Plymouth Argyle were handed club legend from Bolton Wanderers for just £25k: View | OneFootball

David Norris would go on to play a major part in the Greens' rise two decades ago

16 years on from his departure from the club, the mere mention of David Norris is enough to get Plymouth Argyle fans all bleary-eyed.

Not only were the midfielder’s lung-busting performances in midfield pivotal to the Pilgrims’ rise through the divisions near the start of the Century, but he resembled a club on the up with lofty ambitions.

With over 200 appearances for the boys in green, ‘Chuck’ established himself as a modern day great during his time at Home Park, as Argyle offered him the chance to resurrect his career after failing to make the grade at Bolton Wanderers.

Signed for just £25,000, Norris will always be considered a club legend, with his half-decade spell with the Devon outfit coinciding with some of the most successful in their history.

David Norris leads Plymouth Argyle to success after leaving Bolton Wanderers

Having started off his career at Boston United, Norris made the move to Bolton as a teenager, but was unable to break through into a Wanderers side that were competing in the top tier.

A return on loan to Boston soon followed, as well as Hull City, before another set of Pilgrims came in to make him theirs in October 2002, in a move that changed Argyle’s history forever.

Thrown straight into the starting lineup by Paul Sturrock, the midfielder wasted no time in making a name for himself in the West Country, as he grabbed the only goal of the game to secure victory over Crewe Alexandra in his first outing in green.

It’s like it was always meant to be, with his effervescent displays immediately earning the respect of the Green Army, who could sense something special was brewing at the Theatre of Greens.

Having obliterated the fourth tier the season before, Argyle were already making inroads towards the top of the third soon after their arrival, with Norris doing enough to convince Sturrock to part with a measly £25,000 to bring him to Home Park permanently in December 2002.

As bargains go, that was quite something. With the Peterborough-born star soon to play his part in a history-making Argyle side, who proved themselves to be unstoppable in reaching the Championship just a year after his arrival.

David Norris underpins Plymouth Argyle promotion charge

After narrowly missing out on the playoffs in their first season back in the third tier, Argyle are putting together a team for the ages at Home Park ahead of what would prove to be a defining 03/04 campaign, with a number of greats melding to form a Championship-winning unit.

Norris, with is bags of energy, dynamism and tenacity, had the likes of David Friio, Steve Adams and Jason Bent for company in the midfield, while Mickey Evans and Marino Keith did the business up top.

Graham Coughlan and Paul Wotton snarled at any ball that came near them at the back, while Tony Capaldi, Peter Gilbert and David Worrell offered options on the flanks.

Argyle fans of a certain era could still recite the squad with ease, with the heroes in green earning themselves a place in everyone’s hearts with their performances, with none more so than Norris in midfield.

There was never a finer sight than seeing the speedster scampering down the sidelines, beating a man and whipping a ball in during those days, with every player giving their all for the green cause.

That effort was epitomised in the promotion-deciding 90 minutes against Queens Park Rangers near the end of the season, with Paul Sturrock not long left for Southampton and Bobby Williamson taking over in the dugout, every player knew they had a job to do that day.

To a man, Argyle played out of their skins, with Norris producing the moment of magic to unlock the Rangers’ backline, with a swift centre being despatched by Evans, to send Home Park into raptures.

They had done it. Championship football was secured. With Norris and his teammates placing themselves into the history books after the most mesmerising of campaigns.

David Norris continues to excel at Championship level before Ipswich Town departure

But in truth, that was just the start of the journey, with Argyle continuing their momentum into the second tier, with the majority of the title-winning squad proving themselves as capable Championship performers.

The step up in class seemed to bring out another level in a number of the Pilgrims, with Norris continuing to wreak havoc among second tier defences with his tireless performances.

Little old Argyle plugging away against some of the great and good of the game, and upsetting many that made the long journey down to Home Park, as Nottingham Forest, Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers could all attest to over the years.

With close to 150 appearances in the second tier for the Greens, the former Bolton Wanderers man proved himself to be a key cog in a side that were continuously getting better year on year, with the eleventh-placed finish achieved in the 07/08 campaign a sign of a club on the up.

But just as the faintest hopes of the Premier League came into mind, one of their prized possessions was out the door, with a January move to Ipswich Town in 2008 seeing him end his time with the club, with the Greens earning £2.25 million from the deal.