As crazy as ever: All-action ex-Portsmouth favourite in the headlines again to prove you can't keep a good man down
As a Fratton favourite, he was always in the thick of the action - and, reassuringly, nothing has changed.
Ronan Curtis’ immense passion and commitment to the Pompey cause ensured there was always the potential for chaos. He once even attempted to play on after suffering an ACL injury to his left knee.
Well, the Irishman’s last five matches with Port Vale have now consisted of him scoring three times, claiming one assist, being sent off after the final whistle, and establishing himself in a new position.
Although the red card was later rescinded after the League Two club successfully appealed against a charge of violent conduct on the grounds of wrongful dismissal.
As ever, these things tend to happen to Curtis, who netted an impressive 57 times in 226 appearances during five seasons with the Blues.
Still, it’s heartening to see him rediscovering his spark after being sidelined from football for 11 months after suffering knee ligament damage for Pompey in February 2023.
Having made his comeback with AFC Wimbledon in the second half of last season, he signed for Port Vale on a two-year deal following their relegation from League One.
Since then Curtis has scored seven times and claimed four assists in 32 matches in all competitions for Darren Moore’s sixth-placed side.
Half of his 28 league outings so far have come off the bench, although the 28-year-old has now started Vale’s last two matches following a switch to a centre-forward role in December.
In the striking role, Curtis earned them at point at Tranmere on Saturday in a 1-1 draw, producing a first-time angled finish from just inside the box to level in the first half.
Indeed, since the start of February, he’s grabbed a winner at Notts County after being introduced off the bench for Jayden Stockley, and also netted in a 4-1 EFL Trophy loss to Wrexham.
While he set up Antwoine Hackford’s opener in a 2-1 victory over Salford - a match he was actually wrongly dismissed in.
Curtis was facing a three-match ban for violent conduct after referee Thomas Kirk showed him a straight red card after the final whistle.
Becoming a big Pompey favourite
It was Pompey who brought Curtis into the Football League in the summer of 2018 for a bargain £100,000.
Previously with Derry, the hard-working left winger would subsequently establish himself as a first-team regular, hitting double figures in four successive seasons until injury wrecked his fifth - and final - Fratton Park campaign.
His tally of 57 consisted of just one penalty - arriving in a 3-3 draw with Fleetwood in February 2022.
He remains Pompey’s highest-scorer in the 21st Century, with Colby Bishop currently giving chase on 50 goals.
However, after damaging his ACL against Bolton in February 2023 - and out of contract that summer - Curtis never featured for the Blues again.
He remained at Fratton Park to complete his lengthy rehabilitation, before the Irishman moved on a free transfer to Wimbledon in January 2024.
Having proven his fitness with the Wombles, with five goals and two assists in 17 appearances during the second half of 2023-24, he signed for Port Vale.
And, as ever, Curtis is having an impact.