Former Lincoln City favourite Anthony Scully hopes he has found a long-term home at Exeter City after making an immediate impact in Devon as he puts his injury woes behind him.
For those of us who watched Scully at his best at Sincil Bank, seeing him scoring goals again is welcome news. He struck 37 times in 106 appearances for the Imps, including 17 during our run to the League One play-off final in 2020/21. His two goals and three assists in the 5-1 win at Cambridge United remain the obvious reminder of just how good he could be.
His career since leaving City has been considerably less straightforward. His move to Wigan Athletic in September 2022 brought little football, while injuries hampered his subsequent spell at Portsmouth. A loan at Colchester United and a season with Shrewsbury Town followed, but his latest move appears to have given him something he has been searching for.
Scully has joined Exeter on a deal running until next summer, and his wife and children have now moved down to join him. Speaking to BBC Radio Devon, the 27-year-old explained how quickly he has settled.
“I’ve loved absolutely everything.
“Whether it be the city itself, whether it be the area, the group, the lads, the staff, the training ground, the fans, the stadium, as a package it’s been absolutely amazing and there’s not a single fault that I have.
“I’ve got my wife and kids down now with me, they moved down on Monday so I’m in a great place and there’s nothing else that I could want at the minute, everything’s going really well.”
On the pitch, Exeter supporters have already seen some of the finishing that made him such a popular figure with us. Scully scored the only goal on his debut against Rotherham United and added another in Tuesday’s 2-0 victory against previously unbeaten Crewe Alexandra.
His arrival has coincided with a five-game unbeaten run in all competitions, a considerable improvement for a side that won only one of their opening eight league matches following relegation. That unbeaten sequence has also included a penalty shoot-out victory against League One Oxford United in the EFL Trophy and a win at his former club Shrewsbury, Exeter’s first away success since January. A draw at Colchester followed before the victory against Crewe, giving Scully plenty of early encouragement.
“Football changes all the time, so all we can control is how we act every day in training, and since I’ve come in the standards have been brilliant, really, really high.
“So it’s no surprise why we’ve gone on the run we have.”
Scully arrived at Lincoln from West Ham United in February 2020 and scored on his first start, away at Accrington Stanley. Under Michael Appleton, he developed into a reliable source of goals, reaching double figures in League One in successive full seasons before earning his move to the Championship.
He has struggled to find that same consistency of opportunity since leaving us, which makes his enthusiasm for life at Exeter particularly pleasing. With his family alongside him and goals already coming, he is keen for this spell to last well beyond his initial contract.
“I want to hopefully stay here for many more years to be honest because I absolutely love it.
“I’ve only been here a month but, I couldn’t be happier.”
We saw enough of Scully to know what he can offer when he is fit and playing regularly. His Lincoln record deserves to be remembered fondly, and there will be plenty of Imps hoping these first few weeks at Exeter are the start of a much happier spell for him.
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