CONOR GRANT

Full Name: Conor James Grant

Born: 18 April 1995

Came from: Everton   Went to: Port Vale

First game: 04 August 2018   Last game: 07 May 2023

Appearances: 137 (110/27)   Goals: 14

Grant became Derek Adams' first summer signing for the 2018-19 season, but at the second time of asking; a move for the left-footed midfielder fell through in January 2018 because of a FIFA rule that prevented players from appearing for more than two teams in a season (Grant had been on loan at Crewe Alexandra and also played one Checkatrade Trophy game for Everton earlier that season).

Born in Fazakerly, a suburb in north Liverpool, Grant was a product of Everton's Academy, having been with the club since the age of 13. He signed his first professional contract in July 2013, having featured in the club's pre-season games, and his first exposure to the first-team in a competitive fixture came in December 2014 when he was named as a substitute against FC Krasnodar in the Europa League.

Other than his Checkatrade outing, his main exposure at Everton was with the under-23 side, but loan moves also aided his development. In February 2015 he joined Motherwell for the remainder of the campaign, getting off to a dream start by netting a stunning 25-yard free-kick against Ross County. He went on to make 12 more appearances and help the Fir Park side beat the drop.

In July 2015 Grant signed a new one-year contract at Everton, and three months later joined Doncaster Rovers on loan, where he played 22 times and scored four goals before his season was curtailed in mid-March after sustaining an Achilles injury.

A new two-year contract was agreed at Goodison Park in July 2016, followed by a loan deal with Ipswich Town that August. After seven appearances the loan was cut short and he rejoined Doncaster Rovers in January 2017, on loan for the rest of that season, where he made a further 21 appearances, scoring once.

In 2017-18 Grant made 18 appearances in a half-season loan spell with Crewe Alexandra before being released by Everton at the end of the campaign, this time successfully paving the way for his move to Home Park.

Grant proved to be an astute signing for the club, playing for five seasons under three managers: Derek Adams, Ryan Lowe and Steven Schumacher. Whilst his first season ended in disappointment as Derek Adams' side quickly returned to League Two, he was subsequently part of two great promotion teams - Ryan Adams' points-per-game promotion from League Two to League One in the COVID-curtailed season of 2019-20, and then Steven Schumacher's side that romped to the League One title with 101 points in 2022-23, to take Argyle to the Championship. Injuries, however, limited his contribution in that last season to just a single start and eight appearances from the bench, and he was then ruled out between November 2022 and March 2023, but returned in time to score a goal in a pivotal 2-0 win at Accrington Stanley as pressure mounted from the chasing pack.

Throughout his time at the club, he developed a reputation as a solid, imposing and commanding midfielder / wing-back with a reputation for the odd spectacular strike, particularly from a free-kick.

His last Argyle appearance was a triumphant 3-1 win at Port Vale, which clinched the League One title in May 2023. Oddly, having been released by Argyle after the promotion celebrations were over, he signed a two-year contract with the Vale Park side.