The year 2010 has seen many great highs for Exeter City, consolidation in League One following two consecutive promotions, beating Plymouth Argyle in the first meeting between the two sides in eight years and finding themselves two games away from a Wembley final.
However, it was also the year that striker Adam Stansfield passed away after he lost his battle with bowel cancer. The news came as a shock to everyone associated with the Grecians and since his passing the Adam Stansfield Foundation has been set up to help encourage Youth Football across Devon.
When the Grecians faced his former club Yeovil Town, both sets of fans observed a minute's applause for the striker who earlier in his career played a key role in helping the Glovers win promotion to the Football League.
The club also decided to retire his Number 9 shirt as a permanent tribute to him.
On the field, the Grecians have enjoyed an impressive run in the Johnstone's Paint Trophy which started with a win over Yeovil before defeating Hereford United in the next round. The Southern Area Quarter Finals saw them paired with local rivals Plymouth Argyle and the game, which was marred by crowd trouble that saw 20 arrests made, saw Exeter come out on top to win 2-1 with goals from Ryan Harley and Daniel Nardiello.
In the following round they defeated Bristol Rovers and Exeter will now face Brentford over two legs in the Southern Area Final with the winner going through to the final at Wembley.
Meanwhile in the league, the Grecians find themselves within touching distance of the League One after their impressive 5-1 win over Sheffield Wednesday on December 19th and many fans will be hoping they are able to turn down any potential bids for highly rated midfielder Ryan Harley in the January transfer window.
