Thanks to Dave Rowntree for many of the player images after 1984.
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LUKE CROLL
Full Name: Luke Alan Croll
Born: 10 January 1995
Came from: Crystal Palace Went to: Crystal Palace
First game: 21 November 2015 Last game: 28 November 2015
Appearances: 3 (3/0) Goals: 0
Lambeth-born Croll was Derek Adams' second loan signing in two days (following Christian Walton) on the eve of the Devon Derby at home to Exeter City in November 2015, in which he made his Football League debut. Arriving from Crystal Palace, the 20-year-old centre-back joined until January 2016, at a time when injuries threatened Argyle's top-of-the-table position.
Croll came highly-rated from Palace’s under-21 team, having been on the books at Selhurst Park since he was 13. Whilst he had yet to make a first team appearance for the Premier League side, Palace manager Alan Pardew had included him from the start in several of their 2015-16 pre-season friendlies, and he had featured as an unused substitute at Watford that season. His arrival at Home Park meant a reunion with Hiram Boateng, another Crystal Palace prospect, who had been on loan with Argyle since the start of the season.
After three appearances in eight days for Argyle and on the same day that Peter Hartley returned to the side after injury, Derek Adams confirmed in mid-December that Croll had been recalled by Palace and had returned to Selhurst Park. However, the following summer he returned to Devon, but this time to Exeter City, on loan for the 2016-17 campaign. Released by Crystal Palace at the end of that season, he signed permanently for Exeter in June 2017, accumulating a total of 52 appearances in his three seasons at the club.
In June 2019 Croll moved closer to home to begin 58 appearances in two seasons with Dagenham & Redbridge in the National League. Released in May 2021, he signed a short-term contract with National League rivals Chesterfield that November, for whom he played 12 times and scored his first career goal in an FA Cup first round match against Southend.
Croll rejected a renewed contract offer from Chesterfield in the summer of 2022 and, still only 28, crossed the Atlantic in February 2023 to sign for North Carolina FC of the USL League One, the third tier of US soccer.
He seemingly made just one appearance Stateside before returning to the UK in December 2023 to sign for National League side Eastleigh, for whom he made 18 appearances and scored one goal, and then left the club at the end of the 2023-24 season.
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APPEARANCE DETAILS [reselect competitions]
The details below reflect appearances in all first-team competitions.
I'm very grateful to many who have helped write GoS-DB's player pen-pictures, and to Dave Rowntree, the PAFC Media Team and Colin Parsons for their help with photos. Thanks also to staff at the National Football Museum, the Scottish Football Museum and ScotlandsPeople for their valuable assistance.
The following publications have been particularly valuable in the research of pen-pictures: Plymouth Argyle, A Complete Record 1903-1989 (Brian Knight, ISBN 0-907969-40-2); Plymouth Argyle, 101 Golden Greats (Andy Riddle, ISBN 1-874287-47-3); Football League Players' Records 1888-1939 (Michael Joyce, ISBN 1-899468-67-6); Football League Players' Records 1946-1988 (Barry Hugman, ISBN 1-85443-020-3) and Plymouth Argyle Football Club Handbooks.
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