Plymouth Argyle recruit never hit Reading FC heights - he made only 2 appearances | OneFootball

Simon Church's was forced out of the game at 29, with his last outings coming as a Pilgrim

When Plymouth Argyle brought in a player who had featured for Wales on their run to the Euro 2016 semi-final in January 2018, they must have thought they had secured a player who could help them clamber up the League One standings.

While Derek Adams did indeed mastermind a terrific run of form that saw the Devon outfit narrowly miss out on the play-offs after starting the year closer to the relegation places, Simon Church played next to no part in that tale.

The forward - who had made a name for himself at Reading and Charlton Athletic earlier in his career - was brought in to add more firepower to a squad that was struggling to adapt to life in the third tier after earning promotion the season before, but ended up retiring come the end of the season due to ongoing injury issues.

A transfer flop if ever there was one, Church’s time at Home Park is one to forget as a creditable career came to an end in unceremonious circumstances.

Simon Church made his name at Reading with Premier League promotion

While never being the most prolific of players, Church’s industry in the final third was never questioned during his career, with the Welshman always a willing runner in the final third, and selfless in his efforts to help the team.

After loan spells at the likes of Crewe Alexandra, Yeovil Town, Wycombe Wanderers and Leyton Orient, the forward finally made the breakthrough at the Madejski Stadium in the 09/10 campaign, with the Royals harbouring hopes of Premier League promotion at the time.

Ten goals in that initial campaign helped the Berkshire outfit finish ninth, before a failed play-off campaign the season after saw Church feature in 37 league matches, albeit only 14 from the first whistle.

Another bit part season in the blue and white hoops saw the striker player his part in helping Reading reach the top flight, with seven goals en route to promotion, including a crucial winner in a 1-0 win over Leeds United in the run-up to Christmas.

The joy of winning the Championship title would prove to be short-lived though, with Church soon sent on loan to Huddersfield Town for the following campaign, before finalising a permanent move to Charlton Athletic the season after, having failed to make a single Premier League appearance.

After two years at The Valley, stints at MK Dons and Aberdeen followed, with a spell of six goals in 13 games while at Pittodrie helping him book his place on the flight to Paris with the Welsh Euro 2016 squad.

While Gareth Bale, Aaron Ramsey and co. took the plaudits for that run in France, Church had helped play his part in getting the team to the tournament in the first place, before their historic run to the semi-finals.

But just two years after coming onto the field in that showdown with Portugal for a place in the final, Church had hung up his boots, with his stint at Argyle proving to be the final forays of a career cut short.

Plymouth Argyle failed to see the best of Simon Church ahead of his retirement

Argyle had wanted to take Church in the summer of 2017, but Scunthorpe United got their hands on the forward, although he only made four substitute appearances for the Irons before departing Glanford Park months later.

That lack of availability and game time should have been a red flag for the Greens in hindsight, but Derek Adams ploughed on regardless, with a player of Church’s pedigree seemingly too good to turn down at that moment in time.

Argyle had only won four league games before the start of December that season, and looked set for an immediate drop down into League Two after years of trying to escape the fourth tier, with the mood bleak at Home Park.

But a run of two defeats in 21 league games soon saw them turning their attention to the top of the table rather than the bottom, with things finally starting to click all over the pitch for the Pilgrims.

In the midst of all that, Church had arrived at the football club, made two late substitute appearances, and would never be seen in a green shirt again before January had even finished, with the Welsh international forced out of the game due to a hip injury at the age of 29.

In all the hubbub surrounding Argyle at the time, the personal stories of players can be forgotten, and while his teammates were devastated to miss out on the play-offs late in the season, Church was going through his own agony, as he faced the very real prospect of never playing professional football ever again.

In May of that year, the forward made an announcement that he had dreaded: “I never thought this day would come but with the medical advice I have received I am now officially hanging up my boots.

"I have been fortunate enough to have lived my dream for 11 years professionally. I have experienced moments you can only dream of when you're a child.”

While Argyle would have drafted in another player to do a job in the final third, Church’s journey stopped there and then, with the ups and downs of a footballing career epitomised in a two-year stretch.

From the international high life to the doldrums of despair, there can be no worse feeling for a footballer than having your career being taken from you through no fault of your own, and the Welshman is a prime example of a player’s time on the pitch coming to a premature end.