David Hirst (footballer)
Encyclopedia
David Eric Hirst is an English former professional footballer, an exciting but injury prone striker who played for Sheffield Wednesday
for much of his career.
, near Barnsley
and began his career with his local side, Barnsley
. He turned professional in 1985, scoring nine goals from 28 Second Division games in the 1985–86 season
.
On 11 August 1986, he signed for Sheffield Wednesday
. He was brought to Wednesday by then manager Howard Wilkinson, just before the start of the 1986–87
season. The fee was £250,000. The deal for "the Cudworth flyer" still sits in local folklore, with Hirst reputedly saying he wouldn’t sign for the Owls “for a golden pig” but Barnsley’s financial troubles saw the young striker sold. His Owls debut came against Charlton Athletic
which was the first game of the season as Wednesday began the season away in a 1–1 First Division draw on 23 August 1986. However the following week he made his Hillsborough debut as a substitute against Everton in front of over 33,000 and he scored within minutes of entering the field. He would go on to make 21 league appearances that season, scoring six goals. By 1988–89
he was firmly established in the first team. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=40744
He became a firm favourite and eventually an idol who was hero worshipped by the Barmy Army
, scoring 149 goals in 358 appearances during his eleven years at the club. He was capped three times for England
, and scored once. He played for Wednesday with his heart on his sleeve, as if giving 100% on the pitch was not enough for him. He even managed to score and keep a clean sheet in the same match, (a 2-0 victory over Manchester City in January 1990) after he replaced an injured Kevin Pressman
in goal!
Hirst had many famous moments during his time at Hillsborough
. In 1991, Hirst scored 32 goals as Wednesday were promoted back to the First Division at the first attempt, including a 4-goal haul against Hull City
(a 5–1 win) on 1 September 1990. This form led to him being called up for the England B international against Switzerland
, in which he scored both England goals in a 2–1 win. He was subsequently called into the full England squad for the tour of Australasia
.
He made his international debut in the 1–0 win over Australia, but was replaced at half-time. He was named as a substitute in the next game against New Zealand. He came on at half-time and within three minutes of the restart he scored his first (and only) England goal. With Gary Lineker
injured, he lined up with Alan Shearer
against France
at Wembley. Bryan Robson famously said that, “It’s not a question of who will replace Lineker, but who will partner David Hirst” and, at one point, this looked inevitable. After an impressive first half display, he seemed likely to be given the nod ahead of Shearer to partner Gary Lineker
for the second period until Shearer put England ahead on the stroke of half-time. Shearer's international career was saved and it became Hirst's third and final England match. Although he was selected for more England squads, injuries kept him out of the team.
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson
tried six times to tempt Owls boss Trevor Francis
to sell Hirst, but without success. Two of these occasions were in 1992. First, after a shortage of goals in the second half of the 1991–92 season
had cost United the championship, Ferguson attempted to sign Hirst during the close season, but the offer was refused. In November, with United's title challenge flagging once again due to a shortage of goals, Ferguson offered the Owls £3million for Hirst, but the offer was rejected and United signed Eric Cantona
instead.
In 1992 during a game at Highbury, a horrible tackle by Steve Bould left Hirst with a broken ankle. It was the start of his injury problems. He still scored in the game and managed 16 goals in 33 games. In the same season Hirst played in the Sheffield Wednesday team that reached both domestic Finals – they lost both to Arsenal
, but Hirst scored Wednesday's equaliser in the FA Cup Final at Wembley
in a 1–1 draw before Arsenal won the replay 2–1.
The injuries mounted up and from August 1993 to May 1995 he played just 25 games and scored five goals. After two more years at Hillsborough and the odd glimpses of form from Hirst, he was sold by manager David Pleat
to Southampton
after he had emerged fit once again returning to the Owls first team. His exit from the Owls came on 17 October 1997, when Southampton
manager Dave Jones paid a club record £2million for his services. He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers
in the league, and had a decent first season at The Dell, scoring nine times in 28 league games as the Saints finished 11th in the Premier League.
However, his injury problems returned in the 1998–99 season
and he played just twice – these games were the last of his career.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=40747 He retired from playing on 26 January 2000, at the age of 32, after being advised to do so by medical experts.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Scholes+back+in+the+groove.-a0109647696
Hirst was often considered a rare breed of 'total striker' and was blessed with pace, height, heading, strength, dribbling, creativity and being in the right place at the right time. Although predominantly left footed, he had an excellent right foot too and scored some spectacular goals from range with both feet.
Hirst previously held the record for the fastest recorded shot, hitting the bar at 114 mph against Arsenal at Highbury
in September 1996. The record stood for a little over ten years until it was surpassed by Ronny of Sporting Lisbon with a 131 mph shot in November 2006.
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
for much of his career.
Playing career
Born in CudworthCudworth, South Yorkshire
Cudworth is a semi-rural village on the outskirts of Barnsley in South Yorkshire, England. Cudworth has a busy village centre surrounded by some housing and green belt countryside...
