Plymouth Argyle: Chelsea deal provided magical Home Park moment: View 

‘Never fall in love with a loan player, Never fall in love with a loan player, Never fall in love with a loan player.’

Plymouth Argyle fans will have been repeating that mantra to themselves time and time again during Scott Sinclair’s time at the club back in 2007, although it was proving impossible not to after the star borrowed from Chelsea ran riot during his time at Home Park.

Still just 17 when he made the move to Devon, the dazzling winger would prove his undoubted quality during his first spell away from Stamford Bridge, and left the Janners in attendance collectively in awe at what he could produce.

No match showcased that terrific talent more than a superb solo goal against Crystal Palace the week before his 18th birthday, as he left half the Eagles side in his wake before igniting Home Park ecstasy with a goal for the ages.

Scott Sinclair catches fire during Plymouth Argyle loan spell

Few knew what to expect when Sinclair made the move to the southwest in January 2007, with the young Chelsea star still wet behind the ears, having made his debut for the Blues as a late substitute just weeks earlier.

One man who knew all about him though was then-Argyle boss Ian Holloway. He knew what a talent he had on his hands, having seen the star firsthand long before he turned professional.

 

“He’s someone I knew and trained when he was 10 years old,” Holloway told BBC Sport.

“He left Bristol Rovers when Chelsea secured his signature (in 2005) and we’ve been monitoring his career for the last seven or eight years.

“Chelsea have let us borrow him now they are out of the FA Youth Cup. He’s a great lad, with a good family, and gives me more options.”

Initially signing for a month, Sinclair wasted no time in introducing himself to his new fanbase, with a brief cameo against Coventry City whetting the appetite, before he stole the show away at Underhill in an FA Cup clash against Barnet.

Picking the ball up 30 yards from his own goal, there looked to be very little danger, but few knew of the stardust that the new Argyle man had in his boots until about 15 seconds later when the ball had nestled in the back of the net.

As soon as the ball was under his spell, Sinclair was away, riding one tackle before clipping the ball past a static defender, who could only watch on as the roadrunner circumvented him with ease on halfway.

One-on-one with the defender with half a pitch to play with, the forward showed no signs of slowing up; jinking and weaving like a middleweight boxer as he eyed the opposition up, before landing the killer blow with a pivot onto his weaker left-hand side.

A delicate prod with the outside of his right boot later, and more than one opponent left prone on the canvas, a legend had been born. Scott Sinclair: The Magic Man.

It may have been against lowly opposition, but that moment set the bar for the remainder of the teenager’s time in Devon, and few would expect him to top it just months later, as he produced another wonder moment on the Championship stage.

Crystal Palace moment is Scott Sinclair’s lasting Plymouth Argyle memory

Wolverhampton Wanderers and Derby County were both to feel his effect during his first few weeks as a Green, with the club extending his loan spell by a month at a time as his impact continued to be felt.

A goal against the Rams contributed to an FA Cup run to the quarter-finals – the furthest the club had gone in the competition since 1984 – with yet more memories made during his fleeting spell as a Pilgrim.

With that Barnet goal still fresh in the memory, those at Home Park on March 17th 2007 must have been having severe flashbacks as Crystal Palace came to town, with another solo piece of brilliance stealing the show.

 

Once again picking up the ball closer to his own penalty area than halfway, fans knew what the speedster could do given half a chance, and even if the visitors did, they would have quite the task in trying to stop him.

And so it proved, with future Argyle boss Carl Fletcher not knowing which side of the street he was on as the teenage talent meandered in front of him before Danny Butterfield came to double up.

Seemingly ushering the frontman out towards the corner flag, the Palace pair thought they had done their job, but Sinclair had other ideas, with the duo left dancing in the moonlight with a single swish of his right foot.

Tearing into the penalty area at a narrow angle, the Premier League player in the making opened up his body and curled a delightful effort past Gabor Kiraly, clipping the underside of the goal frame on the way in.

Just mention the name Scott Sinclair to a Janner, and they will be sent back almost two decades in a flash; they could envisage every footprint left behind as the Palace defence retreats, the exact curvature of the ball as it caresses the crossbar, the elation as it rustles the goalnet.

This was a special talent, and Argyle were counting their lucky stars that he had blessed the Home Park turf with his presence, and given them memories for the ages with a string of superb displays.

 

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