Exeter City hit the jackpot with Plymouth Argyle transfer swoop

Exeter City hit the jackpot with Plymouth Argyle transfer swoop.

When Exeter City bought Darran Rowbotham from rivals Plymouth Argyle in 1987, they were acquiring a striker who had yet to prove his worth, but he delivered at St James Park despite a near-career-ending injury.

Exeter City began the 1980s with a sense of hope, reaching the FA Cup quarter-finals in their first full season before falling to eventual winners Tottenham Hotspur.

However, from then, everything went downhill. Relegation from the Third to the Fourth Division occurred in 1984, and even in the lower division, the Grecians failed to finish above midway in the standings.

Darran Rowbotham failed to shine at Plymouth, where he started his career

External shot of Home Park, Plymouth ArgyleThe player who would become the catalyst for revolution at St James Park began his career with rivals Plymouth Argyle.

Darran Rowbotham, a striker, was born in Cardiff but began his career at Home Park as a junior before obtaining a permanent contract in 1984.

Plymouth had just beaten Exeter in the FA Cup semi-finals, but the club had been unable to build on this success, and Rowbotham was unable to break into the first team on a regular basis during his four seasons with the club, making only 46 appearances (24 as a substitute) and scoring only two goals.

Terry Cooper found a way of bringing the best out of Rowbotham

St James Park, Exeter City

Rowbotham moved from Home Park to St James Park in 1987 as part of a deal for defender Nicky Marker, and it appeared that his issues would continue, but in the summer of 1988, Terry Cooper took over as manager and slightly altered Rowbotham’s role.

The results were immediate: Rowbotham scored 20 goals for Exeter, who finished 13th in the table, their highest placing since relegation five years ago. But the following season, he really took off. During his journey to the FA Cup Third Round, he scored an equaliser against First Division Norwich City before they lost the replay.

But it was in the League that his goal-scoring was most important, and by the middle of March, he had already scored 20 goals, with Exeter leading the league, albeit with a pursuing pack on their heels.

On March 17, 1990, the Grecians hosted Peterborough United, and Rowbotham’s season came to an abrupt conclusion midway through the first half after colliding with Peterborough custodian Tony Godden and being forced to leave the pitch.

At initially, it was thought that Rowbotham’s injury was not serious, and Exeter’s title hopes would not be jeopardised by missing their leading scorer for a third of the season.

They finished as Fourth Division champions, their first divisional title since joining the League 70 years ago. However, the news for Rowbotham was not good. After missing a year due to a knee injury, he joined Torquay United in 1991.

He went on to play for Birmingham (where he was unsuccessfully reunited with Terry Cooper), Crewe, and Huddersfield before returning to St James Park in 1996.

Darran Rowbotham’s Exeter Career (The Grecian Archive)
League Cups Total
Appearances 238 38 276
Goals 86 17 103

His second stay with the club was not as successful as his first, but he still scored 22 league and cup goals during the 1997-98 season, and fans were concerned when he was loaned out to Leyton Orient in 1999.

He was released by Exeter at the end of the 1999-2000 season and played two years of non-league football for Weymouth before retiring in 2002.

Nicky Marker, the other player in the initial part-exchange, was also a success at Plymouth, making over 200 games before moving to Blackburn Rovers in 1992, therefore it could be claimed that the trade benefited both Devon rivals.

Darran Rowbotham, on the other hand, remains one of the most brilliant attackers to have worn an Exeter shirt, and his goals helped the club win their first League title. If it hadn’t been for that horrific injury, he may have reached greater heights.

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