GARY Caldwell can be forgiven for taking a trip down Memory Lane when he is reminded of the FA Cup.

It was back in 2013 that Caldwell was part of the Wigan Athletic side that shocked football by beating a star-studded Manchester City outfit in the final at Wembley. Ben Watson’s towering header was all that separated the two teams and etched his name into Latics folklore.

Caldwell was club captain of the club back then, but an injury-ravaged season meant he missed out on selection for the big day. However, he was very much a part of the squad that enjoyed such an epic Cup run and a memory he will forever cherish and hold dear. “It’s a special competition, a competition where as a young boy, I remember it used to be on the television from about 8am,” Caldwell said. “Those days have obviously changed, but you used to get the build up from the hotel, the travel to the stadium, people coming out in their suits.

“That was actually a big thing when we played in the final. Roberto (Martinez, the Wigan manager) wanted us to go in tracksuits, but I said there was no way I was getting to an FA Cup final and not wearing a suit!

“Thankfully, we got nice grey suits, sky blue shirt and tie and I thought we looked the part and that obviously helped us perform and win it, but it is a special competition and one we will take seriously and go as far as we can.”

Caldwell added: “Every year, there is a story. You will see the clips from years gone by of FA Cup upsets and last year, it was George Elokobi’s team, Maidstone United, so there is always one team every single year that does something – and that is the magic of the FA Cup.

“We are in it now, so why can’t that be us? Why can’t we go on a run? Why can’t we create another piece of history like we did when we played Manchester United and got the replay and all the stuff that that brought the football club?

“Hopefully, this year is our turn for another memory like that.”

That Road to Wembley for Wigan saw them start out with a home draw against AFC Bournemouth, a League One club at the time. The Latics won the replay 1-0 before away wins at Macclesfield Town (1-0), Huddersfield Town (4-1) and Everton (3-0) saw them reach the semi-finals, where they beat Millwall 2-0 at Wembley.

Today, Caldwell starts out on another Cup adventure with his Exeter City side, who are at home to National League side Barnet. The Bees are flying high in non-League’s top tier and sit third in the table, but while there is a two-division gap between the two clubs, Caldwell is not taking them lightly.

“It will be a really difficult game and I think, when you get a draw and you play a team from lower leagues, you would probably prefer a team that was down the bottom of their league, rather than at the top of it,” Caldwell said.

“They are obviously playing well, they are playing with confidence and are a well organised team and we have prepared as we would prepare for Birmingham in League One – it’s the same preparation. The analysts are working extremely hard to get the information, we will watch it and then try to get that across to the players and give them clarity on what Barnet are really good at and areas where we can try and exploit them.

“It’s the same preparation, they are a team that’s playing well and we are going to have to be really up for it, otherwise – with everything that’s in front of us - we become that story and they create the upset, so we have to be professional, be ready for a really tough game and try and progress.”

Exeter Chiefs are looking to pick up their first competitive win of the season on Friday night as they take on Cornish Pirates in opening game of the 2024/25 Premiership Rugby Cup.

Chiefs have gone 0-6 in the Gallagher Premiership so far this season, but turn their attention to a new competition looking to change their fortunes and build some confidence after a bruising start to the campaign. The two sides faced each other in pre-season back in August when Exeter ran out 46-24 wins on a day when the Devon side split their squad across two games.

Here are all the ways you can follow all the action...

Cornish Pirates v Exeter Chiefs is being played on Friday, November 1 at The Mennaye Field.

The kick-off time is at 7.30pm.

No. The match has not been selected to be shown live by broadcasters TNT Sports and online on the discovery+ app.

Sadly there is no television coverage of tonight's game.

Highlights will also be available on the Premiership Rugby website shortly after the game.

If you are not going to be inside the stadium, and even if you are, DevonLive will be live blogging the match bringing you all the build-up, team news, live play-by-play match updates, reaction, stats, analysis, interviews and highlights from inside the ground.

BBC Radio Devon and BBC Radio Cornwall will also be providing live commentary of the game.

Cornish Pirates: 15. Iwan Price-Thomas, 14. Matt McNab, 13. Tom Georgiou, 12. Joe Elderkin, 11. Arthur Relton, 10. Bruce Houston, 9. Dan Hiscocks; 1. Billy Keast, 2. Harry Hocking, 3. Jay Tyack, 4. Charlie Rice, 5. Eoin O’Connor, 6. Josh King, 7. Will Gibson, 8. Hugh Bokenham (c).

