Matt wants gloss finish

OAKLEY’S GRAND EXIT

MATT OAKLEY wants to go into retirement on a high by leading Exeter to Wembley glory.

Former Premier League ace Oakley, 39, is calling time on his career after tomorrow’s League Two play-off final with Blackpool. The ex-Southampton and Leicester midfielder can make it a grand slam of promotions, having gone up from League One and the Championship. Oakley, who also played for Saints in their 2003 FA Cup Final defeat by Arsenal, said: “I’ve captained every club that I’ve played for. “I’ve tried to be successful at every club and if I can get this promotion, that means I have won ® promotion or played in a cup final at every team. That’s my personal target.

“I’ve been privileged to play in a FA Cup Final at the Millennium Stadium in front of 82,000 people.

“That felt like one of the most amazing things for me, but this game will be just as big.

“It’s what I’m doing now and what these players are doing now.

“I can’t say that game will be bigger than this, and I’m not going to treat this any lower than that because the pressure is what it is.”

Oakley played more than 300 games for Southampton and will use that experience to guide his younger team-mates.

He added: “That’s what Paul Tisdale brought me here to do. We talk about lots of things, memories, things you might have picked up in a game.

“I hope that I pass on something to them, whether it’s the knowledge or whatever it could be for them.”

Oakley also thanked Exeter boss Tisdale for extending his career.

He said: “You just get to the point where you know it’s the right time. I was probably going to do it (retire) a lot longer ago, before I came down here.

“However, having worked with Paul in the way that I’ve been able to train, it has extended my playing days.

“Paul’s enabled me to spend a lot more time on my recovery, whereas I wasn’t able to do that before.

“I think two years ago I played 48 games in one season, which was the most I’ve ever managed in my career in one campaign.”