Huddersfield Town v Barnsley: Ryan Hardie on new 'Great Escape' act and doing Stranraer proud - plus Reds' motivation

The Huddersfield Town loanee is now part of a new liberation act, as the Terriers strive to get out of League One, just as Argyle were fighting to flee the Championship relegation zone in 2024-25.

The Devon outfit did not succeed in their aim, but it wasn't for the want of trying on the part of Hardie, instrumental to an act of relegation escapology in the previous campaign.

From February 1 onwards last season, Hardie struck ten times, including a penalty to knock out Liverpool in an FA Cup stunner at Home Park.

Giving those numbers, it was easy to why Town moved quickly to sign him when alerted to the fact that his parent club Wrexham were open to the prospect of a loan move at the end of the winter window, with the Scot recuperating from a minor knee issue and in need of games after his summer move from Devon.

That Hardie scored 17 times in Plymouth's promotion campaign from the third-tier in 2022-23 won't have escaped Town's attentions either.

His brief debut from the bench in midweek was the sole crumb of comfort in Town's disappointing loss at Doncaster Rovers in midweek, a second on the spin, with their play-off place starting to look dicey.

Hardie's availability might just be as timely as his finishes were this time last year. Even though he is far from at full match sharpness just yet.

Hardie said: "I think last season was probably up there with my top numbers. From February 1st to the end of the season, it was 10 goals. So, if I can bring anything like that here, then it's going to hopefully be a successful one.

"It's where I come into the floor. In the business end, it's trying to help everyone get to where they want to get to. I'm more than happy playing the game and someone else scores a goal. As long as we win, I'm not bothered."

Hardie hails from Stranraer in the south west of Scotland, with the port town serving as a gateway to Northern Ireland.

If he can help provide a gateway to the Championship for Town, it will very much be a case of mission accomplished.

His career has taken him all over the place after starting out at Glasgow Rangers. Productive loan spells came at Raith Rovers and Livingston and while his time at Blackpool was tough, he made up for it at Plymouth during a magnificent five-and-a-half years and showed strength of character in the process.

He said: "I'm not a type of player that likes sitting on the bench. I went to Blackpool and it never worked. So, then the first thing I wanted to do was get out and play again.

"Joining Plymouth rejuvenated my career because at one point at Blackpool, I never thought I would be where I am now, to be honest.”

Aside from Blackpool, the goals flowed. Not bad to say Hardie started out as a goalkeeper in junior football.

He added: "I've got a kid now that's five years old, but he's in goals and I'm hoping that he's going to do the same path.

“As a kid, I was excited to be in goals. But then once everyone else starts putting it in the net and they get all the joy, I think that was where I wanted to be. So, it never took me long to get up front, to be honest."

Hardie's feats are a great source of pride in his home town, a place not overly blessed with famous sportspeople. While he is playing for his himself and his family, providing inspiration to youngsters back home is a driving force.

Hardie said: "It's great. Every time I go back, there's kids in the street that come and say hello to me. So it means that I'm doing something right. And I'm a big believer in our community.

"My whole family's from there and my missus. We've probably got plans to move back in the future, to be honest. It's a massive part of my career. "To go back and see the kids smiling, it's great, to be honest."

While Town are seeking to atone for a 3-1 loss in the reverse fixture at Oakwell, Barnsley - eight points behind sixth-placed Town, but with four games in hand - have their own motivation, according to captain Luca Connell.

The Reds have not won away from home since November 8 - incidentally a derby win at Doncaster Rovers, while they are yet to beat a promotion contender on their own patch this term.

Connell said: "It's massive. If we want to get to where we want to, we're going to have to do that.

"We've still got a lot of teams to play that are up there and you are not just going to be able to beat the teams below you, if you want to catch the ones above you.

"We'd like to think we are looking up. We had a positive result on Tuesday and we're going into another busy period which we just want to grab momentum from. One hundred per cent, the lads are confident and still looking forward to getting some good results."