Steve looking forward to Rangers visit
Exeter City’s director of football Steve Perryman is looking forward to the pre-season friendly against Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers on Thursday (11th July), and hopes that local youngsters will take advantage of the cheap entry to come along and see the Grecians take on the Hoops.
Tickets are just £2 anywhere in the stadium for under-18s and students with valid ID, and Steve feels that it is a good opportunity for fans to see international calibre players on the St James Park pitch.
And should he play, it would also allow fans to welcome back Jamie Mackie to the Park too.
“Kids watch plenty of football on TV and they’ll be very aware of the QPR players over the last couple of years in their ups and downs,” said Perryman. “It will be great for kids to be able to come and see their club from their local area playing against players that they’ve only ever seen on Match of the Day.
“Jamie Mackie should be a big draw too – it’s great to see ex-players back at the Park. We’ve had Dean Moxey back [with Crystal Palace], and now hopefully Mackie will be here too.”
“It’s always good to host Premiership or Championship clubs – and that’s with no disrespect to anyone else, as we’re not either of those two things. But you get to pit your skills against better players, albeit in pre-season when everyone’s getting their playing legs on again. It’ll be a great occasion for everyone.”
And Steve knows as much as most about the Hoops – as he was a frequent visitor to Loftus Road when he was a youngster himself. He also feels that the side will be a force in the Championship in the forthcoming season and will be looking to bounce back to the top-tier at the first attempt.
“I know all about the club, as I was a QPR fan – as a kid I used to watch them one weekend, and Brentford the next,” he continued.
“They were in the Third Division in those days, and previous to that in the Third Division South. Over the years they’ve come up to reach the Premiership, and even in my latter years as a player they were a force in Division One – so much so that I was the captain of the Spurs team that beat them in the FA Cup final in 1982, when Terry Venables was their manager.
“QPR are a very decent club – and Harry Redknapp likes it in Devon and likes the training facilities and the things we can offer here. Knowing Harry he’ll make them into a force to go straight back up to the top flight.”
The match kicks off at 7.30pm on Thursday 11th July. Tickets begin from £2 for under-18s and students and all tickets should be bought on the evening of the game. Click here for the full list of prices.