conference play-off record crowd of 42,511, winning 1-0 with a goal from Rob Edwards, earning promotion to League Two.[8]
The return to the Football League (2008-2009)
The club followed on from its success in the Conference by finishing as runners up to Brentford in League Two with a goal from Richard Logan helping Exeter to win promotion to League One with a 1-0 win away to Rotherham United on the last day of the season.
The club remains owned and run by its fans, through the Exeter City Supporters Trust.
Nickname
The club is nicknamed The Grecians. This name has a disputed history, with many theories being proposed for its origin. No one is sure of the definitive answer to why but one source suggests that the club voted for the name in 1908 because of its association with St Sidwells parish.[9] People living in the parish of St Sidwells in Exeter have been known as "Greeks" or "Grecians" for many centuries.[10] This is possibly due to the parish's location outside the city walls. In Homer's epic poem Iliad the Greek forces laid siege to the walls of Troy. The association possibly arrose because of rivalries between city boys and St Sidwellians during the annual beating the bounds.[11] It has also been suggested that there was a group of children in St Sidwells who were referred to as the 'Greasy Un's' and another possible, but unlikely source for the name was from clock that hung outside a jeweller's shop in Sidwell Street, close to the ground, which had the word 'Grecians' engraved or painted on the face.[citation needed]
A further possible source for the name is that it is a corruption of Caerwysg, the Welsh word for Exeter (similar to the Cornish word Karesk).[citation needed] Citizens would have been called Caer Iscuns which became Grecians.
Famous players, managers and fans
Famous players who have played for Exeter City include Cliff Bastin, who went on to play for Arsenal F.C. and England and goalkeeper Dick Pym, who went on to play for Bolton Wanderers F.C. and England. Other club legends included prolific 1930s striker Fred Whitlow, Arnold Mitchell, who played 495 games for City, Tony Kellow, City's record goalscorer, Ian Main, the gifted goalkeeper from the club's most successful years who died very young, Fred Binney and Darren Rowbotham in the 1980s and early 90s. Former England winger Lee Sharpe played four games for Exeter at the beginning of their 2002-03 Division Three campaign, scoring two goals.
After managing the club to a famous F.A. Cup Third Round draw at Old Trafford with Manchester United in 2005, Alex Inglethorpe left the club in June 2006 and Paul Tisdale was appointed. Past managers include the former England internationals Gerry Francis, Terry Cooper and the late Alan Ball. A moving tribute to Alan Ball was held at St James Park before City's Conference game against Southport, when Ball's name was again sung in Devon four days after his death.
In a survey published by the Professional Footballers' Association in December 2007, Alan Banks was listed as the all-time favourite player amongst Exeter City fans.
In May 2009 Paul Tisdale became Exeter's most successful manager by winning back-to-back promotions.
Honours
- FA Cup
- Quarter-finalists - 1930-31, 1980-81
- Football League Third Division South
- Runners-up - 1932-33 (Exeter's highest league position finish in history)
- Football League Third Division South Cup
- Winners - 1934
- Football League Trophy
- Southern Section Finalists - 1992-93, 1999-2000[12]
- Football League Fourth Division / Football League Two
- Champions - 1989-90
- Runners-up - 1976-77, 2008-09
- 4th Place, Promoted - 1963-64
- Conference National
- Play-off Winners - 2007-08
- Play-off Finalists - 2006-07
- FA Trophy
- Semi-finalists - 2005-06
- FA Devon St. Lukes Challenge Bowl (Incomplete)
- Champions - 1953-54, 1954-55 (Shared), 1958-59, 1960-61, 1961-62, 1973-74, 1996-97, 2000-01, 2001-02, 2003-04, 2004-05, 2008-09
- Runners-up - 1936-37, 1945-46, 1957-58, 1969-70, 1971-72, 1997-98, 2006-07
Records
- Largest league victory[13]
- 8–1 v. Coventry City, 1926
- 8–1 v. Aldershot, 1935 (the score was 0-0 against Aldershot at half-time!).
- Largest FA Cup victory - 9–1 v. Aberdare Athletic, 1927.
- Largest league defeat[13]
- 0–9 vs. Notts County, 1948
- 0–9 vs. Northampton Town, 1958.
- Record home attendance[14] - 20,984 vs. Sunderland, FA Cup Sixth Round Replay, 1931.
- Record away attendance[14] - 67,551 vs. Manchester United at Old Trafford, FA Cup Third Round, 2005
Managers
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Players
- As of 1 August 2009.[15]
Current squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Rivalry
Traditionally, Exeter City's greatest rival is Plymouth Argyle, although it also has a friendly rivalry with local League Two side Torquay United.
Exeter City's last competitive game against Plymouth Argyle was held in 2002 at Home Park in a Division 3 fixture that Exeter City lost 3-0. The difference in leagues between the two clubs is now less than it has been in recent years (Argyle are currently only one division above Exeter) Exeter City's last competitive games against Torquay United were in the Conference play-off semi-finals. The first leg was held on Thursday 1 May 2008; Exeter lost to Torquay 2-1 at St James Park in front of over 8,200 fans. However, on Monday 5 May 2008 in the return leg at Plainmoor, Exeter beat Torquay 4-1 to clinch a 5-3 aggregate win for a place in the Conference National final for the second year in succession.
See also
References
- ^ http://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10436~1333645,00.html
- ^ "Exeter City 09/10 Carbrini Home Kit". www.footballshirtculture.com. Retrieved 2009-07-13.
{{cite news}}
: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=
(help) - ^ "Spoonbender who took Michael Jackson to Exeter City is lining up Brazil for his next trick". The Independent. 2002-08-31. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "Magic of Brazil comes to a corner of Devon". The Times. 2004-05-31. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "Grecians paved way despite kick in teeth". The Guardian. 2004-05-31. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "Exeter fix dream date against Brazil". The Daily Telegraph. 2004-04-23. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ "Brazil's past masters out-samba Exeter in 90-year rematch". The Independent. 2004-05-31. Retrieved 2009-05-20.
- ^ Report | Exeter City | Match
- ^ http://www.exetercityfc.premiumtv.co.uk/page/WhyTheGrecians/0,,10436,00.html
- ^ Southey's Common-Place Book. 4th Series. 21 July 1669. Exeter. (p380.)
- ^ Exeter Memories - St James' Park and Exeter City FC
- ^ English Auto Windscreens Shield 1999-2000 : Southern Final - retrieved 2009-04-20
- ^ a b "Football 1 - Teams - Exeter - ITV Sport". ITV. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ a b "Exeter City - Club - FAQ's - FAQ". Exeter City FC. 2009-03-09. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
- ^ "Profiles". Exeter City F.C. Retrieved 2009-08-01.