Taylor departs along with nine others at Exeter
Released players had been part of the manager’s journey at both Bury and Argyle
lines ahead of him, but not within our ranks. The players valued his influence greatly – as have the staff and as has myself – and I made him captain when Jordan Moore-Taylor left for MK Dons.
“Jake knew the club, he knew the changing room, he knew myself and he has really grown into that role and turned into a fantastic captain, but that’s down to his character.
“But what a good bloke. There are no grudges held towards Jake and we fully understand his decision to move closer to home and potentially a club bigger than ourselves that will give him an opportunity to win promotion, or play in League One.
“I am sad and I am sorry to see him go, but I fully understand it and what a fantastic servant to the football club and full credit for what he’s done in his time – to play 300 games after first coming on loan is fantastic. No matter what I say, my words won’t do justice to what I think about Jake Taylor. Taylor is not the only player leaving St James Park with winger Randell Williams also set to depart. The 24-year-old is one of four players, along with Taylor, Pierce Sweeney and Lewis Page, that has been offered a contract at Exeter, but the former Watford winger has made it clear he does not intend to stay in Devon.
Sweeney and Page were offered terms earlier this week and are mulling over their offers from the club.
Taylor also confirmed that nine other players will be leaving after the expiration of their contracts. They are goalkeepers Jonny Maxted and Lewis Ward, defender Tom Parkes, strikers Nicky Ajose and Alex Fisher and youngsters Noah Smerdon, Lewis Wilson, Louis Morison and Will Dean.
“It’s still raw in terms of the weekend and got getting out of the season what we wanted, but you quickly have to get yourself into business mode,” Taylor said. “The decisions that we made aren’t off the back of Saturday, or the last couple of weeks, they are decisions we have made over a period of time.
“They are made in the best interests of the football club and the team moving forward and they are difficult decisions to make, but we feel they are the right ones in terms of creating opportunities to bring other personnel in and also reflect what’s happened in the last season, or two seasons.
“You are dead right when you say how difficult these conversations are, but I don’t think there are too many surprises, if I am being honest. I think we have been as sensible as we can in terms of retaining as much as we possibly can and there are only really one or two that we are really disappointed to lose, but they go with our best wishes.”
A further five players have signed their first professional contracts after graduating from the Academy. They are goalkeeper Jack Arthur, defenders Ellis Johnson and Alfie Pond, midfielder Jack Veale and winger Nelson Iseguan.
RYAN Lowe has admitted the decision to release Will Aimson and Byron Moore was the most difficult part of his end-of-season Plymouth Argyle retained list.
Aimson and Moore won back-toback promotions from League Two under Lowe, first at cash-strapped Bury in 2018/19 and then with the Pilgrims the following campaign.
However, after Argyle’s 18th position finish in League One this term, Lowe is parting ways with the pair as he carries out a major summer overhaul of his squad.
Aimson and Moore made a combined 110 appearances for the Pilgrims during two seasons at the club.
They are among 10 out-of-contract Argyle players who have not been offered new deals.
Lowe said: “It was difficult in terms of the likes of Byron and Will, who probably a few people might have seen as a surprise because they have been on a journey with us.
“They had joined the family. We were with each other at Bury and what we went through there was tough, and then we came to Argyle and got another promotion.
“This season, Will has played 40 odd games for us. Byron hasn’t played as many and hasn’t performed as well as he probably would have liked and I would have liked.”
Aimson made a total of 45 starts and one substitute appearance this season, after playing only seven games in 2019/20 due to a long-term pelvic problem.
His season came to an early end after he rolled an ankle during the league game against Charlton Athletic at Home Park on April 20.
The Pilgrims were trailing 1-0 when he had to be substituted late in the first half but went on to be beaten 6-0.
Lowe said: “His agent was ringing me and I said I needed to speak to Will first.
“He said ‘It doesn’t sound good’. I said ‘It doesn’t matter, I need to speak to Will’.
“That’s the way I went about the business. I spoke to every player regarding it.
“Will understood because he had been part of a defence that had conceded a lot of goals.
“I always said Will could be a Championship player, but the targets we are looking for have been there, done it, seen it and worn the t-shirt. They are the people I want.
“So it was tough for Will. I could have kept him around for another year and be fourth or fifth choice centre-back, but I don’t want to do that.
“I want to be careful with the money we have got. We want to spend it wisely and we want to make sure we recruit better than what we have had.”
Argyle conceded 80 goals in 46 league games this season, which was the same amount as when they were relegated in 2018/19.
It was the joint worst total since the Pilgrims allowed 83 goals in 1994/95.
With Aimson and Scott Wootton who has been on loan to Wigan Athletic - released, Gary Sawyer retiring and the on-loan trio of Jerome Opoku, Kell Watts and Sam Woods all returning to their parents clubs, a complete revamp of Argyle’s defence will take place during the close season.
Lowe said: “You can’t afford to concede the amount of goals we have conceded, it’s just a no-no, so we need to put that right.
“This isn’t having a pop at the lads who played there (in defence). It’s not, it’s just sometimes you lack a little bit of quality and a little bit of decision making.
EXETER City captain Jake Taylor has issued a heartfelt farewell after confirming he will be leaving St James Park, writes Stuart James.
The 29-year-old is returning to his home county of Berkshire with his pregnant wife, Catherine, and young daughter, Luna, who is due to start school in September.
It ends an association with the Grecians dating back almost ten years for the popular midfielder, who was twice brought to the club by former manager Paul Tisdale and made club captain by Matt Taylor.
Taylor’s first spell saw him arrive on-loan from Reading in September 2011 and he made 30 appearances as the club were relegated from League One. He then returned permanently in January 2016 and went on to represent the club a further 264 times, scoring 32 goals during that time.
In his weekly column for the Express & Echo, Taylor wrote: “After five and a bit fantastic years at Exeter it’s going to be very strange pulling on a different shirt, albeit I’m looking forward to being out of my comfort zone and testing myself somewhere else, although, at this stage, I can’t tell you where that will be – there has been a bit of interest from clubs in League One and League Two but nothing more concrete.
“One thing’s for sure, wherever I might end up, as soon as I get off the pitch the first result I will look for is Exeter’s. If I leave with one regret it’s that I wasn’t part of a promotion-winning team, but the club is in great hands and I have no doubt that will be put right in the very near future.
“When that happens, take it from me, I’ll be as celebrating as long and as loud as the thousands on the Big Bank! As you’d imagine, I’m gutted my final game in an Exeter City shirt took place in front of an empty stadium and that I didn’t get the chance to say a proper goodbye.
“However, I do at least have this opportunity to express my gratitude to everyone who has made my time at the club such a joy.
“Thank you so much for everything and ‘Up the City!’”
Manager Matt Taylor had nothing but praise for his outgoing skipper, whilst admitting his departure left him feeling ‘sad and sorry.’
“Words don’t do justice in terms of what I can say about Jake Taylor,” the boss said. “He’s an unsung hero in terms of the way people perceive our team because other players have got the head