Plymouth Argyle transfer call opened the door for Bristol Rovers to land goal machine: View | OneFootball

The Pilgrims reportedly had the chance to sign the striker before he made the move to the Memorial Stadium

Around the turn of the century, Jason Roberts had carved out a reputation as one of the Football League’s most deadly strikers after a goal-laden spell at Bristol Rovers.

After excelling at Torquay United the season before, the frontman made the move to the Memorial Stadium in the summer of 1998, before registering 23 goals in his first full season in the professional game.

Another 25 followed in the 99/00 campaign, as he forged a telepathic partnership with Jamie Cureton up top for The Gas, before moving up the footballing pyramid after a reported £2 million move to West Bromwich Albion.

After bursting onto the scene in the West Country, the hitman excelled for the likes of Wigan Athletic and Blackburn Rovers later in his career, but things could have been so different, with Plymouth Argyle left to rue the decision to turn a deal for the striker down.

Dan McCauley rejects chance to bring Jason Roberts to Plymouth Argyle

Having played 620 matches for Argyle, Kevin Hodges is held in the highest regard by the Green Army, and the summer of 1998 saw him return to Home Park in a managerial role, having spent the previous two years with Torquay at Plainmoor.

It was in the middle of his second season with the Gulls that Hodges lured Roberts to Devon from Wolverhampton Wanderers, with the striker immediately catching fire and notching six goals in 14 appearances during his time on the south coast.

The signs were already there that Roberts was a goal-machine in the making, and with the move across the county back to his spiritual home, Hodges was keen to get a deal for the hotshot over the line.

But in Dan McCauley, Hodges had one of the most tight-fisted chairman in the whole of the Football League to contend with, and knew he would face a losing battle in trying to force the local business person to part with any sort of reasonable sum of money.

In the end, it was Bristol Rovers who stumped up the quarter of a million to bring him in that summer, and reaped the rewards of one of a Premier League star in the making finding his way in the lower divisions.

Speaking to The Argyle Podcast, Hodges reminisced: “I only had six players when I came in, I came in at the end of June and I only had six players signed on.

“There was a few players that I would have brought back from Torquay, but I had already started doing work there.

“I liked to think I could but I also liked to think I could do it at Plymouth. If I had a little bit of support and help I thought I could do what I had done again at Plymouth.

“What I should have done is, I had the chance to bring Jason Roberts in, and I did say at the time that it is going to cost money, but I also said he would guarantee us 20 goals, and he has the potential to sign 30.

“I said in 18 months time, you would be looking at a £1 million player, that’s how I see it, but they didn’t want it to happen, but I still went ahead and did the job.

“What happened with Jason, Ian Holloway signed him and he went to Bristol Rovers, and they sold him for £2 million to West Brom, but that’s another story.”

Jason Roberts goes on to become Premier League marksman

Having missed out on Roberts, Argyle would be left to rue not parting with their cash to bring the player to the club, as they saw the Grenada international continue to flourish in front of their eyes.

After 48 goals in two years for The Gas, West Brom wasted no time in snapping him up in the summer of 2000, as he helped fire the Baggies to Premier League promotion, before repeating the feat with Wigan Athletic three years later.

Argyle bore the brunt of the legendary partnership Roberts had alongside Nathan Ellington in the 04/05 campaign, as the one that got away netted a brace at Home Park to secure a 2-1 victory for the Latics en route to promotion.

Seven years in the top flight with Athletic and Blackburn Rovers followed, before earning another promotion with Reading in the 2011/12 campaign, at the wily old age of 34.

Meanwhile, Argyle could only look on as they ruminated over not pushing the boat out for a player with bags of potential, who could have helped fire them to success when they meandered in the fourth tier.