Demetri Mitchell: New Exeter City signing hoping for consistency

Exeter City are Demetri Mitchell's fifth club after spells at Manchester United, Hearts, Blackpool and Hibernian

"Football is so full of ups and downs and that's been my career so far."

Now at the age of 26 new Exeter City signing Demetri Mitchell says he "just wants to be as consistent as possible".

Mitchell joined the Grecians last month having gone from the highs of a debut for boyhood club Manchester United to the lows of a long-term injury at Scottish side Hibernian.

In between that he has also won a promotion from League One with Blackpool and says there are similarities between the side that won the 2021 League One play-off final and the one he has just joined.

"The biggest similarity for me compared to that team I was playing in is the group is so tightknit, there's no toxicity, there's no bad energy, everyone's on board with what the gaffer's philosophies are," he tells BBC Sport.

"I've played in teams that have had individual great players but they've just not connected or connected to the manager and it's not always worked out, but then I've been at Blackpool where you've just got a team.

"If you can have a perfect blend then you're destined for good things."

From Manchester to Exeter, via Edinburgh

Mitchell's only first team appearance at Manchester United saw him come up against Wilfried Zaha and Crystal Palace in May 2017

Mitchell made his Manchester United debut on the final day of the 2016-17 season in a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace at Old Trafford.

But he is unsure whether he would have made it had Manchester United's academy boss at the time, former England midfielder Nicky Butt, not suggested he change his role to a more defensive one.

"I'd only been playing at wing-back or left-back for three or four months - I started doing it in December of that season and ended up making my debut in May," he tells BBC Sport.

"So many things happened in a short space of time, because I wasn't even playing for the reserves at the time before I changed to being full-back from a winger."

When he left Manchester United aged 23 it was current Exeter boss Gary Caldwell that assisted his return to fitness after an injury and helped him get his contract at Blackpool, before the two linked up again at Hibernian in January 2022.

"It was in lockdown when I first started working with him," Caldwell told BBC Sport.

"He's been fantastic since he came here - when he came to Hibs he wasn't fully fit and probably similar here, but I see a lot more in his game at the moment than when he first came to Hibs.

"He's much fitter than he was then and both games that he's come on in he's made a big impact.

"At MK Dons he provided a real quality in his game and decision-making higher up the pitch when we needed him to come on and see out the game.

"Then on Saturday we brought him on earlier than we would have liked, but he provided a real threat down the left with his dribbling ability, his crossing ability and, as he did at Hibs on a number of occasions, popped up at the back post to score a fantastic goal."

'I believe in my ability'

Demetri Mitchell's first Exeter City goal came four minutes after coming on against Charlton Athletic last week

So what of Mitchell's ambitions at Exeter - for whom he has agreed an 18-month deal after an injury-hit time at Hibernian which saw him feature just 10 times in 12 months.

"I could have seen it out until the end of the season - I still had a year-and-a-half there - but I just wanted to play football," he says.

"I was so eager to play consistently and it's not something I've managed to do recently, and that was the big pull to coming here.

"Obviously there's competition for places, but I believe in my ability and that I can get into the team and make an impact.

"I want to play consistent regular games and contribute as much as I can to the team as possible."