Shrewsbury Town deal came up trumps as Plymouth Argyle landed promotion guarantee | OneFootball

Antoni Sarcevic helped the Greens get out of League Two twice during his time at Home Park

Most football players will be lucky to experience promotion once in their careers, some may even get to do it twice or thrice, but then Antoni Sarcevic is not most footballers.

The midfielder has made a living out of contributing to successful teams over his career, having been part of six squads to win promotion in the Football League, as well as adding to that record in the non-league circuit.

Two of those came during his time at Plymouth Argyle, a club he played over 100 times for during the last decade, and became something of a fan favourite through his performances and distinctive demeanour during is time in Devon.

Joining part way through the initial promotion charge under Derek Adams in the 16/17 season, Sarcevic left his mark after joining from Shrewsbury Town, as he added a sprinkling of quality throughout his time as a Pilgrim.

Antoni Sarcevic contributes to Plymouth Argyle League Two promotion

Having fallen out of favour in Shropshire, Sarcevic made the move to Devon in January 2017, and went about making his mark as soon as possible after dropping down to the fourth tier.

A goal on his first start for the club against Cambridge United set the tone for what was to come, as he became a crucial link between defence and attack; linking up with the likes of David Fox and Graham Carey to supply the ammunition going forward.

After netting a second against Leyton Orient soon after, the playmaker continues to play his part in a side that were exerting their dominance in League Two, having missed out in the play-off final the season before.

With that added bit of quality that Sarcevic produced, Adams and his side were celebrating promotion come the summer, with a return to League One for both player and club a just reward for a strong season on the pitch.

Those two years in the third tier were a mixed bag for the club as a whole, with a wretched start to the following campaign seeing them win just one of their first 14 league games after promotion, before ending the season as play-off contenders.

Sarcevic would see red in an early 4-0 defeat to Scunthorpe United at Home Park for an off the ball incident, before redeeming himself later in the campaign with a number of crucial strikes.

Goals against Bury, Oldham Athletic and Bradford City helped continue the Janner juggernaut that season, which ultimately came up short just weeks before the campaign came to a close, before an utterly forgettable campaign the season after ended in relegation on the final day of the season.

Plymouth Argyle bounce back after League One relegation

With Adams shown the door as the 2018/19 season came to a close, Ryan Lowe was tasked with rebuilding a side capable of winning promotion at the first time of asking, and with Sarcevic in his midfield, he knew he had a player he could rely on to produce the goods in the fourth tier.

True to form, the ex-Fleetwood Town man contributed towards 16 goals in a season curtailed early by the COVID-19 pandemic, with a run of five goals in seven games after the start of the year ultimately making all the difference when everything was said and done.

Late levellers at Macclesfield, cool penalties against Mansfield, Crawley and Crewe, but the pick of the bunch was a sumptuous strike against Salford City, in a match which ranks in the ‘I was there’ list for many of the Green Army.

A humdinger of an affair saw the Pilgrims take the lead early, before being pegged back by the hosts around the hour mark, before Sarcevic took a ball down on the edge of the area, and with one swish of the outside of his right boot, despatched the ball into the far corner.

Those in the terraces behind the goal were apoplectic, and even more so when Ryan Hardie netted a late winner to claim all three points after another Ammies equaliser, with the full spirit of Argyle at that time coming to the fore to claim the victory.

With another promotion under his belt, Sarcevic soon left Home Park for Bolton Wanderers, where he repeated the trick 12 months later, as he played his part in another barnstorming League Two success.

Two league titles with Stockport County later, the midfielder has to be one of the most decorated players in EFL history, and still has plenty of years left in the tank to add to his medal collection before he hangs up his boots.