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Exeter City's manager - Paul Tisdale
By Nathan Jackson
July 21 2008
Paul Tisdale is a manager with a good pedigree in the non-league. He had an excellent record at Team Bath, winning several promotions and he has since broken a non-league record at Exeter City. Now he's entering the Football League as a manager for the first time, hoping for a similar success to the one he's had in the non-league.
Paul Tisdale was born in Malta in 1973 and spent most of his playing career in the middle of the Football League. He was a member of Southampton's youth team and went on to make 16 appearances for the Saints in a 6 year spell in the 90s. That spell included loans at Northampton and Huddersfield Town. He eventually left Southampton to join Bristol City in 1997/8.

Just 6 appearances for the Robins was also backed up by spells on loan at Exeter City and Dundee United. A move abroad saw him play for FinnPa and then Panionios before returning to England in 1999, joining Yeovil Town. He played fifteen games there, scoring one goal before an injury forced him to retire at the age of 27.

Tisdale used his spare time wisely and studied for his coaching badges, taking charge of Team Bath in 2001. He famously guided the University side to the FA Cup first round in 2002/3, going out to Mansfield in the first round. It was the first time in 122 years that a University team had got past the preliminary rounds of the cup.

Tisdale's spell at Team Bath was considered a huge success, earning four promotions with the students before he was appointed at Exeter City's manager in 2006. Tisdale's style of neat football was welcomed by the Exeter fans but they weren't very sharp in front of goal. They made the Playoffs thanks to a lot of teams at the bottom drawing with teams near the top and they made the 2006/7 Playoffs.

Oxford United were the opponents in the semi finals and the U's took a lead in the first leg, but an amazing turn around in the second leg saw the game go to penalties, Exeter progressing 4-3 after the shoot out. However, they were outfought, outthought and outplayed by a brilliant Morecambe side and lost 2-1.

A year later and Tisdale had lead them to another Playoffs. This time the opponents were local rivals, Torquay United. The Gulls took a 1-0 lead to Plainmoor after a close first leg. Torquay also scored first in the second leg to take a commanding lead before Exeter scored four goals in twenty minutes to progress to the Playoff Final.

They faced Cambridge United and Tisdale became just the fourth Exeter manager to see the club gain promotion, beating Cambridge United 1-0 in the final.

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