Caldwell aiming for success despite budget concerns

Gary Caldwell said he will find a way to make Exeter City successful next season, whatever the funds available to him are.

Exeter chairman Richard Pym told a fans' forum last week that without any player sales the playing budget for next season could be cut by as much as £1.5m.

The League One club is already operating on a lower budget than last season in an attempt to counteract an overspend in 2024-25.

The Exeter City Supporter's Trust - which owns the Grecians - has loaned the club about £600,000 this season to keep it afloat.

The club is examining whether it has to make redundancies in order to help balance the books, while monthly subscriptions for Trust members are rising in price.

"Whatever it is, like we did this year when the budget got cut late in the summer window, we find a way to be successful," Caldwell said.

"We work as a staff, as players, to get the very best out of everything we've got.

"I think that is the Exeter City way, where you have to make £1 go £1.50.

"I know the ethos of that and the mentality of that, of getting the very best and more out of everything that we do, and I think we've done that this year and we have to keep doing it until the end of the season.

"Then whatever the budget is we will look at that then and do the very best we can with it."

Exeter's income was helped by the FA Cup third-round tie at Manchester City.

But while there were more than 50,000 people in attendance, the low ticket prices at the Etihad Stadium meant the Grecians only earned about £180,000 from the game.

The figure came after Exeter City Supporter's Trust called on Manchester City to give the club a greater share of the earnings from the game.

Caldwell admitted that the financial uncertainty could have an affect on his squad-building next season, both in terms of new signings and the terms he can offer to players whose Exeter contracts run out at the end of the current campaign.

He said it is important that he club knows what its budget will be not just for the forthcoming season, but two or three seasons ahead, so plans can be made for what sort of squad it can have.

"If you sign a player this January and you don't know what your budget is for, not next season, but the following season, how can you give them a two-and-a-half year contract now?

"We need to get back to planning for the future, knowing what our budgets are going to be, or committing to budgets for two and three seasons.

"To do that, we can then build continuity in the squad and not have to rip the whole squad up every year and rebuild.

"That's something, obviously, with everything that's happened, the club are doing everything they can.

"I think everyone behind the scenes is working so hard to get the club on an even keel, and then look at what the future holds and what we can do to almost rebuild and get back to that way of thinking."