Liam Oakes’ progression from Academy graduate to first teamer is another big positive at Exeter this season
Stuart James Print Sports Editor
05:34, 22 Jan 2026
Liam Oakes of Exeter City during the Emirates FA Cup Round 3 match between Manchester City and Exeter City at The Etihad Stadium on 10 January 2026 in Manchester, England (Photo by Steve Taylor/PPAUK)
View 4 Images
Liam Oakes of Exeter City during the Emirates FA Cup Round 3 match between Manchester City and Exeter City at The Etihad Stadium on 10 January 2026 in Manchester, England (Photo by Steve Taylor/PPAUK)(Image: Steve Taylor/PPAUK)
Much has been said about a lack of young players emerging from Exeter City’s famed Academy and breaking into the first team, but one young talent bucking that trend is Liam Oakes.
Oakes, who turned 19 earlier this month, made his Grecians debut in the Carabao Cup loss at Walsall at the start of last season and went on to make four further appearances, with his EFL debut coming as a late substitute in a 3-0 loss at Mansfield Town at the end of the 2025/26 campaign.
This year, though, manager Gary Caldwell has not been afraid to throw Oakes into the first team and he has gone on to make 14 appearances to date, including starts in the Grecians’ last three matches.
One of those was the FA Cup clash at Manchester City where Oakes, traditionally a midfielder, was operated at left wing-back and tasked with quietening a Citizens frontline consisting of the prolific Erling Haaland, French international Rayan Cherki and their £65 million debutant Antoine Semenyo, who’d joined the club from Bournemouth in the build-up to that Cup encounter.
It was a daunting task for any player, let alone a teenager making just his 18th appearance in the Grecians’ first team. The scoreline was one to forget as the Blue City won 10-1, but Oakes more than held his own against such esteemed company – and he very nearly marked the occasion with his first professional goal as well, forcing James Trafford into a superb save early on, when the score was goalless.
View 4 Images
Liam Oakes of Exeter City reacts after missing a header(Image: Will Cooper/Shutterstock)
“It all happened so quickly,” Oakes said, reflecting on that moment at the Etihad Stadium. “Eth (Brierley) crossed the ball and I was hanging around the back stick, not blocking Rodri but sort of trying to open up the back.
“The ball was a bit short, I turned around and the ball’s in the air coming towards me and I just thought I’d jump and go for it… I think anywhere but at the ‘keeper and it might be a goal.
“I’ve watched it back a few times and think: ‘Just hit it in the corner!’ But the experience was the best you can get. Walking out, I had goosebumps when the fans were singing. I think it was the loudest stadium I’ve ever been at and played in and the experience was unbelievable.
“It’s a learning curve for us, knowing what the level’s about and the players you play against. That experience was unbelievable.”
Oakes had an inkling he would be starting at the Etihad Stadium from the training sessions building up to the game, but had it confirmed the day before.
However, it was not until an hour or so before kick-off that he knew just who he would be up against when the team sheets were handed in and the realisation kicked in that this was by no means a weakened Man City side.
View 4 Images
Liam Oakes of Exeter City on the break during the Sky Bet League Match between Exeter City and Stevenage at St James Park, Devon on 17th Jan 2026. Photo: Phil Mingo/PPAUK(Image: Phil Mingo/PPAUK)
“On the Thursday, I had an idea and Friday, it was confirmed,” Oakes said. “I was pooing myself! And then I was so excited because we had nothing to lose going there.
"We were expected to probably lose to a team like Man City, so I think going there with the excitement of playing at the stadium and starting at that ground is… yeah, it can’t be topped.
“I was nervous, I’ll be honest with you. I think walking out as well, the goosebumps, the fans, there was a lot of people, I was nervous, but the excitement took over from them as soon as the whistle blew.
“We didn’t know what team they were going to put out and then obviously it got to about an hour before kick-off and their started line-up was announced. We see the big boys and you realise what you’re actually going to come up against and, like I said, it was an amazing experience playing against them players, one that lives with you forever.”
View 4 Images
Manchester City's Ryan McAidoo and Exeter City's Liam Oakes battle for the ball during the Emirates FA Cup third round match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.(Image: PA)
Oakes swapped shirts with Rico Lewis, himself a graduate of Man City’s Academy, at full-time and revealed a poetic sentiment to it: “We used to watch him in the Academy about coming inside as an inverted full-back,” Oakes said.
“That’s what I started doing at Under-18s, sort of based off him, so to get a shirt was kind of a meaningful one for me.”
Oakes’ progression from Academy graduate to first teamer is another big positive at Exeter this season and he is a young man that looks more and more comfortable with each passing game. Such experiences as the one in Manchester can only help him in his continued development.
Article continues below
“I think that that level sort of shows you what you need to get to if you want to be a Prem player and the best in the world,” he said. “There’s a couple of players there which are the best in the world and the level is crazy, really.
“The little details are mental, like the little inch that way, a yard that way… everything matters with them and you can sort of notice it when you’re playing against them that that extra yard matters so much. It opened up my eyes to the level of the player that they are.”