Replacements: 16. Sol Moody, 17. Billy Young, 18. Ollie Andrews, 19. Matt Cannon, 20. Tomi Agbongbon, 21. Cam Jones, 22. Iwan Jenkins, 23. Will Trewin.

Exeter Chiefs: 15 Josh Hodge, 14 Paul Brown-Bampoe, 13 Ben Hammersley, 12 Will Rigg, 11 Tommy Wyatt, 10 Will Haydon-Wood, 9 Will Becconsall; 1 Will Goodrick-Clarke, 2 Dan Frost, 3 Ehren Painter, 4 Rusi Tuima, 5 Lewis Pearson, 6 Ethan Roots, 7 Jacques Vermeulen (c), 8 Greg Fisilau

Replacements: 16 Jack Innard, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Jimmy Roots, 19 Joe Bailey, 20 Martin Moloney, 21 Stu Townsend, 22 Harvey Skinner, 23 Joe Hawkins

Referee: Sara Cox

Assistant Referees : Iain Kiy and Kevin Williams

EXETER City defender Johnly Yfeko is expected to be out until Christmas after picking up a hamstring injury in the recent League One clash with Reading.

The 21-year-old Londoner has been excellent for the Grecians since arriving on loan from Scottish Premier League side Rangers, but manager Gary Caldwell is expecting to be without the powerful left-footer for the foreseeable future.

“Johnly will be out for a number of weeks with his hamstring, it’s not as bad as it could have been, but it’s still going to be eight to ten weeks, which is a blow but, as I said, it could have been even worse than that,” Caldwell said.

“When you get that kind of news, you fear what it could be, but that isn’t as bad. He is a young player that works extremely hard and will be back the quicker side of that.

“It’s a big blow because he’s been amazing, he’s a young player with a big future ahead of him. We will take care of him and look after him in this rehab and get him back on the quicker side of the timescale we’ve been given.

“He probably needed a little break physically anyway because he’s played a lot of football for a young player that’s never played at this level before. I always think these kind of things happen for a reason.

“He will work hard, he’ll come back and he’ll be better for his experience he’s had so far in League One and he’s a player with a massive future.”

The Grecians have a deal in place to sign Yfeko permanently from Rangers, but Caldwell says there is no real developments in getting that done just yet. He added: “That’s in place and we are in control of that, so we will dictate what happens with that.

“Everyone has seen the quality Johnly has now and also the potential he has. He’s a player that, should we choose, will be with us for a number of years.

“That’s in our favour and we will assess that throughout the season and at the end of the season, we will make a decision on that.”

Other than Yfeko, the Grecians are in good health ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup first round clash with national league high-fliers Barnet with the squad boosted by the return of Demetri Mitchell, Vincent Harper and Reece Cole. All three played a part in Tuesday’s 3-2 EFL Trophy win at Bristol Rovers and are in contention to be involved against the Bees.

“Demi, Vinnie and Reece all came through the game on Tuesday well and will all train today,” Caldwell said. “We will see how they are in terms of what role they play on Saturday; there are a couple of niggles – Jack McMillan won’t train today from a knock, but will hopefully be OK tomorrow.

“We have quite a full squad to pick from, even though there are nine substitutes on Saturday. One or two players will still miss out on the squad which is a really good place to be and shows the numbers and the quality in the squad is there.”

It is a great position for Caldwell to be in as well and the kind of headache all managers love to have. “It’s brilliant and a great place to be,” Caldwell said. “We have not had that opportunity this year because of injuries, so to get the players back and have a squad that’s competitive and pushing each other is great.

“We showed in the second half of last season when we had that how the results really improved and we became a lot more consistent.

“We have started this season well, even though we have not had the numbers we would have liked with those players coming back, it gives us problems in terms of leaving players out of the team, but it also gives the team a real competitive edge to hopefully consistently win games and take us further up the table and progress in both Cup competitions.”

After the removal of a controversial low traffic neighbourhood (LTN) scheme, businesses and residents in Heavitree are once opposing proposed road changes. Devon Council Council (DCC) launched a consultation to change waiting and loading restrictions along bus lanes in areas of Exeter as part of its Exeter Bus Service Improvement Plans.