, near Barnsley
Barnsley
Barnsley is a town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies on the River Dearne, north of the city of Sheffield, south of Leeds and west of Doncaster. Barnsley is surrounded by several smaller settlements which together form the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley, of which Barnsley is the largest and...
and began his career with his local side, Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
. He turned professional in 1985, scoring nine goals from 28 Second Division games in the 1985–86 season
1985-86 in English football
The 1985–86 season was the 106th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The championship crown went to Liverpool for the 16th time in their history at the end of their first season under the management of Kenny Dalglish, but they had to fight off some very stiff competition to...
.
On 11 August 1986, he signed for Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
. He was brought to Wednesday by then manager Howard Wilkinson, just before the start of the 1986–87
1986-87 in English football
The 1986–87 season was the 107th season of competitive football in England.- First Division :The First Division championship went to Everton in their final season under the management of Howard Kendall before his departure to Athletic Bilbao. His side overcame a spate of injuries to fight off...
season. The fee was £250,000. The deal for "the Cudworth flyer" still sits in local folklore, with Hirst reputedly saying he wouldn’t sign for the Owls “for a golden pig” but Barnsley’s financial troubles saw the young striker sold. His Owls debut came against Charlton Athletic
Charlton Athletic F.C.
Charlton Athletic Football Club is an English professional football club based in Charlton, in the London Borough of Greenwich. They compete in Football League One, the third tier of English football. The club was founded on 9 June 1905, when a number of youth clubs in the southeast London area,...
which was the first game of the season as Wednesday began the season away in a 1–1 First Division draw on 23 August 1986. However the following week he made his Hillsborough debut as a substitute against Everton in front of over 33,000 and he scored within minutes of entering the field. He would go on to make 21 league appearances that season, scoring six goals. By 1988–89
1988-89 in English football
The 1988–89 season was the 109th season of competitive football in England.-Hillsborough disaster:On 15 April, a crowd crush at the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at Hillsborough killed 94 people and injured more than 300. A 95th Liverpool supporter died in hospital...
he was firmly established in the first team. http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=40744
He became a firm favourite and eventually an idol who was hero worshipped by the Barmy Army
Barmy Army
The Barmy Army is a semi-organised group of English cricket fans which arranges touring parties for some of its members to follow the English cricket team on overseas tours...
, scoring 149 goals in 358 appearances during his eleven years at the club. He was capped three times for England
England national football team
The England national football team represents England in association football and is controlled by the Football Association, the governing body for football in England. England is the joint oldest national football team in the world, alongside Scotland, whom they played in the world's first...
, and scored once. He played for Wednesday with his heart on his sleeve, as if giving 100% on the pitch was not enough for him. He even managed to score and keep a clean sheet in the same match, (a 2-0 victory over Manchester City in January 1990) after he replaced an injured Kevin Pressman
Kevin Pressman
Kevin Paul Pressman is an English former football goalkeeper, currently coaching at Bradford City. Pressman made 588 appearances in English and Northern Irish league football for 5 different clubs over 3 decades....
in goal!
Hirst had many famous moments during his time at Hillsborough
Hillsborough Stadium
Hillsborough Stadium is the home of Sheffield Wednesday football club, Sheffield, England. Football has been played at the ground since it was opened on 2 September 1899, when Wednesday moved from their original ground at Olive Grove. Today it is a 39,812 capacity all-seater stadium, making it the...
. In 1991, Hirst scored 32 goals as Wednesday were promoted back to the First Division at the first attempt, including a 4-goal haul against Hull City
Hull City A.F.C.
Hull City Association Football Club is an English association football club based in Kingston upon Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, founded in 1904. The club participates in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football...
(a 5–1 win) on 1 September 1990. This form led to him being called up for the England B international against Switzerland
Switzerland national football team
The Swiss national football team is the national football team of Switzerland...
, in which he scored both England goals in a 2–1 win. He was subsequently called into the full England squad for the tour of Australasia
Australasia
Australasia is a region of Oceania comprising Australia, New Zealand, the island of New Guinea, and neighbouring islands in the Pacific Ocean. The term was coined by Charles de Brosses in Histoire des navigations aux terres australes...
.
He made his international debut in the 1–0 win over Australia, but was replaced at half-time. He was named as a substitute in the next game against New Zealand. He came on at half-time and within three minutes of the restart he scored his first (and only) England goal. With Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
injured, he lined up with Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
against France
France national football team
The France national football team represents the nation of France in international football. It is fielded by the French Football Federation , the governing body of football in France, and competes as a member of UEFA, which encompasses the countries of Europe...
at Wembley. Bryan Robson famously said that, “It’s not a question of who will replace Lineker, but who will partner David Hirst” and, at one point, this looked inevitable. After an impressive first half display, he seemed likely to be given the nod ahead of Shearer to partner Gary Lineker
Gary Lineker
Gary Winston Lineker, OBE , is a former English footballer, who played as a striker. He is a sports broadcaster for the BBC, Al Jazeera Sports and Eredivisie Live...
for the second period until Shearer put England ahead on the stroke of half-time. Shearer's international career was saved and it became Hirst's third and final England match. Although he was selected for more England squads, injuries kept him out of the team.
