Jay Stansfield has joined Exeter City on loan from Fulham.
The 19-year-old has actually played in the Premier League this season, promising to be yet another exciting young talent coming through the Whites' academy, following in the footsteps of Fabio Carvalho, Harvey Elliott and Ryan Sessegnon – but first, he's going on loan to the Football League.
But the switch in question is a highly emotional one – and Exeter City have a big place in Stansfield family history.
Jay Stansfield's father Adam played for Exeter City
Adam Stansfield joined Exeter in 2006. The striker was a fan favourite, playing a vital role in two successive promotions for the Grecians – but in 2010, he suffered with a lot of abdominal pain. In April of that year, he confirmed that he had been diagnosed with a form of colorectal cancer.
Stansfield actually joined pre-season training in July 2010, despite undergoing chemotherapy but his condition rapidly deteriorated. He died in August 2010.
Exeter retired their No.9 shirt. In 2017, he was inducted into the Exeter City Hall of Fame and a year later, the club named a stand of St. James' Park after the forward who had scored an equaliser in a vital play-off semi-final and whose goals had helped them up again the following season. 12 years on, Stansfield is still well-loved with Exeter fans and considered a cult hero.
Adam Stansfield's son is now going to play for Exeter, too
Jay Stansfield was just seven years old when he lost his father. Now, he's 19 years old and on the books of a Premier League club.
But his loan spell to Exeter gives him the opportunity to write his name into Grecian history, too. He is set to wear his dad's shirt number for the club – the No.9 – and play at the stadium that has a stand named after him.
It's a beautiful story – and it's going to be an emotional moment when Jay Stansfield takes to the field in the shadow of the Adam Stansfield Stand.
