8 ex-Plymouth Argyle players we had no idea are still playing

We were shocked to find out this group of players were still applying their trade on a football pitch

• Former players still going strong: Some ex-Plymouth Argyle players have extended their careers beyond the club, with Lewis Alessandra and Luke Summerfield still playing at 34 and 35 respectively.
•  Reuben Reid’s success and betrayal: Reid had a successful spell with Argyle, scoring 31 league goals, but moved to rival team Exeter City, disappointing the Green Army.
•  Long-lasting careers: David Norris made the most appearances for Argyle, playing 240 games over six years, while Barry Hayles continues to play at the age of 51, surprising fans with his longevity.
• As football fans, we have those niche memories of players that once played for our clubs, somewhere in the back of our heads. From time to time, they might come up in conversations or debates, and you might think to yourself ‘I wonder what they get up to in their career after leaving us.’

  It always tends to stir up intrigue from fans when they see former players still going long after they’ve left their club. Well, today we’re going to look at this through the lens of Plymouth Argyle.

  Most of these players took the more normal route of slowly dropping down the English divisions to extend their careers for as long as possible. Others went down footballing paths that most people who remember them playing wouldn’t have expected.

• Lewis Alessandra

  The forward spent the majority of his career bouncing around the EFL. But his two-year spell with Argyle was a bit of an anomaly in his career.

  Most of the teams that he played for were based in the north of England, usually no more southern than York. However, the 34-year-old spent two seasons with the Devon-based side.

  In that time, he played 100 games. He’s currently contracted to Hyde United, who play in the seventh tier of English football.

   

  Luke Summerfield

  The 35-year-old is a graduate from the club’s academy. He spent six years in the club’s first team. But about half of that time was spent on loan at various clubs, like Leyton Orient and AFC Bournemouth.

  The midfielder left his boyhood club in 2011, and he’s still playing football over 12 years on. FC Halifax Town is where he plays at the moment.

  Despite the various temporary moves away from Home Park, Summerfield did make 90 appearances in total for Argyle.

   

  As things currently stand, he has played more games for Plymouth than he has for any other team. But he only needs eight more games to be able to surpass the 90 games mark for Halifax.

  Reuben Reid

  Reid is still plying his trade for Weston Super Mare. But, prior to his time in the non-leagues, he was an EFL stalwart.

  He played for a dozen teams in the EFL, and he had two separate stints with Plymouth. He joined them from Manchester United’s youth setup in 2005. He would spend almost all of his time with the club out on loan, before he eventually left in 2008.

  But he would rejoin Argyle in 2013. His second spell went much better, scoring 31 league goals across three seasons.

  But he made the cardinal sin of moving to Exeter City after becoming a free agent in 2016.

  During his time in the EFL, he was a big factor in helping multiple teams either make the play-offs, or get promoted. Reid was one of those strikers that opposition fans saw on the teamsheet and thought ‘Oh no. Not him.’

  That pretty much sums him up as a player, and we can imagine that it must’ve been hard for the Green Army to see him in red and white.

  Joel Grant

  The winger is the most recent player on this list to have played for Plymouth. He was released by the club in 2020.

  Grant actually did the reverse of Reid’s bold Devon switch. He moved from Exeter to Argyle, having spent two years with City, in 2015.

  He would go on to play for the Pilgrims for three years. He scored 15 league goals during that time, and ended his EFL career having found the back of the net 69 times, in total.

  The Jamaican international was quite a swiss army knife of a player. He could play all across the front line of an attack, as well as in slightly more conservative wide roles as well.

  He’s currently playing football for Nantwich Town in the eighth tier of English football.

  Peter Hartley

  Hartley is one of two players on this list to play football outside of England. He’s not only not playing in England, he’s not playing in Europe.

  The 35-year-old currently represents Inter Kashi, who play in the second tier of Indian football. He joined the Asian side from Hartlepool United a little over a month ago.

  This is actually his second stint playing in the subcontinent. He previously represented Jamshedpur FC before joining Hartlepool.

  The defender made 96 appearances for Argyle.

  Onismor Bhasera

  The Zimbabwean is the other player, of the eight on this list, to be playing outside of Europe. Like Hartley, he’s not in Europe anymore either.

  The left-back is playing in South Africa for SuperSport United. He started his professional career there, playing for Kaizer Chiefs, before he joined Plymouth.

  He made the move from Africa to Devon in 2010. The winger wasn’t the most productive of players. He only scored four goals in 114 games for Argyle. But he was able to rack up 12 assists.

  David Norris

  The 42-year-old comfortably made the most appearances for Argyle during his time with the club. 240 games played is what he racked up with the Pilgrims. In that time, he scored 28 goals and contributed 12 assists. That works out as a goal contribution every six games, which is a pretty decent record.

  Those games came across a six-year tenure. He was sold by Argyle to Ipswich Town, in 2008, for £2.4 million.

  If he’s still playing for Lancaster City, at the start of next season, he will have made it to 25 years of football.

  Barry Hayles

  The Jamaican international was 36-years-old when he left Argyle in January 2008, and he is still playing football.

  Hayles is 51. That’s just a ridiculous age to still be playing football. He’s bounced around the non-league circuit for the last 10+ years. But he’s representing FC Windsor at the moment.

  He only played 66 games for the club, but I don’t think any Plymouth fans who can remember his time with Argyle would’ve expected him to still be lacing up his boots 15 years on.