PIERCE SWEENEY IS THE CLUB CAPTAIN OF EXETER CITY FC

I think it’s fair to say, a lot has happened since my last column a fortnight ago!

First and foremost, we’ve lost three games on the spin, conceding 13 goals in the process. At the same time, we’ve bid a fond farewell to Millenic Alli, who has joined Luton for a reported seven-figure fee, while welcoming a number of new faces, as well as a couple of rather more familiar ones, to St James’s Park.

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Having restricted league leaders Birmingham to a single goal at St Andrew’s seven days previously, it was desperately disappointing to find ourselves 3-0 down after just 45 minutes of our home game against Blackpool a couple of Saturdays ago.

We were much better after the interval and, having reduced the deficit to 3-1, might still have got something from the game had we not been denied what looked a stonewall penalty when the lively Tony Yogane, who joined us on loan from Brentford earlier in the week, was upended in the box with 10 or 15 minutes to go.

Then again, frustrating as the referee’s decision to wave away our penalty appeals was, you can’t really expect to take anything from a game in which you allow the opposition to race into a three-goal lead while hardly breaking sweat.

Unfortunately, it was a very similar story when Leyton Orient visited SJP three days later. On this occasion, the visitors scored twice inside the opening five minutes, and we found ourselves 4-0 down at half-time.

Again, we were much better in the second half, when a Millenic Alli brace – on what, it transpired, would be his final appearance for the club –halved the deficit and just for a minute it appeared an unlikely comeback might be on the cards. Unfortunately, a fifth goal for the visitors just after the hour mark put the game to bed, and they went on to add a sixth not long afterwards.

We started much better at Stevenage on Saturday, with Josh Magennis firing us into the lead from the penalty spot inside the opening couple of minutes. Unfortunately, we then contrived to gift the home side goals in the 11th and 17th minutes and went in at the interval 2-1 down. Watching on the TV, I thought we did alright up to a point in the second half. However, Stevenage added two more goals in the final 15 minutes to round off a thoroughly miserable eight-day spell for us.

I appreciate football is very easy when you’re watching on from the stands as I have been over the last few weeks. Be that as it may, despite the mitigating factors – in particular, the injuries to Johnly Yefko and myself, and Tristan Crama’s move to Millwall, which left us decimated at the back – we should be doing better. For sure, we have to stop conceding goals by the shed load sooner rather than later if we’re going to preserve our League One status for a fourth successive year.

With that in mind, it’s great that we’ve been able to welcome some defensive reinforcements to the club over the last few days. Obviously, Alex Hartridge, who has returned on loan needs no introduction. Unfortunately, I can’t tell you a great deal Angus McDonald, who has joined us from Aberdeen until the end of the season, albeit we played a few U21 games together for Reading more than a decade ago, nor Ed Turns, who has signed a two-and-a-half-year contract after moving from Brighton, except that they seem to tick lots of the right boxes.

Thirty-two-year-old Gus is vastly experienced, having played more than 200 games across the Championship and Leagues One and Two before his move to Scotland, while Ed is just 23 but has already tasted success, featuring 16 times for the Orient side which was promoted to League One in 2022-23.

In addition, Ryan Trevitt, who was fantastic for us in the first half of last season, before injury intervened, has returned on loan from Brentford, while versatile attacker Andrew Oluwabori has joined us from AFC Halifax Town on a two-and-a-half-year contract.

You won’t need me to tell you what Ryan can bring to the team, while all the indications are that Andrew is not dissimilar to Millenic, who, coincidentally, also came to us from the Yorkshire side.

While it’s great to have some reinforcements on board, it was sad to see Millie and Kamari Doyle depart the club. While the former did fantastically in his relatively short spell at SJP, the club had little option but to accept such a huge offer for someone we signed for less than 100k just 12 months ago. While I’m sure Millie is going to get better still, it would be great if he could help the Hatters to survival in the Championship. That’s a level, I could easily see Kamari going on to play at – like Mille he’s not quite the finished article, but, it’s clear he has talent in abundance, he just needs to add a bit more physicality to his game.

On a personal level, I travelled up to London for a scan on my calf last week and by the time you read this should have the results. Certainly, I’m feeling good and if, touch wood, everything turns out to be hunkdory would hope to be back before the end of the month,

With our FA Cup fourth round tie against Nottingham Forest moved to next Tuesday [08.02.25] to accommodate the TV cameras, we’re without a game this weekend.

In normal circumstances, having just lost three games on the bounce, you’d want the opportunity to put things right sooner rather than later and wouldn’t want to go 10 days without a game. However, I’m not sure that’s the case in this instance.

The nature of those three defeats - in particular the kamikaze defending and number of goals conceded - is such those who’ve been involved must feel like they’ve suffered a knockout blow and, it seems to me, they can only benefit from the opportunity to take stock and start afresh.

Furthermore, with all the new faces that Gary [Caldwell] has brought in over the last few days, a bit more time on the training ground can only benefit us.

Be that as it may, it will be a huge ask to get a result against Nuno Espirito Santo side’s who, lest we forget, walloped Brighton 7-0 just a few hours after we’d succumbed 4-1 at Stevenage. For sure, we’ll have to play above ourselves and the two-time European champions will have to have an off day, but neither of those scenarios is impossible.

One thing’s for sure, we won’t be looking upon the Forest game as a ‘free hit’, where we have nothing to lose. Of course, it might prove beyond us, but we recognise this is a rare opportunity for us to make a little bit of history and are intent on doing everything in our power to make that happen.

So, see you at SJP on Tuesday, let’s hope it’s a night that will live long in the memory!