Changes are proposed on Fore Street in Heavitree, Heavitree Road, Pinhoe Road and Honiton Road. The proposal for Fore Street - home to a number of local businesses - is for the bus lane to be in operation from 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday, with no waiting or loading during those hours.

The plans also include parking in North Street being shortened to allow the traffic lanes to be widened on the exit onto Fore Street to 'improve capacity and bus movements out of the junction'. Currently, the rules in Fore Street only restrict loading Monday to Friday between 8am to 9.30am and 4pm to 6.30pm, prompting local businesses to fear for their survival if the proposals are brought in.

Funding has been allocated by central government to improve bus services in the county. DCC hopes the proposals will reduce bus journey times by up to four minutes in some parts of the city, and it says it will enable buses to pass queuing traffic during the daytime when they are currently experiencing delays.

The consultation has now closed but an online petition against the proposals remains active. Data has been collated by Heavitree Traders and volunteers who recently witnessed and recorded buses in Heavitree on two different workdays for 12 hours each time between 7am and 7pm.

Observations included unauthorised vehicles blocking the bus lane during operating hours, unauthorised vehicles travelling in the bus lane during operating hours, vehicles turning right into Tesco delaying vehicles, and delays caused by four pedestrian crossings within close proximity of each other.

According to the data, the crossing by The Royal Oak had more than 400 activations in the 12 hours on both days of the count stopping traffic in both directions for a minimum of 15 seconds each time. The stats include:

Matthew Rowbury, the current owner of The Daisy Cafe in Heavitree and chairman of Heavitree Traders Association, has arranged a meeting with Exeter City Council leader Phil Bialyk tomorrow, October 30, with some other traders to discuss their concerns.

He said: "These proposals are barmy in their current format. They will deny up to 450 people during the 12 hours the opportunity for free half an hour parking to nip into the shops, carry heavy wash loads to the launderette, collect or return parcels to the busy Post Office or off-load donations to the charity shops.

"As for the no Loading restriction, how will our shops get resupplied with fresh foods, the pubs get their large and heavy deliveries or even the Royal Mail and other couriers collect and deliver from The Post Office?"

Also concerned about the impact on his business is Richard Barnes, owner of Superwash Laundrette.

He said: "The ability to park close to the Laundrette is essential for its viability. Customers either stop to drop off their washing and then collect it later or they park to complete their own washing. Without that facility, the laundrette could not survive."

Lynn Burgoyne, owner of Burgoyne’s estate agents in Heavitree, is also opposing the proposals.

She said: "Due to the instigation of the LTN’s, my business’ profits reduced by one third. Since the LTN’s have been removed our business has been so much more busier.

"A 12-hour bus lane will have another adverse effect on clients, customers and delivery companies for every trader again. This includes the heart of our community, the Post Office, the various charities, AND independent small businesses that employ and pay taxes.

"The worst thing is how it will affect the most vulnerable and the elderly. some will not be able to reach the hairdressers, the Post Office and the shops due to no loading and no stopping on both sides of our community high street."

Concerned about proposed parking changes in North Street, Karen Jones, owner of the Thrifty Stylist, said: "A large part of my business is furniture sales. This requires loading and unloading.

"We also have regular deliveries by couriers. As my husband and I are solely responsible for delivering furniture to our customers in the local area, it would be impossible for us to continue to operate if the proposed plans for North Street were implemented.

"Customer accessibility will also be impaired by the removal of the parking and it is already causing concern for some who visit the assisted living at Jack Simpson House. I am genuinely concerned for the viability of my business."

Local traders have engaged with the community and their loyal customers to fight this current proposal and have so far collected nearly 2,000 online and paper signatures. The petition will be handed into DCC before the next Exeter Highways and Traffic Orders (HATOC) special meeting on November 12. Traders will share their concerns with committee members ahead of a decision being made.

The online petition has been launched by Heavitree postmistress Suzanne Selley, a member of Heavitree Traders Association. It is opposing the bus lane time extensions, having no loading/ no parking elements for Fore Street and the removal of parking in North Street.

In the petition, signed by more than 550 people, she states: "We agree the proposals in their current form are excessive and outside of recognised peak times are unlikely to contribute to improved bus journeys times. Indeed these changes may add to congestion, idling traffic and greater air pollution for local residents and businesses.

