In the summer of 2023, athletic forward Ryan Hardie signed a three-year deal to extend his Pilgrims stint into a fifth season, and beyond. 

With 17 goals, Hardie was Argyle’s leading goalscorer in 2022/23, as the Pilgrims were promoted as champions from Sky Bet League One. 

Hardie first joined Argyle in January 2020, coming in on loan from Blackpool. His stint saw him score seven goals in 13 games; eight of those games were as a substitute, and he scored his first five goals all from the bench. Hardie’s goals helped Argyle to third place by the time the season was curtailed because of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the Greens were later promoted on a points-per-game basis. 

For the following season, Ryan once again headed to Home Park on loan, and would later sign on a permanent basis in January. Goals were in shorter supply that season, with six, but Hardie came roaring back with a return of 19 in 2021/22, as Argyle narrowly missed out on the League One play-offs. 

In all, Hardie has played 163 times for Argyle, 108 of them starts, and has scored 49 times. This puts him in level 24th in the all-time Argyle goalscoring charts, joint with Graham Carey and John Sims. 

Hardie began his career with his boyhood love, Rangers, and played a handful of games for the Scottish giants, also heading out on loan spells with Raith Rovers, St Mirren and Livingston. He joined Blackpool in the summer of 2019, but it was with Argyle, later that season, when his move south of the border truly took off.