Midfielder will leave St James Park in the summer after 14 years as a Grecian
EXETER City academy graduate Harry Kite has said that it is time for him to fly the nest and move on for the benefit of his career.
The 23-year-old will leave St James Park when his current contract runs out in the summer having turned down offers of a new deal.
The midfielder - who has made 101 appearances for the Grecians, scoring seven goals - joined City at the age of nine. But tomorrow’s game at home to Oxford United will be his final appearance in the red and white.
He follows fellow homegrown player Alex Hartridge in departing St James Park and Kite said that the move was one that he felt he needed to make for his own playing career to get back to being a first team regular.
“I got offered a couple of contracts at the end of last season,” Kite said. “It was similar to Alex I guess, for my career now, I would benefit from moving on.
“I feel I’ve contributed to the club to be where we were when I broke into the first team to being a team fighting at the top of League Two, and then to get promotion and be a stable League One team. I think I’m quite happy with how that’s progressed. I feel like, for me now, looking selfishly towards my career, I feel that a move would benefit me just with new experiences and new challenges.
“There is no club in the pipeline yet. Once the season finishes, teams then start to move to recruitment more, and then know more. I have only ever known Exeter, SJP, and I love the club to bits, I have been here the amount of time I have, but I feel for my career, I need a change.
“It is emotional for me, it has been a really good stint, so I am happy with the contribution I have made throughout the seasons, so it will be emotional, the last game of the season and playing for the last time at SJP.”
Kite joined City as a nine-year-old, and made his first team debut as a 17-year-old in the EFL Trophy in 2017. It wasn’t until October 2020 before he made a league appearance, but then established himself in Exeter’s midfield in the League Two promotion-winning season of 202122.
He played 44 times last season, but has found chances harder to come by this season, having firstly missed the start of the season with a knee injury, and then finding time on the pitch limited by the arrival of several other midfielders, but also manager Gary Caldwell looking towards next season and players who would be at City.
“I never have had a bad word to say about Gary,” Kite said. “He said to me around February when I wasn’t getting many minutes, he would be focusing on the players here next season. I said that’s fine, but he told me I would get to 100 appearances and then some more, so full credit to Gary and I appreciate it.”
When asked for his best memory of his time at the club, he said the promotion was the big one. He said: “We were a team fighting at the top end of League Two but couldn’t get over the line, so that would be the highlight of my time here. Promotion, and now we are a sustainable League One club. To be doing as well as we have the last couple of seasons, a real credit to the players and the manager.
“Me leaving at the end of the