JAMIE NESS became Stoke City’s first signing ahead of the 2012-13 season when he exercised his right to leave Glasgow Rangers as a free agent.
The Scottish Under-21 international was one of a number of players who decided to make a fresh start in the game after Rangers went into administration.
The Irvine-born midfielder is also hoping that the new beginning will herald a change of fortunes on the injury front after a frustrating time last season.
Having broken into the first team at Ibrox, he was limited to just a handful of appearances in the 2011-12 campaign due to a long-standing groin problem.
He made his debut for Rangers in the Old Firm derby in January 2011 and then scored his first goal in a Scottish Cup tie against Celtic a few weeks later.
After agreeing to join the Potters at the beginning of July, he was eventually granted provisional international clearance by FIFA at a time when Rangers Newco were contesting the rights of several players to leave the club on free transfers.