And just like that, we’re back in action! It’s early days and a mixed bag of results so far, with that tremendous win against Rotherham to start the new season, followed by a couple of losses. Peterborough brought some familiar faces back to SJP on Saturday in the form of Joel Randall, Archie Collins and Jack Sparkes.

And although the match didn’t go our way, despite the blistering opening 10 minutes and fantastic goal from Reece Cole, it was good to see our former Academy boys doing well.

Another Academy player, who is carving out a name for himself is Josh Key, who went to Swansea last year.

We’ve just had the results of the tribunal which was instigated as, although Josh was out of contract, he was under 24 at the time he left the club. It’s been a drawn-out process, and the tribunal’s ruling has to be confidential, but I think it’s fair to say we were happy with the outcome.

It’s only right that clubs like Exeter are properly remunerated for developing young players, particularly here at Exeter City, where the Academy and player development is so vital to our success, we’ll always fight for compensation. As for Josh, the lad’s got a bright future. He’s a fast, strong player with huge technical ability, and a highly intelligent young man. Definitely one of the ones to watch!

Talking of ones to watch, if you attended or were watching the recent Fans’ Forum then you’ll know that Gary has signed a new contract with the club, which he did live during the forum. It’s great stability for the club as he continues to build the squad and the management team at the training ground. Hopefully he’s been left with some time to work on his tennis game…he and Perks were subjected to a three-sets to love thrashing in a match against a sponsor this week, but the less said about that the better…

Back to the football! As a club we continue to invest in the infrastructure around the players, the latest investment being screens in a pitch-side trailer at the training ground, helping staff to give players immediate information and feedback during training.

And of course there are the investments at SJP, including a canopy over the Fan Zone, meaning you’ll soon be able to have your pint of Thatchers in the dry! Planning permission has just been granted and now it’s a reality thanks to an incredible fundraising campaign led by Elaine Davis, which saw our fans and a number of supporter groups donating £25,000 to enable the project.

As well as an opening day win for the men’s team, the Women’s team had an incredible start to their season, with a seven – yes, you read that right - seven-nil win over MK Dons Women in front of a crowd of almost a thousand people at St James Park.

Following their promotion the team has had to find a new ground as their previous home ground of Exwick Sports Hub did not meet the league’s ground requirements. So, this season will see them split their fixtures between St James Park and Coach Road at Newton Abbot as the pitch at SJP would not withstand all the women’s fixtures alongside the men’s games. It’s something we’re continuing to work on, so we’re grateful to supporters for their patience.

Coming up next for ECFC Women is a visit from Ipswich Town to SJP on September 2, then away to Gwalia United in Newport on September 8 and then back home again to take on Oxford United on September 15 at SJP.

And over on the men’s team, it’s a trip up north to take on Bolton Wanderers on Saturday August 31, which is rapidly followed by a cup game at SJP against Swindon on Tuesday September 3 and then we’re home again to take on Birmingham City on Saturday, September 6.

Look forward to seeing you at SJP – Up the City!