Latest news with #PierceSweeney
Yahoo
24-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
'Legend' Sweeney enters decade of service at Exeter
"I think at one stage we had one radiator in the building that worked," recalls Pierce Sweeney as he enters his tenth season at Exeter City. The Grecians' captain is a rare breed in modern football having spent nearly a decade at one club - a period that has seen incredible change at Exeter City. From a leaky - and cold - wooden building at the side of a bumpy training ground to a modern multi-million pound facility, and two new stands at St James Park, Sweeney has been a constant. The Irishman joined as a fresh-faced 20-year-old defender from Reading in 2016 and has gone on to play 391 games for City, scoring 22 goals, and winning promotion to League One in 2022. "I've reared my family here, I own a house down here. So I don't think I'll ever leave the place unless something really, really attractive comes my way in the latter end of my career, which I highly doubt will happen," Sweeney says in his broad Irish accent. "This is home for me now, and I kind of turned from a young inexperienced boy to an old age pensioner." Sweeney is a man who never takes life too seriously off the field - always ready with a smile and a joke. But on the pitch there is a steel and determination to his game that has made him one of the most consistent defenders in League One. He has played under three managers at Exeter - a rare feat for a club that does not change head coach that often. His current boss Gary Caldwell has no doubt how important he is to the team - and the club. "For all we take the micky out of him, myself, the staff, he is a brilliant character. He has been a brilliant servant for this football club," Caldwell says. "He is one of the few players I think you can call a legend at the football club for what he's done and the journey, that not just the club, but he has been on since he's been here. "So to be able to celebrate that I think is really important." 'We've come on leaps and bounds' That celebration has been going throughout the summer and culminates on Saturday when Sweeney has his testimonial match against Swansea City at St James Park in Exeter's final pre-season game. Sweeney has played alongside the likes of Ollie Watkins, Jay Stansfield and Ethan Ampadu - whose big transfer fees have gone a long way to turning fan-owned Exeter into a financially sustainable club in League One. "The football club's done really well with picking and choosing when they spend money on the facilities," Sweeney - who briefly left Exeter in June 2021 to join a financially troubled Swindon Town before returning less than a month later - tells BBC Radio Devon. "I've spoken to a good few players who have come here from different football clubs and even they say the facilities are top for League One level and some in the Championship aren't as good as what we have here. "We've come on leaps and bounds, but I think the facilities aside, I think the way the football club is run now is a million miles away from where we used to be, and I think that's spearheaded from the manager. "The manager probably gives the board headaches of what he wants every year or every month, but that's only for the benefit of the club. "He's an ambitious man and he can see where the football club can get to. "There's still more room for improvement. We can always improve and I think it's important that we don't stop." Sweeney's career at Exeter has had its fair share of ups and downs. He has lost three League Two play-off finals at Wembley - defeat by Blackpool in his debut season in 2017, Coventry City a year later, and then Northampton Town in an empty national stadium in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic. But there have also been highs as well - not least winning automatic promotion in 2022 as well as some memorable runs in both the FA and EFL Cups. "It was probably a blessing in disguise that we probably didn't win them," Sweeney says as he looks back on the Wembley defeats. "I think where we were when we got automatic promotion, I think the club was in a far better position than we were for the play-off games. "My personal opinion is that we probably wouldn't be coming into our fourth season back then in League One." He adds: "Wembley's an unbelievable place when you win. It's the worst place in the world when you lose. I've been unfortunate to experience that three times now. "It wasn't a nice feeling, but I've definitely taken that on board with me ever since and kind of used it as fuel, and hopefully the next time we go to Wembley we can finish the job." Sweeney's toughest personal battle came last season when he missed the second half of the campaign after picking up a calf injury in December and then having surgery to fix a long-standing hip problem. And even though he is celebrating his testimonial this season - and has no intention of leaving the club - he appreciates how hard the world of football is. "I've been out for the longest period of my career and it's been it's been a tough offseason. I've been on my own doing rehab and tough times mentally, " he says. "I want to play as many games as I can and try and earn myself a new contract at the end of the next season. "I'm 31 in September, so I'm no spring chicken. I need to get back fully fit and get back into the team, and hopefully earn myself a new contract and go from there."
