The countdown is on! The 2025/26 EFL Sky Bet League One fixtures are released on June 26 at 12pm!
With that in mind, we're spinning back the clocks. This piece will take a trip down memory lane, looking at how the Grecians have fared in each of their last five opening day outings.
The Grecians are unbeaten on the opening day since 2016/17's defeat at Blackpool, a run of eight years!
1. August 10, 2024: Exeter City 1 Rotherham United 0
The Grecians hit the ground running at the start of the 24/25 season with a 1-0 opening day win over Rotherham United at SJP.
Rotherham were one of the teams tipped to go straight back up to the Championship, but City found the edge.
An end-to-end game entertaining game had chances at both ends for either side, but a ball off Caleb Watts’ chest mid-way through the second half marked the difference between Exeter City and Rotherham United at St James Park.
2. August 5, 2023: Wycombe Wanderers 0 Exeter City 3
Exeter City began the 2023/24 in style with a rampant and convincing 3-0 at Wycombe Wanderers.
Jack Aitchison's strike after 28 seconds set City on their way, before Will Aimson's prod made it two by the 4th minute. James Scott added gloss in the final ten minutes as the Grecians set Adams Park alight.
3. July 31, 2022: Lincoln City 1 Exeter City 1
Exeter City started life back in EFL Sky Bet League One after a decade, with a very well earned 1-1 draw away to Lincoln City.
As the rain came down 579 Grecians made the 500+ mile round trip to the LNER Stadium for the Grecians first appearance in League One for ten years.
A beautiful goal courtesy of some magic between Jevani Brown and Sam Nombe secured Exeter's first points of the season.
40. August 7, 2021: Exeter City 0 Bradford City 0
Whatever the result was to be, there was a sense of celebration in the air as fans returned to St James Park for the first time in over a year after a Covid-enforced absence. All four sides of the Park was packed with jubilant fans from both sides, many of whom had not seen their teams play since March 2020.
After a moment’s applause for legendary manager Terry Cooper and life-long City fan and East-Devon Grecian John Lee, the 2021/22 season kicked off.
Cameron Dawson marked his debut with a series of sensational saves to deny the ever-dangerous Lee Angol and earn a deserved Man of the Match.
Timothee Dieng, Jack Sparkes and Matt Jay tested Richard O’Donnell in the away side’s goal and Nigel Atangana went closest for the Grecians late on, but neither side could quite find the finishing touch.
5. September 12, 2020: Salford City 2 Exeter City 2
The Grecians' season began with a trip to promotion favourites Salford City at an eerily quiet Peninsula Stadium. The game would end in a 2-2 draw after a frantic 90 minutes, with City goals coming from Matt Jay and Joel Randall.
The game started in the worst possible way for Matt Taylor's men as Ian Henderson fired the hosts ahead a little over a minute into the match. In what would be a superb season for him, Matt Jay levelled the scoring with a brilliant individual goal, marauding through the middle before firing low under Vaclav Hladky in the Salford goal.
12 minutes later and City were ahead, this time through Joel Randall who scored his first League Two goal from close range. Archie Collins' piledriver was tipped onto the bar by Hladky, but Randall was there to turn in the rebound.
Ash Hunter's volley levelled for the Greater Manchester side in the second half and City travelled back to Devon with a decent point in the bag to start the campaign.