Alfie Devine faces fresh Tottenham challenge as £8.5m transfer highlights Plymouth importance

Alfie Devine could only watch on from the substitutes' bench as Plymouth Argyle fell to a slender 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday on Tuesday evening. Falling behind on the hour mark courtesy of Djeidi Gassama's close-range strike, the Pilgrims unfortunately could not restore parity in such an important game in the bottom half of the Championship table.

Despite needing a moment of magic in the final third with the visitors just not doing enough to test James Beadle in the Sheffield Wednesday goal, Plymouth boss Ian Foster elected against introducing Devine for the closing stages of the contest. Previously a regular in the team immediately after his loan move from Tottenham in January, things have not quite gone the youngster's way of late.

Dropping down to the bench for the recent win at Middlesbrough and coming on for the final 17 minutes of the contest with Foster keen to give the youngster a break, Devine remained there for their next Championship fixture at home to Ipswich Town with the boss understandably not wanting to change a winning team following a brilliant 2-0 victory on Teesside. Introduced in the 81st minute against high-flying Ipswich last Saturday as they looked for a way back into the match, this time Devine went without any minutes at all as Argyle lost at Hillsborough.

Speaking to Plymouth Live in February, Devine admitted that he had been «disappointed» with how he had played in his first three appearances for the club. However, last month's 2-2 draw with Coventry City appeared that it could be a bit of a turning point for the youngster after he registered an assist and had a hand in Plymouth's other goal on the night.

«I think the first three games I have been quite disappointed with myself because