Exeter City handed 'blessing in disguise' by Plymouth Argyle ahead of Devon derby | OneFootball

FLW's Exeter City fan pundit is rather relieved that the former Grecian won't be playing for Plymouth in the Devon derby

This article is part of Football League World's 'Terrace Talk' series, which provides personal opinions from our FLW Fan Pundits regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…

The Devon derby returns this month after a couple of years away, as Exeter City play host to Plymouth Argyle.

As is the case with any rivalry, it'll be a heated affair, but the fire was stoked between the two sides in the summer when Caleb Watts made the move from the Grecians to the recently relegated Pilgrims.

The reaction to his signing was polarising to say the least, with Exeter fans branding him a "Judas," whilst Plymouth fans praised the signing, and used it to get one over their derby rivals before the season even began.

Unfortunately, though, we're going to have to wait until the two meet at Home Park in April at the earliest to see Watts in action against his former club, as the 23-year-old was confirmed to be out until the new year after picking up a hamstring injury against Luton Town.

After a lively start to his Plymouth career, where he netted twice in his opening eight games, FLW's Exeter fan pundit, Dylan Verschoren, felt that it would be "written in the stars" for Watts to score in his return to St James' Park.

Therefore, he's rather relieved to see the 23-year-old on the injury list ahead of the clash on October 23rd.

Exeter City fan pundit assesses Caleb Watts' start to his Plymouth Argyle career

When discussing the start of Watts' Plymouth career, Verschoren wasn't exactly surprised to see the 23-year-old unavailable through injury for the Devon derby.

Watts made just nine League One appearances in his first season at St James' Park due to a hamstring injury, and was in and out of the starting eleven last term, too, starting just 20 times in the league.

However, he does acknowledge the talent the 23-year-old possesses, and is quite happy that he won't be available for their meeting in late October.

"I think Caleb Watts not being available for the Devon derby might be a blessing in disguise," Verschoren said.

"From what I've seen, he's looked to be playing pretty well for them, but he's had the same problems he had when he played for us. He's injury-prone, and he'll miss some of the bigger games.

"I'm somewhat thankful that he won't be playing, because it would be written in the stars for him to score, especially back at St James' Park, as he would have been motivated to, given what happened with the manager."

Caldwell criticised Watts' performance in a 0-0 draw against Burton Albion in April, despite the attacking midfielder picking up the man of the match award. He felt he should have shown more of a team ethic and accused him of "going off script."

A new script was written for Watts to come back and net in front of his old fans, but that script won't be coming to fruition.

"He's obviously a good player, and I was upset when he left, but I could see why," Verschoren continued.

"It's a bit of a blessing for us that he isn't playing, though, because they're going to be weakened by it, and if anyone was going to score, it would probably have been him."

Exeter City fan pundit discusses possible negative fan reception for Caleb Watts

Whenever anyone crosses the divide from one rival to the other, bridges are burned at the other club, and Verschoren feels that the reception Watts could have gotten from the Exeter fans would be hostile at best.

"I feel if he did play, he'd get booed every time he touched the ball," he explained. "We've only seen that a few times at St James' Park, but I do feel that the reception would be ruthless.

"We obviously don't like him because he's gone to our biggest rivals, so there'd be a lot of boos, and I feel I'd be the same, but I can understand why he left — he's obviously been given a better deal and a chance to live in the South West at Plymouth.

"But there'll still be boos, because you don't go from Exeter to Plymouth, and it'd probably be the same vice versa too.

"So, if he was playing, the reaction would be very hostile, but I am a little bit thankful that he isn't, because it would be absolutely written in the stars for him to score, knowing Exeter."

Regardless of Watts' availability, the first Devon derby in a couple of years is set to be a heated affair. The two were regular rivals in League Two, but only faced off twice in League One in recent times, where the Pilgrims did the double over their rivals en route to the third-tier title.

Given the similar start to the season that both sides have had, there'll be belief amongst both fan bases that their side can pick up a vital three points and bragging rights until the two meet again in April.

Hopefully, Watts will be able to feature in their 2026 matchup, but for now, he'll have to watch from the stands at his old home, hoping that he made the right decision to join Exeter's bitter rivals this past summer.