Derby County handed Plymouth Argyle an unlikely hero under odd circumstances: View

Most teams will go through the whole season with the same man between the sticks, maybe they’ll need a backup here or there, or sometimes even three.

But for Plymouth Argyle in the 2017/18 season, there must have been something in the Devon water, with the club utilising eight different shot-stoppers in their match day squads, during a jinxed time for anyone who put the gloves on at Home Park.

Kelle Roos completed the octet when he joined the club on an emergency loan in the December, with the Greens already seeing a number of glovesman fall by the wayside during the campaign.

He may have only featured in four games for the Pilgrims, but his arrival unwittingly created the start of something special at Home Park, with an unbelievable turnaround in form seeing them skyrocket up the League One table.

Plymouth Argyle’s freak goalkeeper scenario

Argyle had three goalkeepers on their books at the start of the season, with Luke McCormick, Kyle Letheren and Robbert the Loeke all trusted with manning the penalty area for the season ahead.

But one by one, the men between the sticks started to become crocked, with McCormick ruled out with an ankle injury, before replacement Letheren injured his thigh during a clash with Blackburn Rovers at Ewood Park.

 

That injury saw a first 45 minutes of action for a budding young goalkeeper by the name of Michael Cooper, who kept a clean sheet in his first outing for the Greens, before becoming first choice years later.

Cooper himself then suffered a dislocated finger in training, while loanee Remi Matthews looked to have saved the day, only for a leg injury to curtail his playing time, with Will Mannion also being brought in for a solitary game against Yeovil Town in the EFL Trophy.

Academy goalkeeper Max Childs was also brought in to feature on the bench at one point, with the Greens down to the bare bones in terms of shot-stoppers, with it feeling like there was a new goalkeeper every week at Home Park.

As a result, it was no surprise that Argyle’s form was troubling at this time, with a lack of permanent number one hampering their progress in League One, with just one win in their first 14 league games.

And as Roos arrived to become the eighth shot-stopper involved in first-team duties for the season, few would have seen the miraculous turnaround that was about to unfold, with Derek Adams’ side turning themselves into playoff dark horses by the season’s end.

Kelle Roos arrival sparks Plymouth Argyle playoff charge

With just four league wins by December, the mood was anything but festive as Christmas approached at Home Park, with the club struggling for form upon their return to the third tier.

As Gillingham made the trip to Devon, there was little to be optimistic about, with Roos about to make his debut having joined from Derby County just a day before.

With Matthews back on the injury list and Cooper deemed too young to be trusted at just 18 years of age, the new arrival was thrown straight into the mix against the Gills, and ended up helping the club to just their third win in front of their own fans all season.

Not that it wasn’t without its scary moments, with a shot squirming under his body in the first half, before he just about managed to claw it away before it had crossed the goal line, leaving the Janners in attendance holding their collective breath.

But the Dutchman regathered his composure to help his temporary side to a 2-1 win, with Toumani Diagouraga netting a 90th minute winner to send the home fans into ecstasy.

From then on, Argyle were transformed, with a 1-1 draw with high-flying Rotherham United coming the week after, with Semi Ajayi’s late equaliser spoiling what had been a great afternoon between the sticks.

Oldham Athletic were then despatched 4-1, before Boxing Day saw a 1-0 victory over MK Dons, with Roos picking up ten points from his four games as a Pilgrim, before heading back to Pride Park after a job well done.

With Matthews back to full fitness, the Rams goalkeeper was left packing his bags in the south west before the New Year had arrived, with the momentum that had been started continuing throughout 2018.

 

11 wins in 15 matches saw Adams and his side launch up the league table, with one of the most unlikely of playoff pushes gathering pace, with the feeling inside Home Park chalk and cheese compared to that when Roos entered the building.

Alas, a postponed Easter Monday trip to Scunthorpe United soon came back to haunt the Greens, with the rearranged fixture in the final week of the season proving a hurdle too far, with their dreams going up in smoke with days of the season remaining.

It may have ended in late heartbreak, but many Pilgrims were happy to sit in and enjoy the ride, although few will remember that it was a short-term custodian that paved the way for that run to begin, with Roos’ short-term impact having a long-term effect in Devon.

 

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