'Time to move on' says Exeter midfielder Kite

Harry Kite has played 101 times for Exeter City - a club he joined when he was nine years old

Exeter City midfielder Harry Kite says it is time for him to leave the club as he prepares for his final game.

The 23-year-old academy graduate - who has made 101 appearances for the Grecians - will leave when his current contract runs out in the summer.

He follows fellow homegrown player Alex Hartridge in announcing he will leave St James Park after Saturday's final game of the season at home to Oxford United.

"I got offered a couple of contracts at the end of last season," Kite told BBC Radio Devon.

"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 him a move would benefit me with new experiences and new challenges."

Harry Kite scored an impressive volley in Exeter's first home game in League One last season

Kite made his first team debut as a 17-year-old in the EFL Trophy in 2017, but had to wait until October 2020 to make a league appearance.

He established himself in Exeter's midfield in the League Two promotion-winning season of 2021-22 before injury saw him miss the final three months of the campaign.

He played 44 times last season - scoring three goals in his first five matches of the season - as the Grecians established themselves in the third tier - but has found chances harder to come by this season.

"I'm really happy with the contribution made to the club throughout my seasons here," he added.

"I think it's always going to be a bit emotional going into the last game of the season, the last time playing at St James Park, but it's something I'm looking forward to."

He added that he does not think the decision to leave the Grecians will not properly sink in until full-time on Saturday.

"Me leaving at the end of the season has been a long time in my mind with the contract offers last season, but I feel like it probably won't hit until three o'clock on Saturday," he said.

"It's something I'm going to have to soak up, it might be a bit emotional for me at the time, being at the club so long like I have, but I feel me it's the right choice in my career, but I'll always thank everyone at the club."