Practice makes perfect as Ryan Hardie puts Chelsea penalty miss behind him

Meet Ryan Hardie and ask the Plymouth Argyle striker how he is and he usually replies: "Living the dream". And he means it.

Hardie appreciates his life as a professional footballer. He also has self-confidence in his ability to score goals, and even when he does not convert a chance he will back himself to get the next one that comes along.

That is a valuable character trait for any successful goalscorer to have. They must not dwell on the past, just focus on future opportunities.

There is no better example of that than the experience Hardie went through after Argyle were awarded a penalty late in extra-time of the FA Cup fourth round tie away to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in February.

With usual penalty taker Luke Jephcott already substituted, Hardie stepped up to take the spot kick which had he scored would almost certainly have led to a penalty shoot-out taking place.

And who knows what the outcome of that lottery would have been? Argyle could have caused one of the biggest upsets in FA Cup history.

With 6,000 expectant Argyle fans behind the goal, Hardie took the penalty but it was a poor one and easily saved by Kepa Arrizabalaga. A few moments later the final whistle was blown.

Hardie showed his strength of character by bouncing back from that disappointment by completing a hat-trick in the very next match, a 4-1 League One win away to Crewe Alexandra just three days later.

The Pilgrims had one more penalty over the rest of the season but that was taken - and scored - by Jephcott in a 2-0 away defeat of Gillingham.

Hardie did not lose confidence about taking spot kicks should the opportunity arise, as he has shown at the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

With Jephcott on from the bench, Hardie has scored penalties in