logo
Caldwell targets top-half finish for Exeter City

Caldwell targets top-half finish for Exeter City

BBC News17-04-2025

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell says his side are capable of a top-half finish in League One.The Grecians have lost just two of their past 11 games - to second-placed Wrexham and fourth-placed Stockport County - and are 15th in League One, three points off 12th-placed Lincoln City. They face relegation-threatened Burton Albion and Crawley Town over the Easter period before ending the season against Huddersfield Town and Mansfield Town. "I think it can be done. It can be done and that's the most important thing," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon about a top-half finish. "That's what we're focusing on, we want to try and win every single game."I think we have four different games, the first one being the toughest by far in my opinion, but we have four games and we want to try and win every one, and to finish in that top half would be an incredible achievement."Caldwell's side are 10 points clear of the relegation places and are set for a fourth-successive season in League One.It will be the first time the club has achieved such a feat under fan ownership - they last spent four consecutive seasons in the third tier in the early 1990s."I think you always want to be in a position of control and controlling your own destiny," added Caldwell. "This year, fortunately, we've never been down in that bottom four, last year I think we had one week in it."I think that's great credit to a club that our budget is in that bottom four every year and to only have spent one week in it in the last two seasons shows the progress we're making as a club and shows the progress we're making as a team."So I'd always liked to be that team that is in control and looking higher up the table than worrying what's below."

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Things that will be new for Wrexham in the Championship
Things that will be new for Wrexham in the Championship

Leader Live

time2 hours ago

  • Leader Live

Things that will be new for Wrexham in the Championship

Phil Parkinson's men finished runners-up in League One this term, securing an historic third successive promotion. The Reds have climbed from the National League to the second tier where they will ply their trade for the first time in 43 years. One positive in going up to the division one below the Premier League is that Wrexham will enter the FA Cup at the third round stage. For a club that has reached the quarter-finals three times in their history, it's about time Wrexham fans experienced another run on the road to Wembley. During their last stint in the old Second Division, which lasted four seasons, Wrexham twice reached the fifth round and they never lost a third round tie. One of the highlights was a 3-1 win at Brian Clough's Nottingham Forest in 1982. Forest were European Cup champions at the time but Dixie McNeil, Mick Vinter and Steve Dowman shut the legendary manager up before the Reds bowed out 2-1 to Chelsea when the fourth round tie was decided following a second replay, and Mel Sutton's side were relegated back to Division Three at the end of that 1981-82 season. During the 15-year non-league nightmare, Wrexham came in at the fourth qualifying round stage and had to win three games just to stand a chance of receiving a plum third round tie against a Premier League side, while two victories were required to reach that stage since returning to the EFL with the Reds entering in round one. But the Reds will definitely be in the hat for the third round draw next season. That's a huge boost and so is the fact that there will be no EFL Trophy distractions, with Championship teams not involved in the competition where Parkinson's men reached the semi-finals this season, playing three group-stage games and four knockout ties. But Wrexham will play more midweek league games in the second tier because of international weekend breaks. There will be no league matches on the weekends of September 6, October 11 and November 15 this year, and March 28, 2026. Although Wrexham got used to playing at big stadiums this season in League One, 20 and 30,000 capacities are the norm in the Championship. The biggest attendance could be away at Sheffield Wednesday whose Hillsborough capacity is a whopping 39,732! With the temporary stand at The Racecourse being taken down this summer and work starting on the new Kop, Wrexham will have the smallest capacity in the division at just over 10,000. The next lowest is Oxford United's Kassam Stadium which has room for 12,500 fans. Parkinson will be able to name nine substitutes next term - two more than he could select in League One and Two, and up from five replacements in the National League. It's been an amazing journey since Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney became co-chairmen and while the step-up to the Championship will be the biggest experienced so far, Parkinson, his staff and players are there on merit and will relish the challenge ahead.

Wrexham line up move for Tottenham star as Phil Parkinson looks to strengthen his squad for the Championship
Wrexham line up move for Tottenham star as Phil Parkinson looks to strengthen his squad for the Championship

Daily Mail​

time9 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Wrexham line up move for Tottenham star as Phil Parkinson looks to strengthen his squad for the Championship

Wrexham want Ben Davies despite Tottenham exercising their option to extend the defender's contract by 12 months at the weekend. Davies has been a Spurs player since 2014 and he featured in 28 games under Ange Postecoglou last season, despite not being a member of the manager's first-choice XI. Davies has played 358 games for Tottenham in total, operating both as a left back and a central defender. He is a popular member of the dressing room and especially close to captain Son Heung-min. Davies recently saw his contract extended until June 2026, which means Wrexham would likely need to pay Spurs a modest transfer fee to land him this summer. Tottenham's willingness to let Davies leave could depend on whether or not they are successful in their attempts to sign Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite. Spurs are expected to formalise their interest in 22-year-old Branthwaite next week. Wrexham manager Phil Parkinson looks set for a busy summer following his side's promotion from League One to the Championship. Davies has never played below the top tier of English football, having been a Premier League player for his entire club career to date. The 32-year-old made 71 Premier League appearances for Swansea between 2012 and 2014. He has played a further 242 Premier League games for Spurs.

Aberdeen signs Australian striker Kusini Yengi on free transfer
Aberdeen signs Australian striker Kusini Yengi on free transfer

STV News

time14 hours ago

  • STV News

Aberdeen signs Australian striker Kusini Yengi on free transfer

Aberdeen have signed their third Australian of the summer after targeting former Portsmouth striker Kusini Yengi. The 26-year-old will arrive at Pittodrie on a free transfer when his Fratton Park contract expires in the coming days. Yengi – whose brother Tete plays for Livingston – has scored six goals in 11 internationals for the Socceroos. The forward scored five goals in his first five games for Portsmouth after arriving from Western Sydney Wanderers in 2023 and netted 13 goals in all in his debut campaign as Pompey won the League One title. But he failed to find the net for his club in an injury-hampered second season and will look to kick-start his career at Pittodrie having been released by Pompey. Aberdeen manager Jimmy Thelin, who has also signed Australian goalkeeper Nick Suman and winger Nicolas Milanovic this summer, said: 'We were quite specific about the type of profile we had identified to play as a striker for Aberdeen and Kusini has a lot of the qualities we were after. 'He is tall, strong and quick, he will work hard for the team and lead the line. He has also proven at both Portsmouth and with the Socceroos that he can score goals on a consistent basis. 'It is important for us to have different profiles of players who can bring specific strengths to our shape and how we want to play. 'With European group stage football and a busy domestic schedule, he will play a vital role for us in what we hope will be a competitive squad.' The 6ft 2in striker said: 'It feels great to be an Aberdeen player and I can't wait to get started. I'm looking forward to playing here for several years. 'The manager and staff have all been very positive and their enthusiasm was one of the main reasons I chose to come here. 'I loved the project that was pitched to me – what the manager and coaches want to achieve and what they stand for, where they think they can utilise me as a player to help the club. So I was very excited. 'Every kid dreams of playing European football and playing for big clubs like Aberdeen so I am very excited to play in those competitions and represent Aberdeen.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store