Plymouth Argyle didn't see what Blackburn Rovers & Rotherham United did with striker transfer | OneFootball

Tony Pulis’s arrival at Argyle meant the club never got to see what a 19-year-old Matt Derbyshire could produce at Home Park.

Plymouth Argyle have made some strange signings over the years, with a then-19-year-old Matt Derbyshire certainly on the list for his spell back in 2005.

At the time, Argyle had survived on their return to the Championship after gaining promotion out of the Second Division with Bobby Williamson, as the club aimed to build and establish itself as second tier regulars.

Despite being financially constrained, the Devonshire-based club managed to acquire a young Derbyshire on loan from Blackburn Rovers for the season to help have enough ammunition at the top end of the pitch, while Derbyshire was aiming to make a name for himself in English football after rejecting Colchester United.

However, the stint lasted only half of a season, with a change in the dugout resulting in a severe lack of game time for the frontman.

Matt Derbyshire’s puzzling spell at Plymouth Argyle

Matt Derbyshire was a promising 19-year-old talent when he walked through the doors of Plymouth Argyle on loan from Blackburn in 2005, eager to make an impression and show what he could produce in front of goal.

However, only a few days after completing his move, Plymouth made the decision to sack Bobby Williamson after a run of four straight league defeats to Derby County, Crystal Palace, Hull City and Brighton.

Jocky Scott, who was Williamson’s assistant, was subsequently appointed as caretaker manager, giving Derbyshire his debut for the club as a substitute in a 2-0 away defeat to Norwich City.

Derbyshire would go on to play the next three games before Tony Pulis was appointed as Williamson’s successor.

However, his diminutive stature wasn’t the type of profile Pulis was looking for to lead the line, with the Welshman preferring to play powerful, physical strikers in his sides like Mickey Evans, Nick Chadwick and Vincent Pericard.

Derbyshire would only feature nine more times for the club since Pulis took the reins, failing to start a single match and unable to net for the club.

As a result of such limited football, he would see his loan deal cut short in January 2006.

Plymouth Argyle would miss out on Matt Derbyshire success after fruitful Blackburn Rovers, Rotherham United stints

While Matt Derbyshire had a shaky start to his early playing days, Plymouth Argyle would end up regretting not keeping hold of the forward given his fruitful spells for both Blackburn Rovers and Rotherham United in years to come.

The Blackburn-born frontman ended up playing regular Premier League football for Rovers, scoring 20 times from 86 appearances as Ewood Park hosted regular top-flight action.

Meanwhile, at Rotherham, Derbyshire would register eight and nine-goal campaigns from 2014 to 2016 in his two seasons in Yorkshire, which would prove to be vital in helping the Millers stay in the Championship. Derbyshire’s exit would be significantly felt the following term as they suffered relegation down to the third tier under Paul Warne.

A small and nimble centre-forward, Derbyshire’s clever runs and intellectual instinct as a striker helped him find his shooting boots in England, and he could have shown that talent at Plymouth had he been given regular opportunities to shine.

Ultimately, Tony Pulis was one of the worst managers Derbyshire could have hoped to play under, with the appointment effectively killing off his Argyle career before it had even begun.

We will never know whether Derbyshire would have been a major success in a Plymouth shirt that season, and whether his added goals might have been enough to push the club into promotion contention.