RYAN HARDIE is relishing the chance to prove himself in England after clinching a deal with Blackpool.

The striker has put pen-to-paper on a two-year at Bloomfield Road after Rangers accepted an offer from the Seasiders.

Hardie will be reunited with former Light Blues team-mate Jordan Thompson.

And he is eager to get down to business after loan spells with Raith Rovers, St Mirren and Livingston in recent years.

“I’m looking forward to meeting him again,” Hardie said. “I’ve had a few chats with him over the last few weeks and he’s still the same old Jordan. I’m really looking forward to it and I can’t wait to get in and see the boys.

“It’s good coming down where you already know somebody and he should be able to help me integrate with the boys really well.

“I’m sure he will be looking for me on the pitch like we used to do because we used to link up really well.

“I’m really looking forward to it and I’m happy I’ve finally got the deal over the line because it’s been going on for a few weeks

“It’s exciting times and I’m looking forward to pushing the club up the table and seeing how far we can go.

“It’s a new challenge. Coming down here is obviously going to be a bit different, with different playing conditions and different styles of play but I’m looking forward to challenging myself and seeing how I deal with it.

“I think I’ll bring a bit of direct play. I like to run in behind and I like to score goals and I judge myself on how many goals I score.

“Hopefully I can bring my style of play from Livingston here to Blackpool and hopefully hit the ground running.”