Former Hartlepool United winger Jake Hastie signs for Scottish Championship side Ayr United

The 25-year-old, who scored four goals in 38 appearances during his time in the North East, has returned to his homeland following his release from Pools, penning a one-year contract.

Hastie, a former Scotland under-21 international, arrived at Victoria Park as new manager Paul Hartley's marquee signing in the summer of 2022, agreeing a two-year deal from footballing powerhouse Rangers.

Hastie came through the ranks at Motherwell, breaking into the first team in 2019 and making a real impression, winning February's Scottish Premiership player of the month before being nominated for the PFA Scotland young player of the year.

His form led to Scottish giants Rangers shelling out a £350,000 fee to secure his services but, after a series of loan spells, he signed for Pools in a bid to revive his faltering career.

Hastie was, in truth, emblematic of a number of errors made by the new Scottish regime at Pools, with manager Paul Hartley signing a number of players from north of the border, dishing out two-year deals despite his new recruits having little to no experience of football in England.

Hastie failed to score in 24 appearances in his debut season at Victoria Park as Pools were relegated to the National League but opened his account on the first day of the new campaign, scoring and missing from the spot in a defeat to Barnet.

The wideman showed some signs of improvement, scoring in back-to-back games in November from wing-back, including an impressive opener in a memorable win against rivals York.

However, his days in the North East were numbered and he was sent out on loan to Hamilton in January, scoring three goals in 14 league appearances, 10 of which came from the bench.

Hastie joins an Ayr side who are led by former Celtic and Scotland skipper Scott Brown.

The Honest Men finished seventh in the Scottish Championship last season.