Curtis and Tolaj were team-mates when Port Vale were promoted from League Two last season and are now at Argyle together
11:44, 15 Jan 2026
Ronan Curtis immediately struck up his rapport with former Port Vale team-mate Lorent Tolaj again when he made his debut for Plymouth Argyle in the Vertu Trophy victory over Bristol Rovers.
Curtis went straight into Argyle's starting line-up for the round of 16 tie at the Memorial Stadium, after joining them from Vale at the weekend, and the 29-year-old came up with three assists in an action-packed 4-3 win.
One of those assists was for Tolaj, who was also a team-mate of his at Vale last season when they were promoted as League Two runners-up.
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It was for the goal which put the Pilgrims 3-2 up in the 49th minute when a low cross by Curtis from the left was steered into the far corner of the net by Tolaj, and was clear evidence of the understanding each other already have.
Curtis said: "I had the pleasure of playing with Tolly last year, alongside him. We have got a good relationship.
"I know what he likes. He's a handful to play against and I know what he brings to the table. So I just put it in a good area for him to get on the end of it and thankfully he was there to put it in the net."
Tolaj has got 15 goals in all competitions for Argyle this season, with 11 of them coming in League One from 18 starts, and Curtis can see an improvement in the Swiss striker from when he was at Vale.
"You look at his goals this season, he's up there with the top scorers in the league and I think he can get many more," said Argyle's newest signing.
Curtis could hardly have had a more effective debut for his new club. "Really enjoyable, just nice to play in your natural position as a left winger," he said.
"The gaffer put me straight in, it was a nice gesture obviously. Hopefully I did a good job with the three assists and we got the win in the end so into the next round so really looking forward to that."
The first of his three assists came from a 46th minute corner when his perfectly-flighted cross was swept home by Brendan Galloway, who had come on as a half-time substitute.
Curtis said: "It was a good delivery but it was a great finish as well. It's not easy coming on at half-time to get going but he did really well to get on the end of the cross."
After Curtis set up Tolaj to make it 3-2 to Argyle, Rovers hit back with an equaliser from Luke Thomas in the 61st minute and it remained all square until deep into added time.
That was when Bim Pepple, another substitute for the Pilgrims, fired into the net after a cross from Curtis, who had broken down the right when he won back possession of the ball.
Curtis said: "I think the centre-half tried to knock it down to the midfielder and I have just nipped in front of him, drove up the pitch with it and dinked it to the back post. He finished it off well."
The Vertu Trophy is a competition which Curtis has had a lot of success in previously, reaching two finals with Portsmouth and beating Sunderland on penalties in 2019 but losing the same way to Salford City the following year.
Curtis said: "I have been lucky to get to two finals in this trophy, I won it with Portsmouth against Sunderland. It's always a lovely day out when you get to Wembley.
"We have got to keep that in the back of our mind and treat every single cup game like it's the cup final so we will tick them off one by one."
The EFL have yet to confirm when the draw for the Vertu Trophy quarter-finals will take place although details of that are expected shortly.
Curtis continued: "I don't think Argyle have won a trophy in a final for a long, long time so it would be nice for my first season here to get us there (to Wembley), and it's a great day out.
"I have managed to be there twice, a full packed arena, so if we could get there it would be lovely, but we will take one game at a time, we keep our foot on the pedal and we keep going."
Tolaj is not the only Argyle player that Curtis knew before arriving at Home Park because Owen Dale was a team-mate of his at Portsmouth.
Curtis said about his new team-mates: "I have played against most of them through my career. It was an easy option for me to come here. They have made me so welcome. It has been unbelievable since I stepped through the door."
He added: "It's a massive club, Argyle. When I played against them for Portsmouth it was always unbelievable battles. It was a no-brainer for me.
"I didn't play as much as I would have liked at Port Vale in my natural position. I was put at left wing-back, as an eight and a striker.
"As long as I'm giving 100 per cent and trying my best for my team-mates that's all I can ask for really. It's just lovely to be out there and enjoying my football again."
Curtis certainly staked a strong claim to start Argyle's next League One game, which is away to Peterborough United on Saturday, with his three-assist performance against Rovers.
"That's why the gaffer has brought me here, to score goals and assist goals for my team-mates," he said. "That's all I can do really. Hopefully there's many more to come."
Curtis is also looking forward to playing for Argyle for the first time at Home Park, with Luton Town the visitors next Saturday (January 24) for a 12.30pm kick-off.
"I can't wait until the first home game for me personally to see a packed out arena, and to give the fans something to cheer about," he said. "I'm an emotional player, I like to get the fans on board so they are behind the players."
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