BBC News
24-07-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
'Legend' Sweeney enters decade of service at Exeter
"I think at one stage we had one radiator in the building that worked," recalls Pierce Sweeney as he enters his tenth season at Exeter Grecians' captain is a rare breed in modern football having spent nearly a decade at one club - a period that has seen incredible change at Exeter a leaky - and cold - wooden building at the side of a bumpy training ground to a modern multi-million pound facility, and two new stands at St James Park, Sweeney has been a constant. The Irishman joined as a fresh-faced 20-year-old defender from Reading in 2016 and has gone on to play 391 games for City, scoring 22 goals, and winning promotion to League One in 2022. "I've reared my family here, I own a house down here. So I don't think I'll ever leave the place unless something really, really attractive comes my way in the latter end of my career, which I highly doubt will happen," Sweeney says in his broad Irish accent."This is home for me now, and I kind of turned from a young inexperienced boy to an old age pensioner." Sweeney is a man who never takes life too seriously off the field - always ready with a smile and a on the pitch there is a steel and determination to his game that has made him one of the most consistent defenders in League One. He has played under three managers at Exeter - a rare feat for a club that does not change head coach that often. His current boss Gary Caldwell has no doubt how important he is to the team - and the club. "For all we take the micky out of him, myself, the staff, he is a brilliant character. He has been a brilliant servant for this football club," Caldwell says."He is one of the few players I think you can call a legend at the football club for what he's done and the journey, that not just the club, but he has been on since he's been here."So to be able to celebrate that I think is really important." 'We've come on leaps and bounds' That celebration has been going throughout the summer and culminates on Saturday when Sweeney has his testimonial match against Swansea City at St James Park in Exeter's final pre-season game. Sweeney has played alongside the likes of Ollie Watkins, Jay Stansfield and Ethan Ampadu - whose big transfer fees have gone a long way to turning fan-owned Exeter into a financially sustainable club in League One. "The football club's done really well with picking and choosing when they spend money on the facilities," Sweeney - who briefly left Exeter in June 2021 to join a financially troubled Swindon Town before returning less than a month later - tells BBC Radio Devon."I've spoken to a good few players who have come here from different football clubs and even they say the facilities are top for League One level and some in the Championship aren't as good as what we have here."We've come on leaps and bounds, but I think the facilities aside, I think the way the football club is run now is a million miles away from where we used to be, and I think that's spearheaded from the manager."The manager probably gives the board headaches of what he wants every year or every month, but that's only for the benefit of the club."He's an ambitious man and he can see where the football club can get to."There's still more room for improvement. We can always improve and I think it's important that we don't stop." Sweeney's career at Exeter has had its fair share of ups and downs. He has lost three League Two play-off finals at Wembley - defeat by Blackpool in his debut season in 2017, Coventry City a year later, and then Northampton Town in an empty national stadium in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 there have also been highs as well - not least winning automatic promotion in 2022 as well as some memorable runs in both the FA and EFL Cups."It was probably a blessing in disguise that we probably didn't win them," Sweeney says as he looks back on the Wembley defeats. "I think where we were when we got automatic promotion, I think the club was in a far better position than we were for the play-off games."My personal opinion is that we probably wouldn't be coming into our fourth season back then in League One."He adds: "Wembley's an unbelievable place when you win. It's the worst place in the world when you lose. I've been unfortunate to experience that three times now."It wasn't a nice feeling, but I've definitely taken that on board with me ever since and kind of used it as fuel, and hopefully the next time we go to Wembley we can finish the job." Sweeney's toughest personal battle came last season when he missed the second half of the campaign after picking up a calf injury in December and then having surgery to fix a long-standing hip even though he is celebrating his testimonial this season - and has no intention of leaving the club - he appreciates how hard the world of football is."I've been out for the longest period of my career and it's been it's been a tough offseason. I've been on my own doing rehab and tough times mentally, " he says."I want to play as many games as I can and try and earn myself a new contract at the end of the next season."I'm 31 in September, so I'm no spring chicken. I need to get back fully fit and get back into the team, and hopefully earn myself a new contract and go from there."
BBC News
20-03-2025
- Sport
- BBC News
Exeter captain Sweeney out for rest of season
Exeter City captain Pierce Sweeney has been ruled out for the rest of the season as he requires surgery on a long-standing hip problem, says manager Gary 30-year-old has not played since suffering a calf injury in Caldwell now expects to have his skipper back in time for pre-season."He had a calf problem that he's come back from," Caldwell told the club's official X account., external"He's had a long-standing hip problem that's going to need surgery. Next week or the week after he will get surgery on that and be back fit for pre-season."Sweeney is the Grecians' longest serving player and has made 168 appearances since joining from Swindon Town in 2021, scoring three are 16th in League One, eight points above the relegation zone with 10 games remaining, and visit Lincoln City on Saturday.
