Ryan Hardie has declared he and his family will never forget the ‘special memories’ from his five-and-a-half years at Plymouth Argyle.
The Pilgrims’ 2024/25 Player-of-the-Year and top goalscorer has joined newly-promoted Championship club Wrexham, who have risen from the National League under the ownership of Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney.
Hardie put pen to paper on a three-year contract to become Wrexham’s first summer signing and while his transfer fee was not officially disclosed it has been reported the north Wales club activated a £700,000 release clause in his deal at Argyle after their relegation to League One.
The Scottish striker’s four-year-old son, Arthur, was born in Plymouth and was one of Argyle’s mascots when his dad famously scored from the penalty spot to clinch a shock 1-0 Emirates FA Cup fourth round victory over Liverpool at Home Park in February.
Hardie posted on social media: “Thanks very much to everyone @Argyle for an amazing five-and-a-half years. We have shared some special memories over the years that myself and my family will never forget. What a club and I wish you all the best for next year and beyond.”
He first joined Argyle on loan from Blackpool in January 2020 and scored on his debut as a substitute in a 3-0 League Two win away to Carlisle United. That was the first of 74 goals he went to get for the Pilgrims, with many memorable ones along the way.
They included a dramatic last-gasp strike in a 3-2 win away to Salford City in February 2020, which was very important in their eventual promotion to League One on a points-per-game basis during that Covid-shortened season.
Hardie had one hat-trick for Argyle which came in their 4-1 away League One win at Crewe Alexandra in February 2022, which came just three days after he had a penalty saved late in extra-time of a 2-1 FA Cup fourth round defeat away to then Premier League champions Chelsea.
He netted a total of 17 times during the Pilgrims’ 2022/23 League One title-winning campaign and added another 13 goals the following season. The former Glasgow Rangers forward then finished last term as Argyle’s 12-goal leading marksman, with 10 of them coming in a 13-game spell after former head coach Miron Muslic moved him to a new number 10 position.
Hardie grabbed what turned out to be the winning goal when Argyle finally clinched that first away Championship victory in 11 months as they beat Portsmouth 2-1 at Fratton Park in March.
Wrexham were promoted to the Championship as League One runners-up behind Birmingham City last season and the expectation is they will make a number of eye-catching signings over the rest of the summer transfer window.
Hardie said: “Delighted to join @Wrexham_AFC, it feels like something special is happening at this club and I look forward to building a special relationship with the fans and helping the club achieve its objectives. Let’s go.”