"We feel if introduced the 7am to 7pm (including no loading) bus lane will damage local traders by stopping deliveries/ collections and discourage passing trade. These consequences would threaten their viability within the community, especially as they continue to struggle after Covid and the cost of living crisis.

"We are concerned that it would prevent vulnerable members of our community from accessing essential services by removing the current drop off and pick up that our community needs and threatening the long-term survival of these businesses."

Independent Heavitree councillor Lucy Haigh is calling for Devon County Council to look at how much the proposals will impact life and trade in Heavitree.

She said: "I would ask why Devon County Council decided to support a change that would ‘bypass’ Heavitree and prevent local people dropping off charity donations, using the banking facilities at the Post Office, sending in laundry and picking up deliveries. We need to be cherishing these stand-alone traders.

"How is the florist or our pubs and cafes going to get their daily deliveries? Our narrow pavements are in terrible condition, so are we expecting kegs to be pushed uphill to the pubs or deliveries made outside of business hours?

"Are residents only allowed to have a new fridge freezer delivered before 7am and after 7pm? Does the council understand that most residents and businesses do not have rear access?

"Living in Heavitree, residents understand the ebb and flow of our traffic and buses, and there are times when deliveries could effectively happen without this draconian approach."

The e-petition is running alongside a paper copy being promoted by Heavitree Traders and can be signed at shops in Heavitree.

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AFTER back-to-back defeats at home to Reading and at Huddersfield Town, tonight’s EFL Trophy trip to Bristol Rovers is an opportunity for Exeter City’s fringe players to stake a claim for a place in the first team with an FA Cup first round clash with Barnet looming on the horizon.

The Grecians have been frustratingly inconsistent of late with no two halves of football the same in any one game. Against Reading, they were poor and error-prone in the first 45 minutes before a complete turnaround saw them play arguably their best half of football in the second.

It was not enough to get them the result they wanted, of course, as they slipped to a 2-1 defeat, while at Huddersfield, the Grecians were again off the pace in another poor first half. They were marginally better after the break, but did not do enough to earn anything from a game that they ultimately lost 2-0.

To many, there is not too much riding on tonight’s fixture, but avoiding defeat would guarantee the Grecians a home tie in the next stage of the competition – and that is what manager Gary Caldwell wants.

“I think the Trophy games are always a little bit different in terms of how teams set up, so we’ll probably look at their other games in this competition,” Caldwell said of Rovers. “I’ve actually seen the game against Spurs U21s, me and Perks went to that earlier in the season, so we’ve seen them in that competition as well.

“We’ll look to probably make some changes, give fringe players game time who’ve not played as much minutes, look at the injured boys and see what they need as well. But it’s definitely a game we want to win.

“We want to try and top the group to get a home tie in the next round and it’s a competition that we’ve taken a bit more seriously this year, but still give the opportunity for younger players as well to get minutes.”

Reece Cole made a welcome return in that defeat to Huddersfield, but there is further good news for Exeter with Demetri Mitchell expected to make his long-awaited return after a year on the sidelines with a serious knee injury.

With Vincent Harper also returning from injury, it looks set to be a strong Exeter team that will run out at the Mem against a Rovers outfit all but out of the competition after defeats to Tottenham Under-21s (6-5 on penalties after a 3-3 draw) and Swindon Town (4-0).

“I think we have the squad with obviously Demi, Vinnie, Reece coming back and the younger players that we have at the club,” Caldwell added. “Hopefully we have the squad to compete in all three competitions.”

Ben Purrington is likely to start again after being one of the better performers at Huddersfield on Saturday. He came into the starting XI for the injured Johnly Yfeko, although he too could be in contention to return tonight.

“I really enjoyed it, apart from the result,” Purrington said on his first league start of the season. “It was nice to be back on the pitch and get a full 90 minutes, obviously I have been watching from the sidelines for the majority of the season, other than the Cup games, so it was to be involved in the league.

“The result wasn’t a positive result, which was a shame, but I thought as a team, we needed to do more attacking-wise, we didn’t create enough and we limited them to very little.

“Tomorrow is a great opportunity to get more minutes in the legs for people that haven’t been playing. It’s competition football, so there is more on it.

“We are already through, but a positive result will get us a home tie which would be nice and then hopefully get a nice draw and we can try and progress into the next round again.”