The Premier League Connections at Exeter City
The riches and prestige of the Premier League may seem a world apart from Exeter City and their latest bid to get out of EFL League Two, but not as much as you think.
There are more than a couple of top-flight connections to the players aiming to get the Grecians promoted from the fourth tier. While Matt Taylor's team are among those fancied to go up a division, let's take a look in more detail about the Premier League links to Exeter...
Palace provides plenty
The Academy of London club Crystal Palace has produced some superb wide talents like Wayne Routledge, Wilfried Zaha and Victor Moses, who won the Premier League with Chelsea when converted to a wing back by then boss Antonio Conte. Exeter can call upon three former Eagles and two of those came through the ranks.
Luke Croll once made the Palace bench for a Premier League game against Watford, while fellow left-footed defender Dean Moxey played 20 times in the top flight for them after helping the club to promotion. Unlike Croll though, Moxey is a hometown boy and graduate of the Grecians academy and also played for Derby, then Bolton Wanderers either side of his time at Selhurst Park.
Moxey's return to St James Park last summer brought with it a winning mentality into the Exeter dressing room, having earned promotions from the Conference and League Two during his felt spell in Devon. Hiram Boateng, meanwhile, is a useful deep-lying central midfielder having made a substitute Premier League appearance for Palace, who are just less than 4/1 for a top 10 finish in the latest Premier League odds from Betfair, against Swansea City.
Royals connections
"St James’ Park, Exeter, Devon" (CC BY 2.0) by Matthew Wilkinson
Grecians captain and Wales cap Jake Taylor came through the ranks at Reading where, although he didn't play top-flight football, he was in and around the setup. The midfielder first joined Exeter on loan for the 2011-12 before returning permanently on a free in January 2016.
Irish right back Pierce Sweeney, a surprising source of goals this season and last, meanwhile, came to the Royals when they were a Premier League team but never made an appearance and came to Devon on a free when released by the Berkshire outfit.
The Grecians are a fan-funded club as the Supporters' Trust owns it. Their members have helped to pay Sweeney's wages (among other players) via the 1931 Fund, which makes Exeter one of the most unique sides in the English Football League (EFL).
No mentioned of the Premier League connections to the club would be complete without attacking midfielder and winger Lee Martin. He started his career with Manchester United playing twice for legendary manager Sir Alex Ferguson.
Martin was also an unused sub in the 2007 Community Shield that the Red Devils won on penalties to avenge their extra time FA Cup final loss to Chelsea at the end of the previous season. Exeter is the 13th club of his senior career, having notably also turned out for Nottingham Forest, Ipswich Town and Millwall.
