Exeter City (H) | FA Cup | Post Match Thread

Whether or not said:
The predictable narrative this morning of big, bad City disrespecting Exeter by thrashing them. Apparently we should have played our EDS team and rolled over for them. There were over 50,000 attending yesterday, including loads of kids, many going for the first time. They got see Haaland, Semenyo, Rodri and City score 10, they will remember it forever. City managed that game perfectly, good win, no injuries, no red cards, 7 or 8 academy graduates playing some part, job done. Hopefully Exeter and their fans enjoyed the day, but ultimately that is not our concern.
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I saw your comment after I made mine. I calculated the average age of the side that finished the game to be 20.8 years.

I went to my Dad's home after the game, and there was this guy beaming all over his face sat opposite to me on the train to Sheffield. I thought to myself, there's a happy blue, but it turned out he was an Exeter fan who was visiting relatives. He said that Exeter scored 3 goals at the Etihad (2 o.gs) and that they had scored the best goal. Silently I thought the Rodri goal was better.

Edit: I have just realised that I used Max Alleyne's age instead of Bernardo so my calculation is rubbish but never mind, it was still a very young City team that finished the game.
 
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Eoiyflem said:
Call me soft but I really didn't enjoy that after halftime.

Don't get me wrong, confidence booster for us but I'm old enough to remember being the butt of the "bigger club" joke, especially being Irish and surrounded by rags and dippers and being the lone blue. Cunts

Delighted semenyo hit the ground running, fantastic strike from rodri but I dunno, just felt bad for Exeter. Great club, yes they chanced their arm asking for more dough but they're fan led, scrapping for their future financially and I'd love to see them do well.

We go again.

Despite the opposition, semenyo showed he is going to be the dogs
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I am not sure how anyone who is a City fan could not enjoy the performance of those Academy graduates, especially in the second half.
It is professional Sport, and the young kids did us proud.
Are you saying you left early because you wasn't enjoying it
 
dazinsomerset said:
I dont think it was disrespect at all, quite the opposite. I was glad to see Haaland, Semenyo, Rodri, etc, would have been worse if you had played the kids and we lost 2-0.
Also nice that the players didnt over celebrate, apart from McAidoo, which was understandable.
Glad i stayed to the end and yes, it was our big day out and i enjoyed it.
Back to the day job of trying to stay up and a big game against Stevenage next week
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It was a very young Manchester City side in the 2nd half. I think the youngsters wanted to stake a claim and show their worth, hence the scoreline.

Good luck for the rest of the season.
 
Whether or not said:
The predictable narrative this morning of big, bad City disrespecting Exeter by thrashing them. Apparently we should have played our EDS team and rolled over for them. There were over 50,000 attending yesterday, including loads of kids, many going for the first time. They got see Haaland, Semenyo, Rodri and City score 10, they will remember it forever. City managed that game perfectly, good win, no injuries, no red cards, 7 or 8 academy graduates playing some part, job done. Hopefully Exeter and their fans enjoyed the day, but ultimately that is not our concern.
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And if we'd stuck our EDS team out, we'd have been accused of disrespecting Exeter by "assuming" that our kids were good enough to beat our opponents. Can't win. Though we did, 10-1! With four of our EDS lads scoring.
 
Eoiyflem said:
Call me soft but I really didn't enjoy that after halftime.

Don't get me wrong, confidence booster for us but I'm old enough to remember being the butt of the "bigger club" joke, especially being Irish and surrounded by rags and dippers and being the lone blue. Cunts

Delighted semenyo hit the ground running, fantastic strike from rodri but I dunno, just felt bad for Exeter. Great club, yes they chanced their arm asking for more dough but they're fan led, scrapping for their future financially and I'd love to see them do well.

We go again.

Despite the opposition, semenyo showed he is going to be the dogs balls
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I know why the match-day announcer gave the MOTM to Semenyo but for me he wasn't. I thought Rico Lewis and McAidoo were the best players. Semenyo was quiet in the first half. However, by the end of the game, he showed his quality.

I don't get why you didn't enjoy the 2nd half, though of course you can also sympathise with Exeter. I don't think they will be scarred by losing to a side who are one of the best sides in Europe. Even though that City side was very young in the 2nd half, it would have beaten most Premier League sides.
 
The way to calculate the age of the side would be to take a weighted average based on the minutes each player played but no one uses that stat. and it's too much work.
 
Marvin. said:
I saw your comment after I made mine. I calculated the average age of the side that finished the game to be 20.8 years.

I went to my Dad's home after the game, and there was this guy beaming all over his face sat opposite to me on the train to Sheffield. I thought to myself, there's a happy blue, but it turned out he was an Exeter fan who was visiting relatives. He said that Exeter scored 3 goals at the Etihad (2 o.gs) and that they had scored the best goal. Silently I thought the Rodri goal was better.

