Academy forward given professional contact
Exeter City are delighted to announce that young forward Matt Jay has been given a professional contract, which will see him remain a Grecian until 2016.
Jay is currently a second year scholar at the Academy and will continue with his development in the under-18s before becoming a fully-fledged pro in the summer.
Having progressed through the ranks at the Cat & Fiddle since under-9 level, Jay was something of a surprise inclusion in the matchday squad when the Grecians faced Wycombe in the Johnstone’s Paint Trophy in September. He made his first-team debut as he replaced Tommy Doherty midway through the second half, and in so becoming the first player to represent Exeter City under Paul Tisdale whilst still a member of the Academy.
Since then, Jay has continued to make strides with the under-18 side – helping them to sit top of the Youth Alliance South West table – as well as featuring prominently in the Grecians’ runs in the Under-21 Premier Cup run and the St Luke’s Bowl. His first Football League start came against Southend United last month.
And now the 17-year-old has signed a deal with Exeter City, which will guarantee a pathway into the first-team ranks at the end of the season.
Jay said: “I’m over the moon – I can’t say I was expecting it yet. I’ve been working hard and I’ve kept doing what I do, and I was expecting that at the end of the year when players normally get a decision that I might have done enough. So it has come as a surprise and I’m really grateful for it.