Carl Hutchings had played over 250 times for Brentford and Bristol City when he briefly joined Exeter City on loan in December 2000. He later added another eighty Football League appearances to his tally when wearing the colours of Southend and Leyton Orient.

Carl had been on Chelsea’s books when at school but then became a trainee with Brentford before signing professional in July 1993 and going on to make 162 league appearances for the Bees scoring 18 goals. Transferred to Bristol City in June 1998 for a fee of £130,000, Carl struggled to hold down a regular first-team place and was loaned back to Brentford in February 2000. 

Bristol City then arranged for Carl to sign for Exeter City on  a similar basis in November 2000 and he made his debut in a 0-2 defeat against Plymouth Argyle on 2 December. Carl then played at Wycombe Wanderers in the Football League Trophy on the following Tuesday, and against  Chesterfield in the league on the Saturday, before returning to Ashton Gate. 

Within weeks Carl moved permanently to Southend United, where he scored four times in 43 league outings, ahead of joining Leyton Orient in February 2002 and Farnborough Town in July 2003. Retiring from football at the age of 29 in 2004. Carl then briefly ran a bar before moving into stock market trading, sports management and property. By 2023 he was describing himself as a “property consultant to sports athletes, business owners and the entertainment industry.”