The youngest member of England's 1966 World Cup winning side, Alan Ball's managerial career was at a crossroads when he was appointed as Exeter City manager early in the 1991-92 season.
After a successful playing career with Blackpool, Everton, Arsenal and Southampton and England, Ball's time as a manager had seen a number of ups and downs. He had led Portsmouth back to the top-flight in the 1986-87 campaign. However, Pompey were relegated during the 1987-88 season and he was dismissed in January 1989. Ball then had a spell as an assistant manager to Jock Wallace at Colchester United and to Mick Mills at Stoke City, where he replaced the latter after his departure - but was later sacked himself in February 1991.
Ball arrived at St James Park as the successor to his former England teammate Terry Cooper, who like Ball was part of Sir Alf Ramsey's England squad for the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. Cooper had previously led the Grecians to the Fourth Division title in the 1989-90 season before successfully keeping them in the third tier in 1990-91, making him a tough act to follow.
At this time, City chairman Ivor Doble was also suspended from football and financial issues at the club were starting to mount.
However, after losing his first game in charge - a 6-3 defeat to West Bromwich Albion, Ball oversaw a Rumbelows Cup exit against Birmingham City, then managed by Cooper, before he won his first game in a 1-0 Devon derby victory over Torquay United at St James Park.
As well as bringing through young players through the club's youth policy, Ball also used his contacts to good effect, as he made Steve Moran, a former teammate of his at Southampton and an ex-England Under-21 international, one of his first signings. Moran would finish 1991-92 as the Grecians' top scorer with 20 goals as Ball guided the club to safety.
In the 1992-93 season, Ball once again kept the Grecians in the newly rebranded Division Two, following the creation of the Premier League, and he guided the club to a memorable league double over arch rivals Plymouth Argyle, who were managed by another of Ball's former international colleagues in the form of Peter Shilton. He also led them to the Southern Area final of the Autoglass Trophy, where they were beaten by Port Vale.
Whilst with the Grecians, Ball was also part of Graham Taylor's England backroom staff at the 1992 European Championship in Sweden.
In January 1994, Ball eventually left St James Park to manage Southampton, who he successfully kept in the Premier League by getting the best out of the club's talisman Matt Le Tissier, who scored six goals in his first four games in charge.
After guiding the Saints to a tenth place finish in the Premier League in 1994-95, Ball was tempted away to Manchester City by his former England teammate Francis Lee, who had just completed a takeover of the club. Sadly, his time at Maine Road proved to be unsuccessful as the club were relegated from the Premier League in the 1995-96 campaign, and he resigned early in the 1996-97 season.
Whilst in charge of Manchester City, Ball returned to St James Park to pay £500,000 to the Grecians for Martin 'Buster' Phillips - a young player who he had handed his professional debut to, and predicted that he would become the country's first '£10 million player.'
Ball would return to Portsmouth for a second spell in January 1998, which would last until December 1999, after which he decided to retire from management.
He also formed part of a family managerial dynasty, as his father Alan senior took charge of Halifax Town, Preston North End and Southport and his son Jimmy had a caretaker spell in charge of Forest Green Rovers in 2021, and is currently managing Torquay United.
Ball sadly died of a heart attack in April 2007, whilst attempting to put out a bonfire at his home in Hampshire, which made him the first member of England's 1966 team to pass away since Bobby Moore's death from Cancer in 1993.
