We’re well and truly on the home straight now, on what, I think it is fair to say, has been something of a season full of highs and lows.

I’m not sure many people would have pictured us sitting in 12th position in the league with just four games left of the season at the end of last year. But happily, that is where we are, and it’s been fantastic to see the team pushing for more, backed by the supporters, both at home and away as we aim to beat last season’s finish of 56 points.

Even just one point over that represents progress on last season and with the way the squad is playing, it looks well within our grasp.

The win against Stevenage – which saw another goal for Reece Cole - made it six games unbeaten and yet again the Big Bank roared the team to victory against a tricky Stevenage side.

It was also the final game for One of Our Own Alex Hartridge, who, fittingly, took the captain’s armband for the match. There are always mixed feelings when our Academy players move on, but, as we’ve seen, with the likes of Archie, Josh and of course, Ethan and Ollie, they often go on to have incredible careers higher up the football pyramid.

Having been with us since he was eight or nine years-old, Alex has been an incredible player for this club and he was a key part of our promotion season. I know he's going to be missed, but we’d never stand in a player’s way, so he goes with all of our best wishes and I’m sure he’ll be another Academy player to watch in the future as he continues to carve out his footballing career.

The Stevenage game also saw the return of former Academy player Jamie Reid. Fortunately, he was denied a goal thanks to a stunning save by Vil, but he’s another player who left Exeter City and has and gone on to do great things, including scoring for Northern Ireland during the recent international games.

The internationals saw five current city players and three former Academy players all selected to play for their countries – and what a diverse range of countries they were - Finland, Suriname, Sudan, England, Northern Ireland and Wales. It was impressive to see Ethan notching up his 50th cap for the Welsh national team, an incredible achievement, considering he’s still only 23.

The players have been out and about visiting Exeter City Community Trust holiday clubs this Easter. Jack Fitzwater, Harry Kite, Pierce Sweeney, Vil Sinisalo and Ilmari Niskanen, Caleb Watts, Millenic Alli, Sonny Cox, Will Aimson and Ben Purrington have all visited the clubs, passed on tips to the young players and presented medals and trophies. Thanks to all of them for giving up their time – it’s fantastic for the youngsters to have such brilliant role models.

The women’s team continue their fantastic campaign with a five-nil win over Keynsham on Sunday. They still sit top of their league, but it’s looking increasing likely that it’s going to come down to a title race on the last day of the season when they play Bournemouth, who have been nipping at their heels for weeks, at Exwick Sports Hub. They’ve got three more matches to play before that final game which is on Sunday May 5 – it should be a great match, so get along and support them.

So, back to the men’s team. We now have three away games; Leyton Orient, followed by Port Vale and Northampton and then our 2023-24 season comes to an end at St James Park against Oxford United on April 27. It’s going to be a popular one, so snap up your tickets and see you at the Park. Up the City!