Curtis poised for Argyle debut against Rovers

RONAN Curtis is in line to make his debut for Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy round of 16 tie against Bristol Rovers at the Memorial Stadium on tonight.

- By CHRIS ERRINGTON

A change of cup-tied rules this season means Ronan Curtis is eligible to play in the Vertu Trophy ISABELLE FIELD/GETTY IMAGES

(ISABELLE FIELD/GETTY IMAGES)

The Pilgrims announced on Saturday that the 29-year-old attacking player had joined them from League One rivals Port Vale on a contract until the end of the 2027/28 season.

Curtis has played four times for Port Vale in the Vertu Trophy this season, starting two of the games, and scored after coming off the bench in a 4-1 home group stage win against Leeds United U21s in early September.

Despite that, the Pilgrims' latest recruit will be eligible to play for them against Bristol Rovers after a change of the cup-tied rules this season.

Cleverley said: “When a new (transfer) window opens that player can play in the cup competition so Ronan will be available for us tonight, which is excellent news.

“In those wide areas, or the line behind the striker - or strikers - we have been demanding a little bit more productivity in terms of goals and assists, and Ronan has showed throughout his whole career he can do that.”

Curtis, who has played seven times for the Republic of Ireland at full international level, has followed Argyle’s 14-goal top scorer Lorent Tolaj in making the move from Port Vale to Argyle this season.

Cleverley added: “He's an international footballer, he knows Tolly well and connected with him really well in some games that I saw earlier in the season. He has got good experience at this level and he will be a good addition to the group.”