Manchester United boss Alex Ferguson
Alex Ferguson
Sir Alexander Chapman "Alex" Ferguson, CBE is a Scottish association football manager and former player, currently managing Manchester United, where he has been in charge since 1986...
tried six times to tempt Owls boss Trevor Francis
Trevor Francis
Trevor John Francis , is a former footballer who won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest and played for England 52 times. He was England's first £1 million player...
to sell Hirst, but without success. Two of these occasions were in 1992. First, after a shortage of goals in the second half of the 1991–92 season
1991-92 in English football
- First Division :The last-ever league championship before the creation of the Premier League was won by Leeds United who overhauled Manchester United thanks to the efforts of, among others, Gordon Strachan, Lee Chapman, David Batty, Gary Speed and Gary McAllister...
had cost United the championship, Ferguson attempted to sign Hirst during the close season, but the offer was refused. In November, with United's title challenge flagging once again due to a shortage of goals, Ferguson offered the Owls £3million for Hirst, but the offer was rejected and United signed Eric Cantona
Eric Cantona
Eric Daniel Pierre Cantona is a French actor and former French international footballer. He played for Auxerre, Martigues, Marseille, Bordeaux, Montpellier, Nîmes and Leeds United before ending his professional footballing career at Manchester United, where he won four Premier League titles in...
instead.
In 1992 during a game at Highbury, a horrible tackle by Steve Bould left Hirst with a broken ankle. It was the start of his injury problems. He still scored in the game and managed 16 goals in 33 games. In the same season Hirst played in the Sheffield Wednesday team that reached both domestic Finals – they lost both to Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
, but Hirst scored Wednesday's equaliser in the FA Cup Final at Wembley
Wembley
Wembley is an area of northwest London, England, and part of the London Borough of Brent. It is home to the famous Wembley Stadium and Wembley Arena...
in a 1–1 draw before Arsenal won the replay 2–1.
The injuries mounted up and from August 1993 to May 1995 he played just 25 games and scored five goals. After two more years at Hillsborough and the odd glimpses of form from Hirst, he was sold by manager David Pleat
David Pleat
David John Pleat is an English football player turned manager and sports commentator.He is remembered by his contemporaries primarily for his career as manager of Tottenham Hotspur and Luton Town football clubs, and for an oft-televised clip of him running onto the pitch in 1983 to celebrate after...
to Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
after he had emerged fit once again returning to the Owls first team. His exit from the Owls came on 17 October 1997, when Southampton
Southampton F.C.
Southampton Football Club is an English football team, nicknamed The Saints, based in the city of Southampton, Hampshire. The club gained promotion to the Championship from League One in the 2010–2011 season after being relegated in 2009. Their home ground is the St Mary's Stadium, where the club...
manager Dave Jones paid a club record £2million for his services. He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 home defeat by Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
in the league, and had a decent first season at The Dell, scoring nine times in 28 league games as the Saints finished 11th in the Premier League.
However, his injury problems returned in the 1998–99 season
1998-99 in English football
-Premier League:Manchester United overcame close competition from Arsenal, Aston Villa and Chelsea to win their fifth Premiership title in seven seasons thanks to the comeback of Roy Keane after his long-term injury and a transfer raid totalling nearly £30 million which netted Aston Villa striker...
and he played just twice – these games were the last of his career.http://www.sporting-heroes.net/football-heroes/displayhero_club.asp?HeroID=40747 He retired from playing on 26 January 2000, at the age of 32, after being advised to do so by medical experts.http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Scholes+back+in+the+groove.-a0109647696
Hirst was often considered a rare breed of 'total striker' and was blessed with pace, height, heading, strength, dribbling, creativity and being in the right place at the right time. Although predominantly left footed, he had an excellent right foot too and scored some spectacular goals from range with both feet.
Hirst previously held the record for the fastest recorded shot, hitting the bar at 114 mph against Arsenal at Highbury
Highbury
- Early Highbury :The area now known as Islington was part of the larger manor of Tolentone, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book. Tolentone was owned by Ranulf brother of Ilger and included all the areas north and east of Canonbury and Holloway Road. The manor house was situated by what is now...
in September 1996. The record stood for a little over ten years until it was surpassed by Ronny of Sporting Lisbon with a 131 mph shot in November 2006.
Club
Sheffield WednesdaySheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
- Winner: 19911991 Football League Cup FinalThe 1991 Rumbelows Cup Final was a football match played on 21 April 1991 between Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday. It was the first of two years that the competition was sponsored by Rumbelows....