This evening’s match at Shrewsbury Town marks a century of matches at the helm of Exeter City for manager Gary Caldwell, in what has been a rollercoaster two years for the Scot.
Joining the club in October 2022 following an extensive recruitment process to replace the departing Matt Taylor, Caldwell topped the list of candidates and instantly showed supporters what type of football club he wanted to manage, highlighting the club’s underused motto ‘Semper Fidelis’.
The Latin phrase has links to Exeter dating back to the English Civil War, and roughly translates as ‘always faithful’ or ‘always loyal’. “That loyalty, that togetherness, that family is what you need to get you through tough times, but to also bring success,” Gary Caldwell shared, describing what the motto means to him and the club he’d just been appointed manager of.
His City debut, a baptism of fire at promotion chasing Derby County, gave Grecians a first look at the former Wigan Athletic boss, with City holding the Rams to a goalless draw in front of over 25,000 at Pride Park. An injury to Jamal Blackman saw young shot-stopper Harry Lee make his League One debut in the final ten minutes, foreshadowing the chances Caldwell would give to many more young City players during in his reign.
A first win then came in a 3-2 victory away at Port Vale in the FA Cup in late dramatic style, thanks to Archie Collins’ 89th minute winner from 25 yards. That theme would continue in his maiden St James Park match as Peterborough were beaten by the same scoreline in stoppage time. Caldwell was certainly bringing the entertainment factor to Exeter City.
Further late wins at Bristol Rovers and Oxford United either side of the New Year brought the feel-good factor to the club, as Caldwell’s exciting brand of football started to shine through. As Gary himself often likes to say, it was all part of the process.
Four wins in six in February and March had the Grecians comfortably mid-table in their first League One season, including a 5-0 win over Accrington and 3-1 win over Barnsley that the manager would regularly refer to as ‘the best of the season’ on several occasions.
Not even six defeats in a row in an unfortunate run that saw the Grecians face the top six in the league at the crunch end of the season could dampen the mood, before a memorable final day at home to Morecambe as Jay Stansfield’s hat-trick on his final appearance of his loan spell rounded off a respectable campaign.
Summer 2023 was the opportunity for Caldwell to make the club his own, with his first summer transfer window ahead of him. The departure of key names from the club’s academy such as Josh Key and Archie Collins gave Caldwell his first taste of consequences of success, as two of our own left for pastures new, but he soon began assembling a squad that would excite in the early stages of the season.
2023/24 would be one hell of a rollercoaster, with the first signs of what lay ahead coming just 28 seconds into the first league game at Wycombe as Jack Aitchison – signing number two of the window - coolly slotted home. A 3-0 win on the opening day thanks to further goals from Will Aimson and James Scott could not have been a better way to kick off the new season.
By the time City recorded a 1-0 win at Burton Albion in early September, the Grecians sat atop League One and talk began of a special season ahead of Caldwell and his newly assembled team.
But as ever in football, things can change quickly. Injuries to key players and slices of bad luck would test Caldwell’s mettle from mid-September and form, and the mood around the club dipped. Having beaten Premier League Luton Town in the Carabao Cup round three and leading the club into the fourth round for the first time since the 80’s, a worrying trend began to unfold on the pitch.
A 3-0 defeat at Oxford United on 23 September saw the start of a 13-match winless league run, scoring just three goals. As the disposition amongst the Big Bank faithful soured, many called for the departure of Caldwell and it felt like there was no coming back from a 7-0 defeat at Bolton Wanderers in late November – the heaviest league defeat in 65 years.
“Injuries have led to a loss of form, a loss of form leads to a loss of confidence, and a loss of confidence leads to moments like today. This must be rock bottom,” the manager said post-match. Inside the camp, despite the disappointing run, there was still a real belief amongst the playing squad and staff, who full supported their manager and his style of play.
The club board echoed the position, backing Caldwell publicly and promising action in the January transfer window. "The club's immediate actions continue to be the exploration of the opportunities available to us for investing in all areas of football, including the January window, with that investment balanced alongside our long-term sustainability," a club statement read.
Good form, and a remarkable second half of the season, came after a dramatic Boxing Day fixture against Wycombe Wanderers. Sonny Cox’s second half goal looked certain to end the cruel winless streak until the 96th minute of the manage, when Harry Kite was harshly adjudged to have committed a foul in area. Penalty Wycombe, and potential heartbreak for City, and for Caldwell. Viljami Sinisalo had gained plaudit after plaudit for his performances throughout the early season from the Grecian faithful, and his superb stoppage time penalty save would go on to become a turning point in the season as victory was secured for the first time since September.
There must be no going back from here.
Three wins from six in January, along with the exciting signing of Luke Harris on loan from Fulham had belief back in camp. Again, Barnsley were the victims of the performance Caldwell would go on to call ‘performance of the season.’
By mid-table the Grecians were 13th and 13 points clear of the relegation zone that they had narrowly avoided for much of the bleak winter, with the team now firmly looking up and not down. Caldwell’s next mission was to help the side achieve a not -inconceivable top-half finish.
Such was his revitalised side, when Bolton came to SJP for the reverse of the 7-0, only an 87th minute equaliser denied the Grecians a win. 2-2 would have to do. And so began a stunning final canter to the finish line of 2023/24. Six wins, three draws and nine unbeaten matches saw City end the season in style – only a defeat to eventual play-off winners Oxford on the final day denying the top half finish.
It was some turnaround. We’ve got Super Gary Caldwell rung out from the Big Bank once again. Redemption arc completed.
And so, we come to this summer. Another new chapter, with 12 fresh signings before the closure of the summer transfer window has Gary once again building his team to take on a third season in the third tier.
An opening day win against Rotherham United was the perfect start. A 2-0 win at Bolton was a sign of how things have changed. Resilience when under the cosh at Orient and at home to Cambridge. A new third-tier record equalling five clean sheets in row.
From his first game to this evening's 100th, Gary has led the club with the mentality that binds all Grecians — Semper Fidelis.