In addition to sharing his expectations for the rest of the summer transfer window, Gary Caldwell has provided an update on the players who have joined Exeter City since the window opened.

Since June 1st, the Grecians have added four players: Josh Magennis, Ryan Woods, Jack McMillan, and Jay Bird. Caldwell made these early additions to bolster his team in anticipation of the 2024–2025 League One season.

Midway through June, McMillan, the 26-year-old Scot, arrived first, having been reunited with his former Partick Thistle manager. Caldwell was happy to have the Scot on board.

“Many years ago, I borrowed Jack from Partick and he was excellent,” Gary said.

“He still has a tonne of potential, and this is his chance to come to England and showcase his abilities.” He performed well on every test and is really fit, so I believe he will be a great addition to the squad.

The next player to join on the dotted line was Magennis, a forward from Northern Ireland, and Caldwell will be a vital part of the team come football season.

“He is very experienced, having represented his country 79 times, and he is determined to reach 100. It is crucial that you speak with him because he exudes motivation.”

He can use his experience to assist the others grow, and he will bring that forward line experience that the others can rely on. We know he is capable of scoring goals since he has blended in so well at the training facility.”

“We are aware that Josh will score if we manage to get the ball into the scoring zone.”

Early in July, Jay Bird was added to Caldwell’s attacking options. The manager expects Bird can grow with the team, but he also asks fans to be patient while he adjusts to the roster.

Malcolm Crosby, the top scout, noticed Jay, and I knew coaches at Arbroath who told me about Jay’s skill and potential.

“Over the next few weeks, we need to be patient with him and give him time to adjust to the different loads we are putting on his body, as well as to improve physically and integrate with the squad.”

“We think he has a bright future, but I would ask the fans to please be a little more patient with him.”

Ryan Woods, who had a great loan stint with the team the previous season, returned to City on the same day. After Woods signed a two-year contract, Caldwell was quick to convey how eager both parties were to have the 30-year-old return to SJP.

“Our top summer goal was to catch Woodsy.” Thankfully, we’ve had him for a little while longer! I recall grabbing him at Port Vale at the end of the previous season and shouting, “one more year” for him!

“I’m excited to welcome him in. He has a lot of character and is aware of what it takes to succeed at a higher level. I believe that everyone noticed the shift in both the outcomes and the manner in which we controlled games, got the team playing, and he really understood the pace of the game.

Most significantly, he is happy to be here and had intended to return only after Hull’s issues had been resolved.

For the duration of the window, Caldwell will keep up his diligent work on eyeing targets, outlining the areas he still hopes to strengthen.

Naturally, we are still searching for a custodian, but we believe we are almost done, so we are waiting for everything to be finished.

“We are still in communication with other players, and I can’t wait to see the team we have put together at the end of the window.”

Exeter City is very close to acquiring Crystal Palace’s custodian, Joe Whitworth, from the Premier League.

As they attempt to prepare for another season in the third division, Alan Nixon reports that the League One side is closing in on a deal to sign the 20-year-old on a season-long loan contract.

Whitworth attended the AFC Wimbledon academy before relocating to Palace in 2016. There, he progressed through the ranks of the team before making his Premier League debut in 2023 against Brighton & Hove Albion. He achieved this by breaking the club record for the youngest goalie to be fielded in a Premier League match.

The man from Sutton has also played for the England youth team, moving up from the Under 15s to the Under 18s in 2022.

A solid move for Exeter City?

Since Whitworth is still a young player with limited experience, the Premier League team will be eager to see him play senior football in order to give him more muscle.

The club will require competition for Shaun MacDonald, who served as a backup to Aston Villa loanee Viljami Sinisalo last season, since Gary Woods was released at the end of the season and Harry Lee went on loan in the National League South.

It’s unclear if Whitworth is prepared for consistent first-team play; the transition from academy football can be difficult, particularly in a cutthroat league like League One. He does, however, require that setting at the age of twenty to show Palace that he is capable.

A keeper has the power to make or break a season; make the wrong pick and it may affect how your defence plays; make the correct call, though, and Exeter may have found a hidden gem who is just waiting to show his abilities.

A new unit has been formed by Devon and Cornwall Police to combat drug use, antisocial behaviour, and increases in crime in the south of the county.
The area’s top police officer, Chief Inspector Miranda Pusey, announced that five beat managers and a sergeant would “cooperate to address the issues that pose the greatest risk to our communities.”
You can reach the Neighbourhood Support Team (NST) via phone at (101), as well as through the force’s social media accounts.
The establishment of three further NSTs—one each in Exeter, Plymouth, and Cornwall—comes after the launch in south Devon.

“Ask the operators to make sure that message gets sent down to the local neighbourhood teams, and the Neighbourhood Support Team are part of those neighbourhood teams,” added Detective Pusey.
“We will always respond to people in appropriate timescale if they do contact us.”They are well ingrained in the neighbourhood since they are neighbourhood officers. “They have brilliant problem solving skills and really good intelligence gathering skills,” the statement reads.
She continued: “We’ve been listening to our communities about what’s affecting them.”We are able to address both long-term and short-term issues in such locations since the Neighbourhood Support Team is a component of the larger neighbourhood team.
“I think they are going to be an absolutely huge success.”

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In Boston, Aidan Heslop, a diver from Plymouth, won the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series.
The 22-year-old Heslop, who began the season with a depressing sixth place in Greece, got back to winning ways where he had celebrated his maiden world series triumph two years prior.
Heslop, the two-time overall runner-up in the series, stated, “I came here and had a bit more fun. I went into Athens with a bit too much pressure on myself.”
“That what seems to put me in the right mindset to do these good dives, so that’s how I’m going to stay for the rest of the season.”

Plymouth native Aidan Heslop won the Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series in Boston.
The 22-year-old Heslop returned to winning ways where he had celebrated his first world series victory two years earlier after starting the season in a gloomy sixth place in Greece.
The two-time series runner-up overall, Heslop, said, “I came here and had a little bit more fun. I put a little too much pressure on myself when I arrived in Athens.”
“That what seems to put me in the right mindset to do these good dives, so that’s how I’m going to stay for the rest of the season.”