Latest news with #ExeterCity
BBC News
12 hours ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Wareham to wear Exeter's number 9 shirt
Summer signing Jayden Wareham will wear Exeter City's number 9 shirt this season after receiving the blessing of the Stansfield shirt number was retired for nine seasons as a mark of respect after club legend Adam Stansfield died of bowel cancer in August 2010, aged just has been worn only twice since in what manager Gary Caldwell called "special circumstances" - by academy youngster Ben Seymour in 2020/21 and, poignantly, Stansfield's son Jay during his loan spell at Exeter from Fulham in 2022/ the number will return to service following consultation with Stansfield's shirt will also have the late Stansfield's nickname - Stanno - embroidered onto inside collar. Wareham told Exeter's website:, external "It's an incredible honour to wear the number 9 shirt at Exeter City."I'm fully aware of what it represents. It's not just a number, but a tribute to Adam Stansfield and everything he gave to this club and community."The shirt was retired for nine years out of respect, and to be entrusted with it now is something I won't take lightly."I'll do everything I can to wear it with pride, play with the passion Adam showed, and make the fans proud." Wareham joined Exeter from Reading for an undisclosed fee in said: "In our discussions with Jayden Wareham about joining the club, he expressed a real desire to wear the number 9 shirt."I explained that this wasn't a decision we could make alone, it would need to be agreed by the Stansfield family, in particular Adam's mum Gig and his son Jay."Both were supportive of the idea, and we all believe this could be a powerful way to honour Adam's legacy by seeing the number 9 scoring goals again at St James Park, just like he did so many times."It's a big responsibility, but one I believe Jayden will carry with pride, playing for the team, for the supporters, and in memory of Adam."
BBC News
3 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Caldwell ready to roll with punches of new season
Gary Caldwell says his side are ready for the scrap of a League One campaign which is sure to deliver its fair share of "punches in the face".Exeter City's manager put the finishing touches to a pre-season with a 1-1 draw against National League South side Torquay United on Friday followed less than 18 hours later by a 1-0 win over Championship Caldwell expects similar ups and downs when their third tier campaign gets underway away against newly-promoted Doncaster Rovers on Saturday."We feel like we are ready to start the season. But as everyone knows you ain't ready until you get punched in the face," Caldwell told BBC Radio Devon. "We know at League One level we are going to get a lot of punches in the face as a group and as a club we have to be ready to stand up to that and be ready to go through the rigours of a 10 month season."Caldwell has led the Grecians to 14th, 13th and 16th place in League One in his three seasons in charge but believes his side can cabove that level this season."We do look like a team, especially in transition both defence and attacking, who are much better than we've been in previous years which is a big aspect of League One," he said."Long may that continue but we will only find that out when the real games start and that's in a week's time."
BBC News
5 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Swans narrowly beaten at Exeter
Swansea City were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Exeter City in the penultimate fixture of their pre-season Congreve had an early goal ruled out for offside at St James hosts went ahead two minutes after the restart as Ilmari Niskanen charged up the left flank before crossing to Sonny Cox who netted the game's only signing Cameron Burgess headed home from a corner soon after, although his effort was disallowed for a foul in the Vipotnik looked to have earned Swansea a draw as he rifled an effort in off the crossbar late on, although the frustration continued as it was ruled out for offside to ensure the visitors were beaten by the League One Sheehan's side round of their summer schedule against Ligue 2 side Lorient at the Stadium on Saturday, 2 August (15:00 BST).The Swans open up their 2025-26 Championship campaign against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium a week later.
The Irish Sun
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Fans helped seal career-defining transfer that has led to testimonial – but I wish I could have done more with Ireland
PIERCE SWEENEY has fans who put financial skin in the game to thank for his career-defining move to Exeter City. In 2016, the ex-Bray Wanderers defender, 30, had come to the end of a four-year stay at 5 Pierce Sweeney will have his Exeter City testimonial on Saturday Credit: Shutterstock Editorial 5 He signed for Exeter City back in 2016 Credit: Alamy 5 He used to play as a defender for Bray Wanderers Credit: Matt Browne / SPORTSFILE 5 He played for Ireland up to Under-21s Credit: Diarmuid Greene / SPORTSFILE Fortunately, a friendship forged at the Royals paved the way for him to go on trial with the Grecians, though he paid out of his own pocket to travel . He explained to the Irish Sun: "One of my really good mates who I met on my first day at Reading, Jake Taylor, he was actually at "We had played Exeter in an under-21 friendly with Reading, probably four or five months before the end of the season, and the manager at the time, Paul Tisdale, must have liked me. "He got wind that I would potentially be let go by Reading and basically, when I went in to speak to the manager at the time, which was future at Reading, he suggested he would call one of his friends. "I said Exeter was kind of half in touch and I didn't really know Brian McDermott had been a player at Exeter and he had a big connection with the football club. "He called Paul Tisdale for me and I exchanged emails and phone numbers. "I came in around the first of July and stayed here for the whole pre-season ." It has been a match made in heaven and, nine seasons and almost 400 appearances later, he will be honoured with a testimonial against His time at St James' Park