Julian Tagg is the Club president and director of external affairs of Exeter City FC
Results have certainly picked up, with the general trend going in the right direction. The last couple of games, I think it’s fair to say, have been something of a mixed bag, but that’s always going to be the way – every point counts and the rollercoaster continues its never-ending ride, as we edge our way up the league table.
That old football cliché of a ‘game of two halves’ certainly applied to our match against Fleetwood on Saturday, which saw us completely dominate the first half. They then emerged after half time like a completely different team who proceeded to throw everything but the kitchen sink at us. But it was another point in the bag and now it’s on to the next match.
We’re up to Peterborough on Saturday, who I’m sure will be looking for revenge after we beat them at SJP just a couple of weeks ago. Every game is treated on its own merits, there are no ‘easy wins’ or ‘must wins’ in this league, which we know is tough.
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We’re currently sitting 15th in the table on 40 points, below us we have five teams all on 38 points, so it’s going to be an interesting, and perhaps somewhat tense. The rollercoaster is definitely picking up speed as everyone jostles for position.
It never ceases to amaze me that our supporters continue to back our boys home and away – there’s already a decent contingent of more than 250 loyal Grecians making the near 500-mile round trip to the Posh at the weekend.
But never mind the football, how about the case of the missing tennis rackets? Gary and Perks play tennis weekly, often at 6am before they head to the training ground and there’s fierce competition between the two of them.
With Gary ‘Connors’ Caldwell having been dominant against David ‘Djokovic’ Perkins, the tide has recently turned, and I hear that Perks has begun to win. How odd that these results should start to change and then the rackets mysteriously disappeared, putting an end to the tennis tussle?
The mystery was solved when Perks’ racket turned up buried somewhere in his bed (the mind boggles), and Gary’s the proud owner of a brand new racket, thanks to club sponsors Thrifty, who surprised him with a new one when he was last in the Heritage Lounge.
And while I’m talking about the manager, it was great to get the win at Wigan away a week or two ago, especially after our last couple of meetings with them.
And what should greet Nick Hawker and I when we stepped out of the lift at Wigan? – none other than a huge picture of our own Gary Caldwell. Well, either that or it was someone who looked very much like him, with his FA Cup winning side of 2013… Gary also had a lot of his family at the game, so I’m sure it brought back some good memories for them all.
Huge congratulations to everyone who makes sure our club is a welcoming and inclusive place for all supporters, so much so that we made it to the final three in the professional club category of the Football v Homophobia awards. We were pipped at the post by none other than Arsenal and Manchester United, certainly great company to be in! Well done to Alan Quick who works so hard supporting initiatives across the club and makes a real difference with his work.
Exeter City Women are flying high at the top of their league and looking very good indeed. March 9 and 10 is the double header Her Game Too weekend at St James Park, which sees the men take on Bolton Wanderers on the Saturday and then the women play Maidenhead on the Sunday.
It’s always great when the women play at the Park and there’s a real family atmosphere – so come along and back the team. And visit the club website which has a special ticket package on offer for both games.
Sunday was a blip in an otherwise brilliant season, when the women were knocked out at the semi-final stage of the National League Cup Plate 4-2 by a very good Derby side – who incidentally are in the league above – on Sunday. Another supporter shout out here – well done to the hardy 412 people who braved the rain to cheer the team on.
Congratulations to Kev and members of the management team who took part in the recent Exeter City Community Trust Half Marathon.
The group took part to raise funds for the Exeter City Community Fund which supports six local charities – you can find out more here - www.justgiving.com/campaign/ecfcrunforacause And if you can donate a pound or two, I’m sure they will be very grateful.
These events are so well organised by our partner charity, Exeter City Community Trust. They had 900 entries over the two days although heavy rain on Saturday night meant some parts of the course were flooded, so the team sprang into action and diverting the course, pulling together like the proverbial swan, elegant and calm on the surface, while paddling like mad under the water, and staging the event with only a short delay to the start.
It’s been a difficult time for Torquay United, which came to a head this week. It’s at times like this that you see rivalries put aside and across football, we all want the best outcome for them.
We all know our ownership model has its challenges, and we’re working hard to improve it all the time. But we also know Torquay aren’t the first and won’t be the last club to be in this position, and we’ll help them as we would any club, in any way we can.
So, let’s keep backing our teams. After Peterborough, we’re back at home for Bolton Wanderers on March 9 and the Exeter City Women are at SJP on March 10 – look forward to seeing you there. Up the City!
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