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Lee Clark couldn't extend Graham Carey's loan with the Terriers in 2011, with the Irishman excelling for Argyle later in his career

Graham Carey will always be considered as one of the most exciting talents that has ever put on a Plymouth Argyle shirt, but things could have been so different for the Irish talisman.

Long before he made the move down to join the Derek Adams revolution in Devon, the left-footed wonder had already made a name for himself in English football, with an impressive stint on loan at Huddersfield Town.

With three goals in 26 matches for the Terriers, the then-21-year-old was a firm favourite of boss Lee Clark during the time he was borrowed from Scottish Premiership side Celtic, although the two clubs were unable to agree any deal longer than a six-month stint in Yorkshire.

That would go on to play into Argyle’s hands half a decade later, with Carey going on to become one of the most beloved stars in Home Park history after a four-year stint of free-kicks, forty-yarders and all-round fireworks.

Graham Carey impresses during Huddersfield Town loan from Celtic

While his impressive antics are well-known to Argyle fans now, Carey was still wet behind the ears when he came south of the border to join Huddersfield in the summer of 2010, with his only previous taste of professional football being in previous loans with St Mirren and Bohemians.

It didn’t take the Irishman long to make a name for himself at the John Smith’s Stadium, with a sumptuous free-kick getting him off the mark in his first league game for the club, albeit in a 4-2 defeat to Peterborough United.

While Town saw his quality from delivering balls into the box for the goal-grabber-in-chief Jordan Rhodes to capitalise on, his prowess from dead-ball situations also saw him become a firm favourite with the Terriers, with Clark keen to keep him for the remainder of the season.

With his all-action displays up and down the left flank, the Celtic loanee had done enough to prove himself as a player with a bright future, and the Town boss outlined his desire in the January transfer window.

Clark said: "We have been in ongoing dialogue with (manager) Neil Lennon and (coach) Alan Thompson, who I know very well, and I am very, very hopeful of doing something.

"Graham loves it here, we love having him here and I think he is an exceptional young player.

"He has shown that with the goals he has scored and the ones he's set up, he's got a beautiful left foot and he's a very talented footballer.

"As I've said, we are in constant dialogue with Celtic and, while you can never say 100% until it's done and dusted, the conversations we've had with Celtic have been on a positive note and it's just a matter, really, of clearing things up at board level.

"We want it to happen, that's what I can say, and I'm quietly confident that we can progress things on Graham."

That confidence was proven to be misplaced though, with Carey’s last match coming against Argyle in January 2011, some four and a half years before he would be starring for the opposition back in the EFL.

Graham Carey stars for Plymouth Argyle in League Two promotion

After returning to Scotland, Carey soon left the Bhoys to join St Mirren on a permanent deal, before making the move to Ross County, where he shone under the management of Derek Adams.

With the boss making the loan journey south to take over the Pilgrims in the summer of 2015, one of his first actions as Argyle boss was to bring his trusted steed with him, in what would be a revolutionary transfer for both player and club.

Ever since day one in Devon, Carey was the spark that was at the centre of everything the Pilgrims did right, with a long-range effort less than an hour into his debut proving to be a sign of things to come over the next four years.

The Irishman had magic in his boots and fire in his heart, and consistently won matches off his own back with moments of sheer quality, that were a chasm above the league in which he was operating.

Whether it was a 40-yard effort that left the Millwall goalkeeper grasping at thin air in the EFL Trophy, or the ample sweet strikes within the eleven during his first league campaign, Carey sprinkled glitter wherever he went, with some of his contributions defying belief.

Another 14 goals in the next campaign helped Argyle achieve promotion back to League One, before matching that feat despite the step up in tier, such was his burgeoning talent at the time.

The playmaker made the game look so easy, as he crafted another spectacular piece of artwork with his paintbrush of a left peg, wafting the ball wherever he desired with the most precise of brushstrokes.

Ask most Argyle fans, and it’s the volley against Blackpool that sums up Carey’s talent perfectly; with a bouncing ball sitting up 25-yards from goal on the angle of the penalty area, just waiting to be rifled home by the onrushing star.

Without breaking stride, a rasping, dipping volley is unleashed from the No.10’s weapon of choice - that trusty left boot - leaving the travelling fans at Bloomfield Road barely believing what they had seen.

But with Graham Carey you always believed, because he made the impossible possible, and made the Argyle fans dare to dream once again.

After years in the wilderness, Carey - alongside Adams - was the man who lifted the Pilgrims out of their administration-forced demise, and began the turnaround in fortunes that sees the club where it is today.

Things could have been so different if Huddersfield had their way half a decade before, but Argyle were the ones to reap the rewards, with memories made that will last a lifetime.