In Plymouth Argyle’s 137-year history, only 22 players have hit 50 goals for the club.
But Ryan Hardie is on the cusp of it. And the striker couldn’t have picked a bigger or better stage to try to bag his half century. Hardie will run out at Wembley today for the EFL Trophy Final against Bolton knowing he can write himself into
Pilgrims folklore. There’s a Scot right at the top of their all-time scorers list. Sammy Black from Motherwell – often regarded as Plymouth’s greatest player – scored 184 times in the 1920s and 30s. Hardie has a bit to go to catch him. But the former Rangers forward, who has found a home on Devon’s south coast, would love his landmark strike to come at the UK’s biggest venue.
“During our last game, I hit both posts with a shot. So I’m saving my 50th for Wembley,” he tells MailSport . If it comes, Hardie will have earned his spot in the limelight, given the journey he has been on since leaving Ibrox. Loan moves in Scotland at Raith Rovers, St Mirren and Livingston, before a move to Blackpool that turned sour.
When he joined Argyle he dropped down to League Two. But 49 goals later they’re on the brink of promotion to the Championship – with Hardie being tipped for a Scotland call-up. The EFL Trophy isn’t the Champions League. But a victory and that elusive 50th goal would be a career high for the 26-year-old.
He said: “I mean, Wembley isn’t quite Hampden but it is what it is! No, I’m joking. This is one we’ve been looking forward to for a while now. As we’ve ticked the games off, especially the semi-final, it’s a game we’ve been excited about.
“I’ve never been to Wembley, not even to watch a game. So I’m looking forward to ticking it off. The capacity is 90,000 and hopefully it will be near full, which would be great for us. I’m obviously sitting on 49 goals for Plymouth right now. If I can get my 50th for the club at Wembley, that would be special.”
Hardie broke into Rangers’ first-team squad eight years ago when they were in the Championship.
He was a prolific goalscorer at youth level and idolised Kris Boyd as a kid. Nicknamed “greyhound” for his pace and languid style, he was tipped to make the grade at Ibrox. But like so many young players at the Old Firm– especially strikers – it just didn’t happen for him.
He was loaned out before securing a permanent switch to Blackpool in 2019. Hardie has no regrets about the career path he has taken and would urge more Ibrox youngsters to do the same. He said: “It’s tough for any young striker to make it at Rangers or Celtic.
“It’s a cut-throat environment. As a manager you need to win or you’re immediately under pressure. So it must be hard for them to put trust in youngsters. I can see it from both sides now.
“Listen, I’m happy because I lived my dream by scoring for Rangers. I was grateful for the chance. But opportunities are limited there for young strikers.
“It’s getting better now, I can see more boys getting chances. But for my own career I knew I had to take it elsewhere. I enjoyed my time in Scotland but I did it right by going on loan and getting first-team experience as soon as I could.
“I went out on loan at 17 so I was one of the lucky ones. By doing that I managed to set up my career. When I got the chance to go down south it was something I wanted to try to experience.
“Thankfully I’ve managed to score goals wherever I’ve been. At Blackpool it didn’t work for me in the first six months so I came to Plymouth and kick-started my career. This club revived me, if you like. I did it in League Two and I’ve continued to score in League One. It would mean everything to help them reach the Championship this season.
“That was our vision at the start so it would be great to be part of that rebuild. We wanted to be up there challenging as the Championship is where we deserve to be.
“It would be a proud moment for me to be part of it.”
It might not be his birth place of Stranraer but Hardie now calls Plymouth home. He has already had three years at the club and has started a family – son Arthur is a regular at Home Park.
The only thing that would make Hardie unhappy is not scoring goals. And this season, the smile has rarely left his face.
He has already bagged 17 before today’s trip to Wembley and said: “I can’t speak highly enough about Plymouth. From the top to the bottom of the club, everything is going in the right direction.
“When I joined we were in League Two. We got into League One and we’re now at its summit. On the pitch, it’s a joy to be part of this team. We create loads of chances and as a striker that’s what you need. I’ll do well as long as I’m getting chances. And this team is second to none at creating them.
“Off it, we feel settled and it’s a great place to bring up a child. My boy is enjoying it here, that’s him at nursery now. It’s close to beaches and a few degrees warmer than in Scotland.
“So it’s definitely a good place to be. It’s almost as good as Stranraer. Not quite but it’s getting there.”
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