Plymouth Argyle struck gold with signing who has now scored over 60 goals | OneFootball

Plymouth Argyle struck gold by signing Blackpool outcast Ryan Hardie.

Plymouth Argyle struck gold by bringing Ryan Hardie to the club from Blackpool in 2020. The striker is well on the path to becoming a legend at Home Park.

Argyle have done some brilliant business in recent years, but it would be extremely hard for them to trump the signing of Hardie in 2020.

Initially signing on loan, the Scot made his move permanent the following winter, as he enjoyed a successful season in Devon.

Since then, neither Hardie nor Plymouth have looked back, which has seen a successful period in the club’s history, as the Pilgrims made a return to the Championship in 2023. Having made even more history together following a 1-0 victory over Liverpool on Sunday, Plymouth will surely feel they struck gold by securing Hardie’s services.

Hardie found himself as an outcast at Blackpool before Plymouth switch

The Stranraer-born attacker rose through the youth ranks at Rangers in his native Scotland, before eventually earning his first professional contract in 2014. Hardie was a lifelong Rangers supporter, so to make it at the club he loved would’ve been very special.

After a few successful loan spells away from Ibrox in the Scottish lower leagues, most notably with Livingston, Hardie had certainly proven to be a man who knows where the net is. This saw him earn a new deal with the Scottish giants in 2019.

However, the former Scotland youth international decided his future was away from his boyhood club, joining League One Blackpool in 2019 on a permanent deal. Sadly, Hardie wasn’t afforded many playing opportunities, which led to a loan to League Two side, Plymouth, just six months after joining the Seasiders.

This would prove to be the start of something very special, as the forward netted seven goals in 13 appearances, helping his loan club seal promotion from League Two. He then returned on another loan for the following season, which wasn’t as successful, but it was enough to earn him a permanent switch to the Greens.

Argyle struck gold with a deal for Hardie

Four years, over 50 goals, and a promotion to the Championship later, it would be fair to say that Plymouth poaching Hardie after he fell out of favour at Blackpool was a very smart piece of business.

Just over four years after joining Argyle permanently, Hardie celebrated by weaving his name into Argyle history once again when the struggling Pilgrims hosted Premier League leaders, Liverpool, in an FA Cup fourth-round tie. After such a dismal season on the pitch, a victory could be the confidence boost required to turn Plymouth’s season around.

Hardie was his team’s hero, stepping up to score a 50th-minute penalty to give his side the lead over arguably the best team in the world. Despite not playing the full 90 minutes, his teammates got the job done, meaning the Scot would go down in Plymouth history as the man who put the Premier League leaders to the sword.

The Devon-based outfit struck gold with the signing of the Scot, as his arrival coincided with one of the club’s most successful periods in recent history. Whilst things haven’t been all sunshine and rainbows on the pitch this season, the recent triumph over Liverpool serves as a reminder of what a great signing Hardie has been.