Welcome to the One of Our Own Exhibition, which acknowledges and celebrates some of the very best homegrown talent throughout the history of Exeter City Football Club.  

From the earliest days of the club, local players have been at the very heart of our identity. Back in 1904, Hall of Famer Sid Thomas (pictured sixth from the left in the standing row) scored in the first game played after St Sidwell’s United changed their name to Exeter City, and in doing so arguably became the first player that we can look back on as ‘One of Our Own’  

In the seasons that followed, these players built not only their own reputations here at St James Park, but also the reputation of the club throughout the game, and in recent years all this effort and progress has resulted in Exeter City’s Academy being widely regarded as one of the very best in European Football.  

Given this proud history, the 30 players selected for this exhibition were by no means the only people who could have made it into the display. In fact, just looking at the current City squad for the 2020/21 season, there are several academy graduates who made a late case for inclusion, and who are certain to make a name for themselves and the club in the years to come.  

Beyond our current stars, there are numerous others who have progressed through the ranks with notable merit, and so the challenge faced by the project team in selecting these players was by no means an easy one.  

However, the process was certainly interesting and enjoyable, and on the pages that follow you can learn more about the lives and accomplishments of our chosen players, each of whom have represented Exeter City Football Club with distinction.  

For this I would like to thank not only the players, both past and present, for their efforts on and off the pitch, but also Derek Baker Julen Beer, David Gribble, Aidan Hamilton, Charlie Howell, Martin Weiler, and Kayleigh-Jade West, for producing the words to illustrate our players accomplishments, as well as Will Barrett, Elliott Morgan, Scott Palfrey, and Brad Heyman for the expert curation of the images, murals, and exhibit guide.  

Special thanks must also go to our programme lead, Professor Gabriella Giannachi, who played a pivotal role not only on this project, but whose expertise and tireless efforts also led to the foundation of the ECFC Museum in 2018.  

More can be read about our collaboration and the work of the ECFC Museum on the final pages of this guide, but before then, please enjoy reading about the careers and contributions of just some of the players that we are proud to call ‘One of Our Own’.  

The One of Our Own Exhibition was created in 2021 as Part of the ECFC Museum’s ‘Celebrating our Heritage Outreach Programme’, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and the University of Exeter’s Centre for Intermedia and Digital Humanities Lab.