Former Huddersfield Town and Sheffield Wednesday coach handed key role at fellow Championship strugglers Plymouth Argyle

Ireland latterly worked with ex-Terriers chief Darren Moore as part of his backroom team at the John Smith's Stadium after heading to West Yorkshire with Jamie Smith, Jimmy Shan and Adriano Basso in the autumn.

Following Moore's departure earlier this year, Barnstaple-born Ireland, who was set-piece coach at Huddersfield, has returned to his home county to head to Argyle.

Prior to joining Town, Ireland, who represented Doncaster Rovers in his playing career where he was a team-mate of Moore's in the mid-1990s, worked under him at Hillsborough after joining their coaching ranks in August 2021.

He left the Owls last summer alongside Moore and his coaching team.

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On the appointment, Argyle director of football Neil Dewsnip said: "We are delighted that Simon has agreed to join Argyle as first-team coach, initially until the end of the season.

"Although this appointment has taken time, we have always been adamant that we would wait for the right person, who could make a genuine difference, and in Simon we believe we have found that.

"Simon joining will allow me to revert to my normal role in the directors' box. We are at a crucial period of the season and this addition will strengthen our aim of securing safety in the Sky Bet Championship this season.

"I would like to welcome Simon to the club and wish him every success in his role."