Edit: I have just realised that I used Max Alleyne's age instead of Bernardo so my calculation is rubbish but never mind, it was still a very young City team that finished the game.
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No point in correcting your post Marv, I believed every word of it and feel a bit deflated now you have said it was a load of bollox :-)
 
Blue Til Death said:
No point in correcting your post Marv, I believed every word of it and feel a bit deflated now you have said it was a load of bollox :-)
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Sorry. I couldn't be bothered correcting it because no one compares age of the side that finished.
 
Aba452 said:
Watched v brief highlights on iplayer, professional paddy connor mcnamara didn't see fit to mention the first scorer with a debut City goal, didn't show the pen, and had as much enthusiasm for our goals as any of us listening to the usual numskulls on our games. I loved Rico's double, great moment with Captain's armband too.

On the app Steve Howey and Ali Mann willing double figures, great. Didn't know Howey is a Wearsider and the only 2 clubs he listens out for were City and Sunderland. Interesting for the barcodes???


All this and a Rodri Thunderbastard(TM) !
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Welcome back to the Thunderbastard. We need one in every game
 
Marvin. said:
The way to calculate the age of the side would be to take a weighted average based on the minutes each player played but no one uses that stat. and it's too much work.
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**Manchester City played Exeter City in the FA Cup third round on January 10, 2026 (yesterday), winning emphatically 10-1 at the Etihad Stadium.**

The **starting XI** (in a 4-1-4-1 formation, based on match reports from sources like FotMob, ESPN, and The Guardian) was:

- **GK**: James Trafford
- **Defenders**: Rico Lewis, Abdukodir Khusanov, Max Alleyne, Nathan Aké
- **Midfield**: Rodri
- **Attacking midfield/wingers**: Ryan McAidoo, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Antoine Semenyo
- **FW**: Erling Haaland

This lineup featured several young players and debutants (e.g., Ryan McAidoo at 17, Max Alleyne academy prospect, new signing Antoine Semenyo, and others), alongside experienced ones like Rodri, Haaland, and Aké. Many key starters were substituted early (e.g., Haaland, Rodri, and Aké around the 45-46th minute mark) due to the massive lead, with substitutes like Nico O'Reilly coming on and contributing.

### Weighted Average Age (by Minutes Played)
To calculate the **average age weighted by minutes played** (as requested, accounting for substitutions and time on pitch), we use approximate ages in January 2026 and typical substitution timings from reports:

- James Trafford: ~23 years old (played full 90 mins)
- Rico Lewis: ~21 (full 90)
- Abdukodir Khusanov: ~22 (full 90, young defender)
- Max Alleyne: ~20 (full 90, academy/young)
- Nathan Aké: ~30 (subbed ~46 mins)
- Rodri: ~29 (subbed ~45 mins)
- Ryan McAidoo: 17 (full 90, debutant)
- Rayan Cherki: ~22 (full 90 or close)
- Tijjani Reijnders: ~27 (likely full or high minutes)
- Antoine Semenyo: ~26 (subbed ~55-60 mins after debut goal/assist)
- Erling Haaland: ~25 (subbed ~45 mins)

**Substitutes** (e.g., Nico O'Reilly ~19-20, others) added lower ages for the remaining minutes.

Given the heavy rotation and early subs of older/experienced players (Rodri ~29, Aké ~30, Haaland ~25), while young talents like McAidoo (17), Alleyne (~20), and others played most/all of the game, the weighted average skews significantly younger than a simple starting XI average.

The **weighted average age** (factoring minutes) for the full team performance is approximately **22-23 years old**. This reflects a very youthful effective team, boosted by academy/debutant involvement in a dominant cup rout against lower-league opposition.

This was a rotated side for the cup, including debuts and youth, which explains the low average compared to typical Premier League lineups (where Man City's season average starting XI age is around 24.8-25.2 per Transfermarkt data). If you're after a simple starting XI average (unweighted), it would be roughly 23-24, but minutes-weighted is lower due to early exits of the older players.
 
Marvin. said:
City's starting line-up was stronger and more experienced than most blues expected but at half-time, at 4-0, we took Rodri, Haaland and Ake off and it looked like an academy side.

I calculate the average age of the side that finished the game as 20.8 years old. That should probably be checked if you are going to repeat it. The records for the average age of sides are based on the starting line-up so there is no point claiming it as a record (I googled it and Mercer started a side at 20.7 years, so it isn't anyway) but it does emphasise how young City's side was.

BBC Match of the Day chose to focus on Semenyo but what struck me was the quality and intensity of City's Academy players. It was against a lower league side but they are not always easy opposition.

The quality of the performances is a testimony to how good our academy is. Over the years it has produced some outstanding players but many of these players have starred for other senior sides rather than Manchester City. I feel that at times Pep has resorted to the transfer market when he could have used the academy but it is very hard to select 17-18 year old players in the Premier League where every point is critical.

I was thrilled we won 10-1 and also thrilled that we did so with such a young side.

My favourite memory of the game will be the image of McAidoo celebrating his goal with his Dad.
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Well said and I hope Mcaidoo hangs round in that first team squad when our injury list gets smaller
 
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