Exeter City, Crystal Palace deal is worth shouting about - but there is one big problem | OneFootball

Joe Whitworth's had a solid season on loan from Crystal Palace for Exeter City but his departure has raised a big problem again.

It's fair to say that Exeter City's 2024/25 League One campaign won't live long in the memory.

There were some highlights this season, but they mostly came in the FA Cup, where City made it to the Fourth Round for the first time in over four decades.

It was a memorable night under the lights as the Grecians pushed Premier League high-flyers Nottingham Forest all the way to penalties after a thrilling 2-2 draw.

But that kind of excitement was very much the exception rather than the rule.

In league action, the Grecians mustered just 2.8 shots on target per game, the joint-lowest in the EFL, along with Shrewsbury Town, who finished bottom of the third tier and scored just 41 goals all season.

Gary Caldwell's side managed only eight more and somehow picked up 23 more points than Salop on the way to a 16th-placed finish.

While the points tally and finishing position were both lower than in 2023/24, there was some cause for optimism and that mainly came from the backline, who were excellent at the start of the season when Caldwell had his first choice starters available.

And one man who was certainly first choice was City's on-loan Crystal Palace goalkeeper Joe Whitworth.

Whitworth ever-present for Exeter

The diminutive stopper played every minute going in the league and racked up 15 clean sheets while conceding 65 times.

He also ranked 5th in the division for saves per 90 minutes played and picked up a couple of gongs at the end-of-season awards, including the big one, the Fans' Player Of the Year.

In a season where City's two actual standout players, Tristan Crama and Millenic Alli, both left in January, it was probably the right call in the end, and he certainly built up a strong rapport with the Grecian faithful.

He's excellent with his feet, but his height is surely going to be an issue (officially listed as 179cm or 5'10") if he has hopes of a regular top-flight career, though the goalkeeper position is evolving all the time.

While it's never really a good sign if your keeper wins player of the season, it's now happened twice in a row at Exeter.

What's even more concerning is that Whitworth follows in the footsteps of Viljami Sinisalo in wearing the No.1 while being borrowed from elsewhere.

Exeter playing risky game with loan keepers

Caldwell and his backroom staff seem fairly comfortable with the policy of signing on-loan keepers, but it comes fraught with danger and City can't afford to get it wrong.

There's also the potential for the dreaded mid-season recall and this summer feels like a particularly risky one with no contracted keepers signed on for next year.

Trusty backup Shaun MacDonald has left at the end of his contract while City were regularly selecting match-day squads with no recognised keeper on the bench come the end of the season.

Young keepers Harry Lee and Frankie Phillips have both been offered new contracts but, with everyone technically soon to be unemployed if they don't re-sign, there's a possibility that the squad will return for pre-season training without a recognised gloveman.

It feels negligent that there's even a possibility it could happen, and you'd expect the young keepers to sign on, but it feels like this is a tightrope that Caldwell is walking.

If the next man borrowed No.1 stumbles, that could play a big part in putting an end to City's time in League One and huge questions will be asked about both Caldwell and the club's judgement.