Grecians Complete Double Veteran Swoop

Exeter have added experience to their squad by completing deals for on-trial duo Matt Oakley and Jamie Cureton.

Cureton, the 2010-11 Exeter Player of the Year and top scorer, returns to St James’ Park for a third spell having spent the tail end of last season on loan at City, in a move sponsored by Follett Stock Solicitors.

The 36 year-old poacher has played for a total of twelve clubs in an illustrious career, racking up an impressive 230 goals in 682 appearances (2.97 games/goal ratio). Cureton will increase Paul Tisdale’s attacking options which include John O’Flynn, Guillem Bauza, Alan Gow and youngsters Jamie Reid and Tom Nichols.

Oakley, 34, joins on a permanent basis having played seven times for City in an impressive loan spell last season which was ended early by a thigh injury, sustained against Carlisle on 5 November. His 7 game spell included 3 wins and 2 draws for the Grecians, including featuring in the impressive 4-4 draw at Bramall Lane.

This will be the central midfielder’s first season in the fourth tier of English Football. 232 of his 526 career appearances have come in the Premier League for Southampton, where he would have originally played with his new boss, Paul Tisdale. A two-year spell at Derby County followed before joining Leicester City for £500,000 in 2008, for whom he captained their Championship winning League One 2008-09 team.

A warm Exeweb return to Cureton and Oakley. Read more about them on Wikipedia (Links –Oakley and Cureton) and head over to the new ECFC Official Site for more on City’s latest signings.