When the news George Hirst had been waiting on eventually arrived, he was compelled to record an unfortunate blemish on the scorecard perched in his back pocket. He might just get over it.
‘I was golfing with a couple of mates in Portugal,’ the Ipswich forward recalled of the moment he discovered that he was in Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad.
‘I had a putt for birdie and ended up making double! I couldn’t contain my excitement even on the golf course.
‘For the next couple of holes, I was running around letting everybody know that I’d been picked. I couldn’t believe it.
‘It was a massive relief and a really proud moment for me.’
While there’s an element of good fortune in any career in sport, it’s also true that you make your own luck.
George Hirst was delighted and relieved to hear he had made Steve Clarke’s World Cup squad
Born in Yorkshire, Hirst represented England at youth level until he opted to declare for Scotland last March.
He made his debut that month in a Nations League match against Greece and scored his first goal in a friendly against Liechtenstein in June. Talk about good timing.
Having impressed Clarke enough to be part of the squad for the truncated qualifying campaign, the forward admits that the prospect of now featuring in Scotland’s return to the biggest stage of all is still faintly surreal.
‘I didn’t see a World Cup,’ he said of the motivation behind pulling on a dark blue shirt.
‘It wasn’t something I was thinking about.’
His reason for agreeing to Clarke’s proposal was, in fact, deeply personal.
The son of former Sheffield Wednesday and England forward, David, Hirst’s dulcet Yorkshire tones belie a Scottish bloodline of which he’s immensely proud.
‘It was an opportunity to firstly represent my grandad,’ he explained.
Head coach Steve Clarke has picked five strikers in his squad for the World Cup
‘He’s no longer with us, but he’d have been extremely proud of me to do this.
‘I remember when I was younger kicking the ball around in his back garden. He was constantly on about scoring a goal for Scotland, it was never anything else.
‘So, that was a massive factor in my decision.’
What’s in a name? For Hirst, the very man he hopes to honour each time he wears the colours.
‘My grandad was Eric Hirst,’ he explained. ‘My dad is David Eric Hirst and I’m George David Eric Hirst. So, my son’s going to have a hell of a driving licence, isn’t he?
‘It’s quite a mouthful, but it’s not something I can ever forget. When someone asks me for my full name, I’m saying my dad’s and grandad’s name as well.
‘I thought about that when I got that email. It’s a constant inspiration for me. He never really got to see me play, he passed away when I was six or seven.
‘I still remember him mentioning it to me to this day.’
Hirst’s father David won three England caps and starred for Sheffield Wednesday
Hirst’s father was a fine forward in his own right, a League Cup winner with Sheffield Wednesday and probably deserving of more than the three England caps which came his way.
‘He couldn’t have been prouder when I got picked,’ Hirst added.
‘He was the first person I spoke to after my missus.
‘It was a nice moment because he didn’t get the chance to go to a World Cup.
‘So, it was the first thing in the 27 years I’ve been on the planet that I had over him. I’ve mentioned it a few times to him since last Tuesday.
‘I don’t know if you’ll get him wearing a kilt. No-one wants to see that, to be fair…
‘I think he’ll be going over to America. If not, I know he’ll be at home watching in the pub with his mates.
‘They’ll have their Scotland flags out and Scotland tops on. He’ll dress up his local boozer as a home away from home.’
Hirst’s inclusion in the squad alone is worthy of celebration. Clarke was always taking Lawrence Shankland and Che Adams and it seemed at times that the English Championship was hosting its own competition to determine the rest of the cast list.
Hull’s Oli McBurnie got 18 league goals, Tommy Conway managed 13 for Middlesbrough while Hirst hit 11 for Ipswich. Ross Stewart claimed eight for Southampton with Lyndon Dykes on the mark five times for Charlton.
In the end, injury put paid to Conway’s chances while McBurnie was left feeling that his face simply did not fit.
‘There were games when I wouldn’t score then I’d look on Sky Sports and see one of the other boys did and I’d be like…I won’t say it!’ smiled Hirst.
George Hirst scored 11 goals for Ipswich as they won promotion back to the Premier League
Hirst believes he has improved greatly under Ipswich boss Kieran McKenna
‘But I just focus on myself. I’m very aware of what I can bring to any team I play in.’
In the here and now, he brings the kind of confidence which comes with being promoted with his club to the Premier League.
It might have turned out differently had Celtic asked the question of Kieran McKenna as they sought Brendan Rodgers’ replacement in October. Hirst is only too glad that nothing materialised.
‘He has transformed me as a player,’ said the forward.
‘I’ve had him for three-and-a-half years now and I genuinely believe I wouldn’t be sitting here now if it wasn’t for him and the work he’s put in with me.
‘You see the links with Kieran because no-one lives under a rock.
‘But I’m delighted that he’s still with us. Hopefully, he can stay longer and make me an even better player.’
It was instructive last week to hear Clarke explain the reasons behind picking five strikers in the 26-man squad – one more than anticipated.
In games when he’s gone with two up front, he has generally liked what he’s seen.
Saturday’s farewell game against Curacao would seem like the perfect time to again road test that formula ahead of the curtain coming up against another Caribbean nation in Haiti.
‘All the strikers have different strengths, so it’s about who the manager sees fitting a certain game,’ Hirst opined.
‘I provide a bit of pace and height up there. If he sees me (fitting in) for a game, brilliant. I’ll be ready to be called upon whether that’s for one minute or 90.’
The fervent hope is that Scotland glean enough points from their jousts with Haiti and Morocco in Boston to make their clash with Brazil in Miami relevant.
Scotland will face Neymar and Brazil in Miami in World Cup Group C
The South Americans have just announced that Neymar – now aged 34 – will pull on their famous yellow jersey again this summer.
The stars are coming out. Hirst feels it’s imperative that Scotland aren’t blinded by them.
‘He’s incredible,’ he said of the now Santos forward. ‘He’s the kind of player who is right up there with Messi and Ronaldo.
‘When you’re younger, do you think you’re going to get the chance to share the pitch with those players?
‘Not really. You kind of hope and try to work towards it.
‘But when we get to that game, I don’t really care who’s on the pitch. It won’t make any difference to me or the other boys.
‘Whether it’s Neymar or anyone else, they’re there to get beat and that’s what we’ll be trying to do.’
