Former England international Neil Webb appeared for Exeter City in a 1996 pre-season friendly against Portsmouth, one of his former clubs. Neil’s son Josh also had a trial with Exeter City twelve years later. 

Son of Reading’s Douggie Webb, Neil also started his career with the Berkshire club before an £87,500 move to Portsmouth in July 1982. Registering 123 league appearances (34 goals) for Pompey, he was transferred to Nottingham Forest for £250,000 in June 1985 where he played 146 league games - scoring 47 times - and won the first of his twenty-six England caps. 

Remaining at Forest until July 1989, he moved to Manchester United for £1.5 million in what proved to be a generally underwhelming, injury-prone four-year stay. Returning to the City Ground in 1993, he struggled to recapture his earlier form and, after a loan spell with Swindon Town, there was no offer of a new contract at the end of the 1995/96 season. 

Turning thirty-three at the time of his brief stay at St James’ Park, and playing just over an hour of the friendly against Portsmouth on 27 July 1996, there was a sense time was running out on his professional career. With no offer forthcoming from City, he played four league games for Grimsby before appearing for Aldershot Town ahead of a relatively brief stint as player-coach of Weymouth.