Exeter City
Which team did the player Paul Tisdale belong to from 1997 to 1998?
Paul Tisdale Paul Robert Tisdale ( born 14 January 1973 ) is an English former professional footballer and manager , currently in an advisory role at Colchester United . As a player , Tisdale represented Southampton , Bristol City , FinnPa , Panionios and Yeovil Town during a career which began in 1991 and concluded in 2000 , playing primarily as a midfielder . During his time at Exeter City , he remained registered as a player between 2007 and 2016 , making his debut as a late substitute in a 2–1 victory at Sheffield Wednesday at the end of the 2010–11 season and naming himself as a substitute in the EFL Trophy match at Oxford Utd on 30 August 2016 . Tisdale previously managed Team Bath . Having managed Exeter City from June 2006 until June 2018 , he was , for 19 days , the longest-serving manager at one club in the English Football League . Playing career . Southampton . A former England schools international , Tisdale came through the youth system at Southampton . He signed as a professional in June 1991 . He was loaned out to Northampton Town in February and March 1993 , where he made five league appearances . He eventually made his Southampton debut in a League Cup game against Huddersfield Town on 5 October 1994 . Unfortunately , at this time Southampton were enduring frequent changes of manager and , as a result , Tisdale never had a settled run in the first team . Having played his last senior game for Southampton on 27 April 1996 , he again went out on loan in the 1996–97 season , this time to Huddersfield Town , where he made only two appearances . In his time at Southampton he made a total of 18 first team appearances , scoring once , against Manchester City on 16 March 1996 , when he took one touch and delicately lifted the ball over goalkeeper Eike Immel . Following the departure of mentor David Merrington , Tisdale moved to Bristol City in August 1997 . Bristol City and abroad . At Bristol City his appearances were limited . It was while at Bristol City that Tisdale got his first taste of life at Exeter City , with a three-month loan at the club during the 1997–98 season . He left Ashton Gate after just one year , and played abroad for both Finnish club FinnPa and Greek club Panionios before returning to England to spend a year with Yeovil Town . Coaching and management . Team Bath . Injury forced him to end his career early , and he took a coaching role with non-league club Team Bath in 2000 . Tisdale entered the University of Bath side into the 2002–03 FA Cup , becoming the first university team to enter the competition since Gonville & Caius in 1881 . Team Bath entered in the preliminary round and advanced through four qualifying rounds to the first round proper , before losing to Mansfield Town . At Team Bath , Tisdale led the club through four promotions in non-league football . Exeter City . During the summer of 2006 , Tisdale left Team Bath to take up the vacant managers position at then Conference National side Exeter City . In his first season he led the club to their first playoff finish , just missing out on promotion after losing the final 2–1 to Morecambe at Wembley Stadium on 20 May 2007 . However the following season success would soon follow , with Tisdale eventually leading the club to yet another playoff finish and ultimately promotion to the Football League following a 1–0 final victory over Cambridge United on 18 May 2008 . Following promotion , Tisdale signed a new two-year rolling contract with the club in October 2008 . Under his guidance the club continued their impressive form with Tisdale eventually leading the club to a second-place finish and promotion to League One , becoming the first Exeter City manager in their history to lead the club to back-to-back promotions . The following 2009–10 season proved more of a challenge however , with the club surviving relegation from the third tier with an 18th-placed finish on the final day of the season following a 2–1 win over Huddersfield Town . Exeter Citys second season in League One under Tisdale proved to be far more successful , with the club finishing in eighth place at the conclusion of the 2010–11 season – equalling the clubs highest ever league finish . During the final day of the season , Tisdale – also a registered player at the club – came on as a 90th-minute substitute in a 2–1 away win over Sheffield Wednesday . The 2011–12 season however , concluded Exeter Citys short stay in League One under Tisdale , with the club eventually relegated to League Two following a 23rd-place finish . Over the following four seasons under Tisdales management , Exeter maintained their League Two status with consecutive top half finishes . At the end of the 2016–17 season – Tisdales eleventh season as manager of the club – Exeter City finished in fifth place , achieving another playoff finish . After defeating Carlisle United across a two-legged semi-final , Tisdale led Exeter to Wembley once again . The final would end in disappointment however , with Blackpool defeating Exeter 2–1 on 28 May 2017 . The 2017–18 season was to be Tisdales final season as manager of Exeter City . Once again he led the club to the playoffs after achieving a fourth-place league finish . Following victory over promotion rivals Lincoln City across two legs , Tisdale led Exeter City to a Wembley playoff final for a fourth time . Once again , the day was to end with disappointment for Tisdale and Exeter City , with Coventry City winning the tie 3–1 on 28 May 2018 . On 1 June 2018 , following a failure to agree a new contract , Tisdale left Exeter City after twelve years at the club . At the time of his departure , Tisdale was the longest serving manager in English footballs top four divisions . Milton Keynes Dons . Tisdale was appointed manager of newly relegated League Two club Milton Keynes Dons on 6 June 2018 ahead of the 2018–19 season . After a near-perfect month which saw the club gain 16 points from a possible 18 , he was named League Two Manager of the Month for October 2018 by the EFL for only the second time in his career . Tisdale went on to lead Milton Keynes Dons to automatic promotion back to League One at the first attempt , achieving a third-place finish . Following a poor start to the 2019–20 season in which Milton Keynes Dons achieved only one point from a possible 27 - the worst run of results in the clubs short history - Tisdales contract with the club was mutually terminated on 2 November 2019 following a 1–3 home defeat to Tranmere Rovers . Bristol Rovers . After a twelve month break , Tisdale returned to football management on 19 November 2020 , signing a two-and-a-half year deal with League One club Bristol Rovers . On 10 February 2021 , Tisdale departed the club after just 12 points in 15 league matches that saw Rovers only outside of the relegation zone on goal difference . Colchester United . On 1 April 2021 , Tisdale joined Colchester United in an advisory role until the end of the season , assisting inexperienced head coach Hayden Mullins as Colchester attempted to stay in the Football League . Personal life . He went to school in Bath , where he was childhood friends with actor Andrew Lincoln . In 2017 , Lincoln said One of my oldest and dearest friends happens to be Paul Tisdale . So Ive been watching him very avidly throughout his whole career and Ive been very proud of him . Tisdales uncle is Game of Thrones actor James Faulkner who played Randyll Tarly in the show . His brother Peter Tisdale also played at Bath City and Team Bath and attracted interest from league clubs such as Queens Park Rangers and Bournemouth FC before deciding on a corporate career after graduating from the University of Bath with a degree in politics and economics . Honours . As a manager . Team Bath - Western Football League First Division : 2000–01 - Western Football League Premier Division : 2002–03 Exeter City - Conference Premier play-offs : 2008 - Football League Two runners-up : 2008–09 Milton Keynes Dons - EFL League Two third-place promotion : 2018–19 Individual - LMA Manager of the Year : 2008–09 League Two - EFL League Two Manager of the Month : August 2017 , October 2018 External links . - www.paultisdale.co.uk