Eyes of the nation on Exeter City

Well, that was a week to remember! Starting with the incredible FA Cup game against Nottingham Forest and ending with the team grinding out a win away at Cambridge, it’s brought a positive boost to the club.

It felt like the eyes of the country were on us last Tuesday night, for the FA Cup game, and judging by the media interest, they were. It was an incredible opportunity to not just put on a game of football, but also to show the kind of club we are.

And things appeared to go down pretty well.

It was great to see the positivity from the pundits, with the likes of Ally McCoist, Ian Wright and Roy Keane, praising the club. Keano seemed particularly surprised that everyone was so nice, not something he experiences at other clubs, apparently!

Not only did the players do us proud, taking a Premier League team to penalties, but so did our staff, volunteers and, of course, our supporters. Hundreds of hours were put into creating the incredible banners and displays that really boosted the atmosphere in the stadium.

If you didn’t catch it, there’s a great interview on the club’s social media with Freddie Martin, our Big Bank drummer, about the work the group did to prepare for the game.

Talking of social media, a word of thanks to our media team. They churn out quality content match after match, showcasing the very best of the club to hundreds of thousands of people.

And, boy, did they have a lot to do in the last couple of weeks, the new signings that came at the end of the transfer window and then the minor issue of arguably one of our biggest games in the last 40 years – they got the job done and with some style.

A word also for the team at SJP – again this was a huge feat and as a team they pulled together to stage a seamless spectacle, delivered safely and always with our ethos as a supporter-owned club at the heart of what we do.

Did you know, that not only did we keep our ticket prices at our league price – but we also provided the first 50 Forest fans with a free cuppa on arrival, again as we do for every away team that visits!

Back to the team on the pitch, what an opportunity that game was for our Academy player Jake Richards. He played the majority of the match and at just 17, to hold his own against some of the top players in the Premier League, is some achievement. He’s certainly one to watch.

So, Devon was firmly on the football map, with the Forest game at SJP and our ‘friends’ down the road beating Liverpool to go through to the next round of the cup, just checking, they are in Devon, aren’t they?

It was equally busy over at our charity partner, Exeter City Community Trust, who staged their half-marathon weekend, which attracted 1,400 entries. There’s another team who does an amazing job, with each event attracting more and more runners, and many participants raising money for charity.

It wasn’t to be for the ECFC women team who travelled to Ipswich this week and were narrowly beaten. They’re still doing incredibly well, to sit fourth in a very competitive league. Their next match is at home at Coach Road, Newton Abbot, against AFC Wimbledon on Sunday February 23 – go along and support them as they go into the final six games of their first season in the third tier of women’s football.

And finally, it was good to see a referee and assessor attend training at the Cliff Hill last week. Hopefully Gary learned a great deal, especially how to avoid a near £3k fine for a red card…

Our next men’s games are Charlton away on Saturday February 22, which is followed by a visit by Northampton to SJP on March 1 – hope to see you there. Up the City!