Exeter City: Paul Tisdale says finances are affecting results

Paul Tisdale has been in charge at Exeter City since June 2006

Exeter City manager Paul Tisdale says Exeter's current financial situation has affected their results this season.

Tisdale has only been able to sign two players, striker Graham Cummins and injured defender Christian Ribeiro, since the end of the 2013-14 campaign.

"If we were a different type of club I'd have made plenty of signings to strengthen the club by now," he said.

"I can't sign any new players, and if you're developing a team and coaching players that doesn't happen overnight."

The Grecians have only managed one point from nine and lost 1-0 at Burton on Tuesday.

Cummins was Tisdale's only fit striker after Tom Nicholls suffered an ankle injury in last Saturday's 3-0 loss to rivals Plymouth Argyle and Jamie Reid tries to overcome a long-term pelvic injury.

But despite the constraints on his squad, which led to the 41-year-old City boss registering himself as a player to be an unused substitute for the opening game of the season, Tisdale believes they could have got more out of the game.

"It's difficult at the moment and I haven't got too many options, but I still wanted better," he told BBC Radio Devon.

"We just have to keep going as we are and keep nudging it and improving it bit by bit, and learning from trial and error and from our mistakes and from the performances on the pitch."

Eight of the 13 players that played for supporter-owned City at the Pirelli Stadium on Tuesday either came up through the club's youth ranks or were brought to the club as youngsters by Tisdale and made their league debuts for City.

And the Exeter boss, who is second only to Arsene Wenger in terms of length of tenure as a manager in English league football, says he has to ensure he does not damage their confidence.

"It is what it is and those players have to be encouraged, you can't knock them to the ground too often because there's nobody else to come in.

"They have to be encouraged and pushed and picked back up again as they're the players that have to play on Saturday," he said.

"If you expect me to say that the players aren't up to it and aren't good enough, I'm not going to say that because performances can be changed.

"I don't particularly enjoy one point from three games, and it is early and things can be improved, but I'm not belittling that fact either, I understand the importance of getting results."