Stuart McManus, formerly with Southampton where he had played in the Football League, came on the radar of Exeter City in September 1986.

Reports from the time leave a degree of uncertainty about the precise nature of Stuart's association with the Grecians during the autumn of 1986. Aged twenty-one at the time, he had made two appearances for Southampton in the old Division One (scoring once) as well as having a month on loan with Newport County.

Released by the Saints, earlier in the year, he had been playing in Sweden when he came to Exeter’s attention and returned there afterwards to play for Örgryte IS