"I thought we were excellent,"

Exeter City manager Gary Caldwell hailed the character of his side as they responded to last week's 10-1 FA Cup defeat at Manchester City with a dominant 3-0 League One win over Stevenage at St James Park.

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Following a goalless first half, Jayden Wareham opened the scoring from the penalty spot after Reece Cole was felled in the box by Taye Ashby-Hammond.

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Ethan Brierley's delightfully placed finish made it 2-0 before Ukrainian winger Timur Tutierov, who signed on loan from Sunderland on Friday, completed the scoring in stoppage time.

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"I thought we were excellent," Caldwell said. "Right from the start, I thought we controlled the game. The shape caused them so many problems, when they tried to press, we always had a free player. The only disappointing thing in the first half was that we didn't score.

"I thought we created good moments and chances to score. We were a wee bit wasteful in the final third, our final pass, and final action wasn't where it can be, and the message at half-time was keep going, keep doing the right things, be relentless.

"I thought, second half, we lost a bit of control, but still looked a threat in any time we went forward. We looked like we could score goals and scored three, we probably could have scored more, but lost a bit of control that I think we need to be better at and as we always say, when we win, lose or draw, we always review, we always want to get better.

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"We've spoken about making this ground a fortress and at the moment, we're doing that and making the points ours."

Stevenage boss Alex Revell felt his side were well off the pace and they need to get back to what served them well earlier in the season.

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"It was unacceptable from start to finish really, for us," Revell said. "I lay my hat on that we outwork and outrun opponents. They outran us today, they outfought us and it was a really, really poor day, just in terms of the basics and competing.

"We will look back at today for sure because that's not us at all, that's not our type of performance. It causes anger, it causes frustration and when you're winning you just turn up and you deliver. But today, it was one of those performances where I looked from start to finish and we were nowhere near it.

"We have to look at it and we have to stick together, we have to pull together and realise what we're good at. We're good at the intensity, we're being aggressive, we are good at playing forward, running forwards.

"The goals we conceded are really poor and we have conceded too many goals recently. We're a team based on hard work, clean sheets and at the other end taking opportunities and we didn't do that at all today."

"I’m sure League One teams are looking and laughing a little bit at the result, but what we have now is an experience that we felt it."

EXETER City make their return to action for the first time since last week’s unwanted record-breaking 10-1 defeat at Manchester City with manager Gary Caldwell sure it hasn’t affected form, morale or confidence at St James Park.

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Such a beating would be the better of lesser teams, but Caldwell is keen his players learn lessons from that chastening afternoon, where the relentless and ruthless Citizens showed just what could be done by perfecting the basics of the game.

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The Blue City were crazily good on the day, punishing any mistake the Grecians made, whilst carrying out the non-negotiables Pep Guardiola demands of his team, regardless of his starting XI. It was a harsh lesson indeed at the Etihad, but one Caldwell feels will hold his players in good stead when they return to the bread and butter of league football against Stevenage today.

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“I think we needed a break,” said Caldwell, who gave his players a few days off after Exeter ’s Cup adventure ended in the Manchester drizzle. “I think the break was good and the players were all together.

(Image: Tom Sandberg/PPAUK)

“A lot of the families were there and the plays were with families and together, which I always think when you lose a game like that or a big game, being together is good where you can go through that pain and suffering together. And I think that builds relationships and builds team spirit and strength within the group.

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“They had that weekend together in Manchester and then when we came back Wednesday, we’ve trained really well. The players are ready to go and get that out of their system.

“I said we have to use this result. We have to use the fact that I’m sure League One teams are looking and laughing a little bit at the result, but what we have now is an experience that we felt it. We know what it felt like to play against the very best. And we know if we take some of those behaviours that we’ve learned and some of the lessons that we have learned into the remaining League One games, then we can win a lot of football matches and still have a really successful season for the club.”

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While the result will be forever etched into the annuls of Grecian history, Caldwell was content that it came against the best version of Pep’s City. There was no rotation, or weakened team and even at 6-0, there were no run-outs for young Academy prospects, with young centre half Max Alleyne and £65 million signing Antoine Semenyo substituted off for Portuguese international Bernardo Silva and Jeremy Doku, arguably the most in-form winger in the Premier League right now.

“We didn’t get the half Man City experience, we got the full experience,” Caldwell added. “We got a full team and we now know what the very best do and what elite football looks like and I think that can be a huge learning experience for us that can only make us better.

