My Hirst footballing hero

Wednesday fans of certain age will call David Eric Hirst their favourite player of all time and I’d be one of em.

I’m mid thirties and Hirsty signed for us around the time I was first taken to Hillsborough so his career and my formative years as a Wednesday fan were intertwined.

I’ll be honest I don’t recall too much from games prior to 1988 so the goal v Manchester United in 87 which is still raved about isn’t in my memory bank.

The first goal the boy wonder netted that stood out for me was the winner v Villa in September 88, he swiveled home from three yards to net a 1-0 win, the 1 armed salute to his family or friends in the old south stand was his sort of trademark celebration back then, one I copied on the school playground time and again.

That awful season, saved only by the appointment of Ron Atkinson, saw Hirsty net some vital goals including belters like the third up at St James’ when he cut in and arrowed home into the stanchion which even the Geordie faithful applauded despite it all but condemning them to the drop (see video below), not to mention the outrageous volley down at Luton when a cross hit him and landed perfectly to smash home from around 25 yards out, on their old plastic pitch. However my personal favourite came in front of the Kop as he intercepted a back pass and toe poked it home before sliding on his knees to his adoring public.

The 89/90 was one of despair for the club as we endured a heartbreaking final day relegation, many Wednesdayites will wax lyrical about the performances of Dalian Atkinson that season but it was Hirsty who ended up top scorer and flourished under the management of Big Ron, he even had a short spell on the other side of the fence as he replaced Kevin Pressman in goal, he kept a clean sheet as we won 2-0, not to mention scoring our first. I’ve mentioned before on here about games I attended as a kid and one was away to Blackburn in the FA Cup, a belated 8th birthday present, the away end at Ewood back then made the Kop look like paradise and i remember another Hirsty special as he beat several players with a jinking run before lashing home, sadly I cannot find the video for it.

The drop seemed to inspire the 22 year old striker as he smashed in four goals in our opening home game v Hull and perhaps scored his best Wednesday goal when he turned David Mail on the halfway line before sprinting full flight towards the Kop and lashing home, that goal completed his hat-trick. Hirsty would go on to accrue 30-odd goals in all competitions as he helped fire Wednesday back into the top division at the first attempt and secure the League Cup. Some of the goals that stand out for me were his second at Leicester, when he beat Mike Hooper from around 35 yards, the team goal v Portsmouth and the curling effort to open the scoring at home to Bristol City as we secured promotion.

Hirsty and the top flight seemed to fit like a hand in a glove as he scored 20 in 37 despite Big Ron leaving us for Villa, Trevor Francis took over as manager and Hirst continued to flourish. Atkinson’s return to Hillsborough saw Hirst score one of the best goals I’ve seen, he cut in from the right wing before rifling the ball over Nigel Spink from around 30 yards into the top left corner.

Over the course of the campaign he and Paul Williams continued to impress as a partnership. In a home victory over Man City he scored a similar goal to the aforementioned Hull one as he turned Michel Vonk on the halfway line before beating Tony Coton off the post. Other stand outs in the goal laden season were a bullet header v Manchester United, a stunning volley v Palace, a free kick at Old Trafford and a composed finish at Spurs in a 2-0 win. His goals helped the Owls into 3rd place in the country and a return to European football not to mention an England cap or three for Hirsty.

It’s safe to say the 92/93 was the final decent one for both the Owls and Hirsty as following this he was struck down by injuries, Hirst would net 16 in 33 appearances which included a goal away in Germany in the UEFA Cup and the equaliser in the FA Cup final, arguably the career highlight of the Cudworth lad. That goal at Wembley was memorable but his give and go with Chris Waddle which ended with a left foot finish past Alan Kelly at Bramall Lane was my personal highlight. The season promised so much for the club with two cup finals and for Hirsty but a cynical ploy to stop him by opposing defenders which included booting him from pillar to post, Steve Bould (C**t), was the perfect example as he broke his ankle at Highbury, did I mention he was a C**t?, these type of actions coupled with Hirst seemingly rushed back took its toll.

The comedown from the loss of both domestic Cup finals was evident the following season and for Hirsty it was a nightmare as he was restricted to just 10 appearances and two goals. 94/95 wasn’t any better for both club and player as The Owls finished 13th and Hirst made just 17 appearances scoring three times, the club also dispensed of manager Trevor Francis.

David Pleat was the man brought into replace Francis , it seemed like we had the old Hirsty back as he managed 13 goals in 29 games, 11 of those were at his beloved Hillsborough, his final goal of a topsy turvy season was his 100th League goal for the club in a 5-2 home defeat to Everton.

We didn’t know it but the 1996/97 season would be the last full season Hirsty would spend at the club, he was used more as a substitute by Pleat and made 28 appearances as the workman like side finished 7th in the table. Fittingly he scored his final goal for the club with a bullet header at Hillsborough at home to Leeds United in March 1997, 10 years and 8 months after his first. His most telling contribution of the season however was a brace in a 3-2 win at the Dell as we recovered from a 2-0 defecit at the break.

October 1997 saw the end of a love affair between the club and player as Southampton paid £2m for the lad we’d paid 90% of that for and who’d repaid it 128 times.

Hirst would score one more goal in a game involving Wednesday, barely seven weeks after leaving, he and another ex Owl Carlton Palmer fired the Saints into a 2-1 lead down at the Dell before Ron Atkinson’s men turned things around to earn a 3-2 win.

The following summer David suffered an injury in pre-season and missed all but 2 games of the 1998/99 season and finally called time on a career that could have been so much more but delivered a lot to so many.

Over the years there’s been many interesting anecdotes flying around about our hero, he’s a great host at Hirstys nights and has you in tears of laughter at times.

When speaking to him you can tell there’s some regrets, the £4m move to Manchester United that never materialised, the different lifestyles of then and now, that’s not to suggest Hirsty was owt but professional but he like many other players of era enjoyed a pint. Was he overused by the club when injured and rushed back? Only Hirsty could get 10k inside the ground for us for a reserve game on his comeback trail.

You only have to read a couple of the Ex-Pros autobiographies, they cite Hirsty as one of their most difficult opponents and Stuart Pearce himself recalls a game where he and Hirsty kick the living shite out of each other for 90 minutes, nowadays both would have been sent off but back then they just got on with it then had a pint after. He had  it all, pace, power, left foot, headers and even goals with the wrong peg.

Almost 19 years after leaving the club there’s a new Hirst in town, today George Hirst signed a 2 year professional contract with the Owls, so a whole new generation could be treated to the ‘Number 9 Hirst’ on the scoreboard, though there’s no pressure young un.

Thanks for the memories David!

If you get a bit of time, enjoy this https://youtu.be/wZAlqTJx5tM