NOW END PARK STRIFE!

BY ED HOGG
EXETER City boss Peter Fox has a message for supporters of the revitalised Division 3 club: "Let's stop the squabbling!" In an exclusive interview with Echo Sport today, Fox - who has masterminded the transformation of the Grecians' on-field fortunes this season - demanded an end to the behind-the-scenes spats that have plagued City. And he urged greater backing for St James's Park chairman Ivor Doble following the deal that has finally lifted the threat of extinction hanging over Exeter for 18 months. "Ever since I arrived here three years ago there have been problems," said Fox. "City has been in decline and that inevitably creates factions and squabbles behind-the- scenes. But that's got to stop. "Our long-term future has been safeguarded. Everybody who genuinely cares about Exeter City Football Club must now pull together to give us a chance to make real progress. "I'm getting a lot of the credit for the way we've turned things around on the pitch. But I've not transformed it single- handed - it's been a real team effort with a lot of valuable contributions from a lot of people. "We need the same single- minded approach off the field. There might be differences of opinion, but we shouldn't lose sight of the fact that we all want success for this club." Fox's men completed this term's St James's Park fixtures with a 1-1 draw against weekend guests Bury - 24 hours after the Grecians' future was secured in a deal between Exeter City Council and stadium owners Beazer Homes. And Fox insists that the often- criticised Doble deserves greater credit, particularly for resisting offers to sell his majority shareholding to a Cardiff-based consortium. "It irritates me that people still moan about the chairman. That's desperately unfair," he said. "Mr Doble could have sold this club down the river and made himself a very rich man. But he's Exeter City through-and-through and always puts the club first."