was founded on a relationship with the supporters. After impressing on trial, the ex-Ireland youth international was signed thanks in part to the 1931 Fund. EFL star sparks furious brawl and chased by opponents after 'one of the worst tackles you'll ever see in a friendly' The fund, which is paid into by supporters and club members, goes towards covering the wages of a new player for a year. In this case, it was Sweeney who donned the '31' jersey fully aware of the weight that it carried in the eyes of his new fans. He added: "It's a really unique thing that the club does. "I had no idea about it, any new player wouldn't. They wouldn't understand what it is. It took me a little while to get my head around it. "It was a real honour for me to have that in my first season here. I think I've done the number proud and hopefully the fans would say the same. "I think it's like any number at a football club, whether it's number 7 at Man United or whatever, there's always a bit of extra pressure." WEMBLEY WAY His debut season saw him make 28 appearances in After being unsuccessful at While none of the three runs proved successful, the first provided a stand-out career highlight for the In the second leg of the play-off semi-final in 2016/17, Exeter hosted Carlisle United. Current star Deep in additional time at the end of the game, City right-back They would go on to lose to "I never imagined I would be here at a club for this long. Never mind getting a testimonial. It's been a special time." Pierce Sweeney "I just remember the scenes when the ball went into the top corner. It was outrageous. "That always, always sticks in my mind, just purely the reaction from the fans and the reaction of the players when he scored that goal. "It was unbelievable and I don't think I will ever, ever forget that moment." Exeter finally got their day in the sun in 2022. The previous summer saw Sweeney sign for Swindon Town, only to leave less than a month later by mutual consent and return to Exeter. He has chosen not to discuss what went on in those short few weeks but is happy to reflect on the season that followed. Now under the management of Matt Taylor, the Grecians avoided the play-offs altogether, instead sealing automatic promotion alongside Forest Green Rovers. Only goal difference prevented them from winning the league but while Forest Green were relegated back to the fourth tier the following season, Exeter remain in ON THE WAY UP Sweeney, who made 43 appearances on their way to promotion, said: "It was more relief and it was a whirlwind of emotions. "It was a whirlwind of emotions especially for me having been involved in three play-off campaigns where we fell at the last hurdle at Wembley. "We had a really good manager and a really good young squad of players. "I think it was the right time for us to get promoted. I think previous years it probably wasn't the right time. "We had an ageing squad of players and the club probably wasn't ready to go up to the next level. "It was an unbelievable night against Barrow when we finally got promoted. "All my emotions came out that night which was inside me for about three or four years." 5 Pierce Sweeney is presented with the U19 International player of the year award by Republic of Ireland International Shane Long in 2014 Credit: David Maher / SPORTSFILE The following January, captain Matt Jay - who had scored the goal against Barrow that sent them up - left St James' Park. Sweeney was appointed new skipper and his first game with the armband was also his 300th appearance for the club. That season also ended with him being named Player of the Season. "It's something I wouldn't say I expected to happen but I always had it in the back of my mind that it would happen at some stage. "It was a great honour and a nice moment for me. "You have to find your style and find your ways of going about things. "If you put your arm around a young player, if you need to shout and scream at people, you just have to pick and choose. "I think over time I've figured out how and what people need. It definitely was a bit rusty at the start." Pierce Sweeney doesn't have many regrets in his career but he does lament not having more success on the international stage. He represented Ireland at youth level up to U21s, and was part of squads that boasted future internationals Duffy , "I definitely didn't predict I'd still be here, let alone played that many games." But his last U21 cap came in June 2015 as a sub against an He was still on the books at Reading at the time and admits he would have liked the chance to impress more in the green jersey. Sweeney admitted: "I would have liked more. "I think whatever way the manager at the time was thinking, that's his opinion and it is what it is. "I was nice to get a cap and make a couple of squads. I'm always honoured to represent my country and something I used to love doing. "I just wish I could do it a little bit more." Saturday's testimonial game against It has been in the pipeline since last November, but even so, Sweeney considers himself fortunate to have built a career worth of such an occasion. "I definitely didn't predict I'd still be here, let alone played that many games. "I came here in 2016 on trial at the start and then signed for the football club and the plan for me that year wasn't to be a starter. "Luckily for me, somebody got injured the week before I started the season and I was thrown in at the deep end and it was either sink or swim. "I never imagined I would be here at a club for this long. Never mind getting a testimonial. It's been a special time."
BBC News
6 days ago
- Sport
- BBC News
Swans unveil away and goalkeeper kits
Swansea City have unveiled their away strip and goalkeeper kits for the 2025-26 Championship club describe the away kit as being fig-coloured with green and pink trim, while it features a retro crest which is an adaptation of a badge which featured on match programmes during the is also similar to crests which featured on shirts at times during the 1970s and Sheehan's players will wear the new strip for the first time in Saturday's friendly at Exeter of the goalkeeper kits is yellow, with the other part pink azalea and part magenta, the club say.
