Big names sign up for Eamonn Dolan Memorial Match
Five big name footballers from Exeter City’s recent history have been added to the line-up for the Eamonn Dolan Memorial Match on Sunday, October 23.
The match will see two Exeter City XIs made up of players Eamo played with, managed or brought through, battle it out at St James Park. All money raised will go to the two chosen causes, Action Bladder Cancer UK and Exeter City Academy.
The game has been attracting lots of interest from former Grecians and there will be plenty of striking talent on offer as Sean Devine and Steve Flack have both agreed to take part.
They will join defenders Barry McConnell, Scott Hiley and Chris Todd for the match.
Sean Devine is a popular striker at St James Park having made 100 appearances for the Grecians between January 2003 and May 2005, netting 42 times.
His most prolific goalscoring season came in the 2003/04 campaign – when Eamo was manager – as he scored 22 times in 35 games.
He was also part of the starting XI for City as the drew 0-0 Manchester United in the FA Cup third round in 2005.
He partnered Steve Flack that day. Flacky was also a fans’ favourite, netting nearly 100 goals for the club in more than 300 appearances.
Standing tall at 6ft 1in, Flacky was a commanding presence in the City starting XI using his heading ability and hold-up play to great effect.
Barry McConnell also played for City under Eamo’s management. Barry came through the Exeter City youth system, signing associate schoolboy forms in November 1991, to earn a full contract in August 1995.
He made his league debut in a 4-2 defeat at Rochdale in September 1995, and was a first-team player for almost 10 years after that, featuring in a variety of positions.
Former Eastleigh manager Chris Todd joined City in January 2003, and quickly became a first team regular. He was made team captain in Paul Tisdale’s first game in charge at Exeter and and played his final match for the club that campaign as he led the Grecians out at Wembley for the 2006/07 Conference play-off final.
Scott Hiley is perhaps best known for nut-megging Cristiano Ronaldo in the 2005 FA Cup replay with Manchester United, but he made more than 400 appearances for the Grecians in two spells at the club.
He started off as a trainee at City in August 1986 and was a key part of Exeter City’s fourth division title winning side in 1990.
He went on to play for Birmingham City, Manchester City, Southampton and Portsmouth, before re-signing for the Grecians in 2002 and staying with the club for another three-and-half seasons.
You can watch all these players play, along with many other legends of the club at 1pm on Sunday, October 23. Entry to the game is by donation with a suggested gift of £10 for adults and £5 for under-18s and seniors.
Fans also have the chance to play alongside their former heroes as two playing spots are available in the game at £250 per head. Any fan interested in playing in the match should contact Barry Full via email fullsbarry@gmail.com. Barry would also like to hear from any former City players who played with or under Eamo to contact him at the above email address.
There are also sponsorship opportunities for any business looking to help the club raise a much money as they can in Eamo’s memory. For more information contact Mark Jenkins via email mark.jenkins@ecfc.co.uk or by phoning 07966 144430.
