Experienced campaigner Colin Appleton, a top-flight player with Leicester City in his day, was the first managerial appointment of Ivor Doble’s time in the chair at Exeter City and possibly one of the least memorable of City’s managers during that time. In charge between June 1985 and December 1987, the Grecians finished 21st and 14th in his only complete seasons.

Starting with Scarborough, his hometown club, he joined Leicester City in 1954 where he played for twelve seasons and featured in two FA Cup finals. He then finished his professional career with Charlton Athletic and Barrow for whom he served as player-manager. Subsequently returning to Scarborough as manager, he later took charge of Hull City and Swansea City prior to replacing Jim Iley at Exeter City in June 1985.

Then aged forty-nine, and in a remarkably similar position to his predecessor Jim Iey twelve months earlier,  he probably needed a relatively successful time at Exeter City to remain in Football League management. With City suffering the ongoing effects of the 1984 relegation under Gerry Francis, the club sought to match - or improve - the 18th place in Division Four secured by Jim Iley in 1984/85. This was not achieved immediately as City dropped to 21st (of 24) in 1985/86 even though the climb to 14th at the end of the following campaign offered hope of better times.

Three straight wins at the start of 1987/88 certainly raised hopes and expectations but soon the rot set in as results took a dramatic turn for the worse from the end of September. Eventually Mr Appleton resigned his post citing ‘personal reasons’ a fortnight before Christmas. City, curiously took nearly six months to announce Terry Cooper as the new manager and asked John Delve to perform the role of caretaker player-manager in the intervening period. With one club now relegated to the Conference, City finished 22nd but were never in danger due to the presence of the hapless Newport County. Once the dust settled on Mr Appleton’s time with the club, and history provided context, his period with Exeter City was cast in very similar light to that of Jim Iley, his immediate predecessor.

Returning once again to the Yorkshire coast, Colin Appleton later managed Bridlington Town before a second spell in the hotseat at Hull City. He died in Scarborough aged eighty-five in May 2021.