A few months back, Rangers loanee, Ryan Hardie, could do no wrong.
Everything he touched seemed to turn to goals in December, as he impressed many with his performances.
He netted five in five starts for adopted side, Livingston, as they charged up the SPL table.
Consequently, there were calls for him to return to Ibrox for a shot with the first team.
The 21-year-old did come back in January, but only temporarily. He travelled with the Rangers squad for the midseason training camp in Tenerife, signed a contract extension and then headed back to the Tony Macaroni on loan.
Since then, he has found it tough going.
That’s entirely to be expected. No striker can be expected to perform to such high standards all season, and there are bound to be lulls in form.
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Hardie’s got competition
Developments over the weekend, though, suggest some challenging times are ahead.
The youngster was dropped from the Livingston lineup against Kilmarnock.
What’s more, his replacement, Chris Erskine, scored the massive winning goal.
Suddenly, what appeared to be a nailed on starting berth, is no longer guaranteed.
If the competition is in good form, it obviously makes the task of getting back into the side, all the more difficult.
However, this will serve as another valuable learning experience.
If he hopes to ply his trade at Ibrox in the future, he will have to accept that goalless streaks will bring spells out of the side.
It’s the reaction you show to being dropped, that really counts.
