Exeter City boss Paul Tisdale has named himself on the bench for their opening game of the season against Portsmouth. The 41-year-old, who is the longest-serving manager in the Football League, registered himself as a player after a sickness bug hit his squad. He told BBC Sport: 'It's always a difficulty when you've got players who are ill. Called up: Paul Tisdale has named himself on the bench for Exeter against Portsmouth . 'You never quite know if they're going to be 100% or not when it comes to the full-blown match tempo on a Saturday afternoon. 'Hopefully I won't have to put my boots on, but we'll have to see how many people are available.' Tisdale has played just once in the Football League since 1998, as a last-minute substitute in 2011 for Exeter City to mark his retirement.
Tisdale registers himself as a player after sickness bug hits squad . 41-year-old has played just once in the football league since 1998 .