Exeter City Women ended their debut third tier season in fourth place, which for many would have exceeded expectations set out at the start of the campaign. A season that started with a thumping win and ended with a record crowd at St James Park has seen the Grecians continue to inspire the next generation of female players, helped along the way by not one, not two, not three, but FOUR wins over Plymouth Argyle. If the 2024/25 season proved anything, it’s that Devon is firmly red.
We kick off our season review looking at August to October.
August
“We could’ve played anyone today and I’m confident we would’ve won.” – Hattrick hero Sophie Gillies after City’s 7-0 win against MK Dons
Seven goals, a clean sheet and three points. Not a bad way to start life in a new division. The Grecians began the 2024/25 campaign in electric form against MK Dons, as after Sarah Stacey netted the historic first goal at this level, a starting lineup that only contained players from the promotion side romped to victory in front of 950 fans at SJP.
That was followed up with even more goals, with a 4-0 win on the road at Lewes and 8-1 win against Portishead at Coach Road coming next in the cup. Not a bad start to life in tier three…
September
“There are going to be highs and lows in football, but this is still very much a high for us today.” – Abbie Britton after the team’s 2-2 draw against Ipswich
September saw the Grecians face some of tier three’s toughest challenges. A spirited 2-2 draw against full-time Ipswich Town at St James Park showed their resilience, while a thrilling comeback at Gwalia, capped by Stacey’s last-minute winner, underlined their fighting spirit. Just how well City did to draw against Ipswich, despite leading, is that the Tractor Girls would go on to romp the division.
However, the Grecians were brought back down to Earth with three defeats at the end of the month, each proving an opportunity for the team to learn more about their new level of football. Oxford United were 3-0 victors at SJP, AFC Wimbledon beat City 4-1 in London, before losing in another fixture against Ipswich in the cup.
October
“I’m so happy to play for this club and to have the fans that we do, I’m proud to be an Exeter City player.” – Jaydee Seaman after the Devon Derby win at Home Park
Home Park, under the lights, in the first league Devon Derby in over a decade. Pressure? Something about tires comes next. A dominant display from the Grecians brought a 3-0 win with it as City romped to victory with goals from Sarah Stacey, Sophie Gillies and Emily Toogood to seal it with a header in front of the travelling corner of Exeter at the end. It wouldn’t be the only victory against the arch rivals this season, that's for sure.
That win provided the platform for a successful month for City, with another 3-0 win on the road against Cheltenham Town and a battling 0-0 draw with Hashtag United coming next, the latter a match where Abbi Bond more than earned her clean sheet with several impressive saves.
City could have had three more points on the board in October, having seen the match against Billericay abandoned due to biblical rain at SJP while 3-0 up.