Gary Caldwell has given his assessment of the 2022/23 League One season, as the Grecians ended with a 14th placed finish.
Caldwell took the reigns in late October and has led the club to some brilliant victories so far, and he has looked back on his time so far with fondness.
"Since I've come in on day one, I'd say we have exceded my expectations in terms of the club I've joined and what we are now," he said.
"I didn't expect the support we've had and the amount of highs we've had. I knew it was going to be a real challenge, but the way the supporters have travelled every week, home and away and packing out this place, that's what has been the big plus for me.
"We've come such a long way in my time - it feels like ages ago! For me it was all about understanding the people at the football club and slowly trying to implement my ideas and beliefs on how football should be played. We have a special football club we can be really proud of an it's my job to push us on to the next level."
Something that has come since Caldwell's arrival is a likeable habit of scoring late goals, which was a recurring theme for City in his early tenure, thanks to stoppage time winners over Port Vale and Peterborough in his first weeks in charge.
"It's a good thing, as it shows energy levels. All the players have noticed the difference in the way we trained. It's also down the to their belief, and the supporters belief - that's a big thing for scoring late goals. Every good team has to have that ability to never know when it is beaten.
"Some standout performances were Accrington and Barnsley. That period we played really well and we went on a really good run. Those two games were totally different - one was total dominance against a lower team, and then the other against a team on a 12 game unbeaten run and we adapted well. That got us to 53 points."
Hear more from Gary as he assesses the season in full 👇