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Exeter City hoping to create some more Devon FA Cup magic

Exeter City hoping to create some more Devon FA Cup magic


LIGHTS, cameras, action! After another weekend of shocks and stories being made that will last a lifetime, Exeter City and Nottingham Forest bring the FA Cup fourth round to a close tonight at a sold-out St James Park with manager Gary Caldwell keen to show the world what the Grecians’ story is all about.

On Saturday, it was Championship side Burnley winning at Premier League Southampton that was the shock of the day before Plymouth Argyle stunned premier League leaders Liverpool with a 1-0 win at Home Park on Sunday. Now, the Grecians are looking to become another giantkiller against a Forest side sitting third in the Premier League standings.

“A lot of our supporters and a lot of people that will be at the stadium on Tuesday have never seen a fourth round tie with Exeter in it, so from that point of view, it is (history for the club) but for us (staff and players) It’s another stage of the competition where we want to try and win the game,” Caldwell said.

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“We know we are massive underdogs, but the magic of the cup, there is always that possibility of an upset and we believe that, our very best, we can do that, so whilst it’s history, whilst it’s something we haven’t seen, it’s also a game that we want to win and we want to try and progress to the next stage as well.”

Gary Caldwell, Manager of Exeter City speaks to the press during the pre match press call at Cliff Hill Training Ground ahead of the FA Cup Fourth Round Match against Nottingham Forest, Exeter, Devon on 7th February 2024. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK
Gary Caldwell, Manager of Exeter City speaks to the press during the pre match press call at Cliff Hill Training Ground ahead of the FA Cup Fourth Round Match against Nottingham Forest, Exeter, Devon on 7th February 2024. - PHOTO: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK

Exeter are in the fourth round of the competition for the first time since 1981, when they went on to reach the quarter-finals before losing 2-0 at eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur. But things are very different now, to how they were back then.

A club that has a history of financial issues, Exeter City have never been stronger, off the pitch at least, with the foundations laid to be sustainable as English football’s only supporter-owned club. At a time money is rife and a boom or bust mentality exists in the game, the Exeter success story is one that can be shared to a global audience tonight.

“You don’t get this opportunity much as a League One side to show your club off on a national, or international level, so I think it’s important we show us in our very best light; not just the team on the park, but the supporters in the stadium, the club as a whole and the story that we’ve had over the last 20 odd years - and what a remarkable story it is,” Caldwell said.

“To show that off and to show that at its very best would be brilliant for the football club and, like I said, that isn’t just on the park, that’s in the stands as well and hopefully it’s a really special night where everyone gets to see the good in this football club.”

Exeter City team celebrate in the changing room after the FA Cup Match between Exeter City and Oxford United at St James Park, Devon on 4 January 2025. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK
Exeter City team celebrate in the changing room after the FA Cup Match between Exeter City and Oxford United at St James Park, Devon on 4 January 2025. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK -Credit:Phil Mingo/PPAUK

Exeter will certainly have to be at their best to cause a shock, regardless of the team Forest put out tonight. But as an FA Cup winner as an underdog with Wigan Athletic back in 2013, Caldwell knows what is needed to spring the biggest of surprises.

“It was a special moment in my career and a special moment for Wigan, obviously,” he said. “Again, a smaller club, not just the final against Man City, but the quarter-final against Everton, we were heavy underdogs in those games but showed that with a game plan, with bravery and belief you can achieve anything in this competition.

“I’ll use my experience and I’ll use the lessons that I learned and how we did it and how we won that competition to try and help the players, but I won’t be bragging and telling them that I’ve got a medal.

“Hopefully, that experience that I have I can help the players to get some experiences of their own and special moments of their own.”

If the Grecians can cause the upset, they will host Ipswich Town in the fifth round.