Marcel Seip has been told to forget the Plymouth politics and focus on his football again.

The Dutch defender, who signed a short-term deal with City last week, made his first appearance of the season for the reserves at Gateshead on Monday.

Phil Parkinson wants Seip to grab the chance at Valley Parade to relaunch a career that had been dragged down by life at the crisis-torn Devon club.

The versatile 29-year-old played nearly 150 games for Plymouth – who have been in administration since March – and is married to the daughter of former chairman Paul Stapleton.

But Parkinson feels his newest acquisition had to make a clean break.

He said: “Players need to play football, not get involved in the political issues surrounding the club.

“Sometimes you need to draw a line under a particular chapter in your life and move on.

“Marcel needed to get away from Plymouth to restart his career.

“He has come up here and got a fresh impetus. It’s a new future for him.”

Full story in today's Telegraph & Argus