“The staff went in to see Pep after the game and he was incredible, in how welcoming he was. We had a drink and we spoke to him and again, the insight - to get that sort of insight is an amazing experience for me, for the staff and all he spoke about was running and competing. He didn’t speak about how he coaches the team, how he rotates players, the style of football he plays, he spoke about running and getting people to fight and it was great to hear because we’ve been speaking about it for years at this club. To hear it from one of the very best was really good to hear.

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“We have to pick up those little nuggets, learn those little lessons and take it forward and try and help Exeter be better now and in the remaining games this season.

“I gave him a nice bottle of Scottish whisky, but he said he doesn’t drink whisky. I said: ‘you might if you start losing 10-1!’ He saw the joke and he had lovely red wine for us.”

Next up is Stevenage, though, and while Exeter conceded ten last week, they actually have the second best defensive record in League One with 23 goals conceded. Stevenage have the best with 20, but while they have only scored two more goals than City this season, they sit eighth and are seven points better off than the Grecians.

“They are a team that is very well organised, they have a clear identity in how they want to play the game and it’s very difficult to play against - and they have been a very good League One team for a number of years now,” Caldwell said. “The manager I know well, I signed the manager when I was at Wigan (Alex Revell) on loan, so it’s showing my age, or it’s shown how long I’ve been in management now that the players that I signed, some of them are becoming managers!

“He’s done an amazing job, he’s had two spells there, done an amazing job, but we always know against Stevenage it’s a really difficult game.”

Phil Bialyk says postponement would allow council to focus resources on preparing for unitary authority transition

Exeter City Council’s leader has set out his response to the Government on whether local elections in the city should be postponed, following a ministerial request for councils’ views amid plans for local government reorganisation in Devon.

Councillor Phil Bialyk confirmed on 14 January 2026 that he will ask ministers to consider delaying the May local elections, arguing that a postponement would allow the council to focus its resources on preparing for the transition to a new unitary authority.

The request follows an invitation from Alison McGovern MP, Minister of State for Local Government and Homelessness, who asked councils to consider whether postponing elections would “release essential capacity to deliver local government reorganisation”.

Under Government plans, district councils across Devon, including Exeter City Council, are expected to be replaced by new unitary authorities.

A public consultation on the future structure of local government in Devon is due to begin next month, following competing proposals submitted by councils.

Councillor Bialyk said the scale of the work involved in reorganisation meant councils needed to focus on preparation and continuity of services.

“I need to make sure we’ve got the right resources, because the big prize here for all of us here in Exeter and the surrounding areas is a unitary council,” he said.

“There’s a lot of organisational work to do, you just don’t do this overnight.”

The council leader said he would reflect the views of councillors following a lengthy debate at Exeter City Council on whether postponing the elections would help ensure the transition is delivered effectively.

Addressing concerns about democratic accountability, Cllr Bialyk said the postponement would not amount to suspending democracy.

“When it comes to questions about democracy and any deficit, we are not suspending democracy, that is not what is happening here,” he said.

“In 2027, we will all go to the polls to elect a shadow authority for Exeter and hopefully the surrounding areas.”

He added that his responsibility was to ensure a smooth handover to any new authority.

“My responsibility is to make sure that this council hands over to any new authority its responsibilities, to make sure our services are in good order.”

“That is what I’m charged to do. I believe that is what residents across the city really want me to do.”

Councillor Bialyk also pointed out that similar arrangements have been made elsewhere in the country during previous reorganisations, including in Exeter.

“I will reflect the views of the concerns about suspending democracy, but of course it was explained there is the 2000 Act, section 87.”

“This has happened before across the country — it happened here in Exeter in 2010,” he said.

He said residents would continue to be represented by councillors during the transition period and that the council would remain accountable.

“There still will be councillors representing them to talk to people about those day-to-day issues,” he said.

“When it comes to legitimacy and whether I have legitimacy, my personal term is to 2028, I have a personal mandate.”

He added that even if councillors whose terms would be extended were discounted, the current political balance would remain unchanged.

“We are accountable, we will continue to be accountable, we continue to listen to people on those services that we need to deliver,” he said.

“We need to continue to deliver services in Exeter before we hand over to a new unitary authority, which I think will be an exciting time for Exeter.”

Councillor Bialyk said the reorganisation offered an opportunity to plan for the city’s long-term future.

“We can start looking at the next 40 to 50 years on how Exeter will continue to thrive in the way we have been,” he said, while stressing that significant work remains before that point is reached.

A final decision on whether the local elections will be postponed rests with the Government, following submissions from councils across Devon.