Ryan Hardie may be wishing for Plymouth Argyle re-do - his Wrexham move isn't going to plan | OneFootball

Ryan Hardie's start to life in a Wrexham shirt has been bitterly underwhelming

Wrexham striker Ryan Hardie has had a difficult start to life for his new club since making the move to North Wales from Plymouth Argyle, and will be wanting a change of luck soon.

Scottish forward Ryan Hardie made the move to the newly promoted Championship side Wrexham, following the Pilgrims’ relegation to League One at the end of last season, in which he impressed but was powerless to prevent a return to English football's third-tier - while the Red Dragons gained promotion from it.

After spending six seasons with Argyle, the 28-year-old was keen to retain his high performance levels in the second tier for yet another season by signing for the Welsh outfit. However, things haven't quite gone to plan for Hardie.

The striker has scored over 10 league goals in four consecutive seasons for the Pilgrims, but his summer move to Wrexham has been disappointing so far, to say the least. Game time has been sparse for Hardie with the Red Dragons since joining Phil Parkinson’s side, who look to cement their place in the Championship at the first time of asking.

With only four league appearances to his name so far this season, without a goal or assist to show for it, the ex-Plymouth man may be wishing for a transfer re-do after being left out of Wrexham's past three matchday squads.

Ryan Hardie's Wreham career is yet to get going

Despite seeming as though Hardie would play a key role for the Red Dragons at the start of the season after making some positive cameos in the opening few games, it looks as though Hardie has fallen out of favour with Parkinson, with the Scotsman falling down the pecking order in the list of Wrexham's striker options.

Hardie first made his mark for his new club in the EFL Cup where he found the net in Wrexham's 2-3 away victory over Championship rivals Preston. His 11th minute strike remains to be his only goal this season, with opportunities to add to his tally being few and far between.

After a summer of heavy recruitment, including Hardie himself, Wrexham strengthened their attacking areas in the hope that goal threat would be the difference in propelling themselves up the table by bringing in the likes of Kieffer Moore, Nathan Broadhead, and Josh Windass. All of which Parkinson has opted for over the struggling Hardie.

With the striker spot being a heavily contested position, the 28-year-old currently finds himself as fourth or even fifth choice forward alongside Sam Smith. It has certainly raised questions of: Was Wrexham the right move for Hardie? Or would staying at Home Park have been the better option due to his consistently good form?

Ryan Hardie's search for a starting spot for Wrexham could prove difficult

Nine games down into the season, Parkinson seems to have settled on an attacking trio of Moore, Windass, and Lewis O'Brien. Despite sitting in 18th place in the table, Wrexham have been firing in the final third as they are the joint third top goalscorers in the Championship so far only behind Coventry and Bristol City.

With the trio having 10 goals to their name combined, that has been two thirds of their goalscoring tally so far this season, highlighting that if it's not broken, don't fix it.

If the Wrexham frontline is to continue firing on all cylinders, then this could only damage Hardie's desire to push for a starting spot. Getting cup game minutes will surely not be enough for the established Championship striker, who has proven his ability in front of goal consistently for some time now.

If things are to continue in the same vein for Hardie, then a potential loan move come January could well be on the cards, or even a swift permanent move away from the Racecourse Ground. Even a move back to his beloved Plymouth Argyle could be shrewd business for all parties involved.

You do get the impression that, having established himself as a reputable Championship goalscorer, Hardie could soon be wishing he reassessed the options on the table. There are no shortage of second-tier outfits who could grant him a regular starting berth, and the Scotsman may wish he opted for a different move, or stayed put entirely at Plymouth.