George Hirst hopes to provide Scotland answer after Ipswich hitman became topic of quiz question for the ages

Daily Record

25-05-2025

Striker is desperate for the chance to nail down his spot in Steve Clarke's squad ahead of the World Cup qualifiers after a season that brought highs and lows for his club.
It'll be a quiz question on Merseyside for years to come: Who was the last visiting player to score a goal at Goodison Park?
The answer: George Hirst. The Ipswich striker's back post header for the equaliser in a 2-2 draw with against Everton three weeks ago created a little slice of history for the Scotland new boy.
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Nobody can ever take that away from the 26-year-old now the doors have closed on the iconic ground for mens' football at least. But having produced a touch of trivia for The Blues, Hirst is now in pursuit of an even bigger bit in navy blue.
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The 6ft 4in hitman wants to nail down his spot in the Scotland squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers. Then he wants to play his part in ending his adopted nation's 28-year wait to qualify for the greatest show on earth.
That would certainly trump his Goodison claim to fame, no matter how cool he reckons that might be.
Hirst said: 'Yeah, I was aware of that. Someone actually mentioned it to me straight after we played Everton. It was one of the lads on the coach. We realised that it was the second last game at Goodison and I might be the last person to score there.
'I just had both fingers crossed that no-one from Southampton scored last weekend!
'In 10 years' time it'll be a pretty cool quiz question that I'm sure nobody will know the answer to. I thought it was a pretty cool thing to have against your name. A proud moment.
'You think of old school English football and I'm sure Goodison is one of those grounds that pops into pretty much everybody's heads in the Premier League. It was nice to do it at a stadium like that with all the history.'
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Steve Clarke handed Hirst his first call-up in March after convincing the former England youth to switch allegiance to his grandad's country of birth.
And the Sheffield-born striker is desperate to kick on after two substitute appearances in the Nations League play-off double header defeat to Greece gave him a taste of life in a Scotland shirt.
Even dad David - the former England international and Sheffield Wednesday legend - turned into a proud adopted Scot as he forced punters in his local back in Yorkshire to sit through his son's international debut.
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Hirst said: 'Of course he watched it. He had all his mates at the pub and he pulled rank on the TV and said 'now we're putting the Scotland game on'.
'It's his local. He's been going to it for the best part of 20 years but it might be longer. He's pretty well known in there. He pulled rank and they had the game on in the end.
'He was just extremely proud of me and gave me a massive pat on the back and said well done.
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'More for all the hard work I'd put in over the years prior to get myself in a position where playing for Scotland against Greece in March was attainable.
'I had a header when I came on in the second game that he said I should have done a hell of a lot better with. As soon as I missed it I knew he was going to say that!
'He was absolutely thrilled for me and just hoping, like myself, that I get more minutes.'
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Those minutes in the upcoming friendlies against Iceland and Liechtenstein could be crucial for Hirst's hopes of cementing a spot in the squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
With Lyndon Dykes injured he is vying with fellow new boys James Wilson and Kieron Bowie for game time alongside the more established Che Adams and Tommy Conway.
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The fixtures might seem mundane to those on the outside. But Hirst said: 'It's a massive opportunity. For me fixtures don't come much sexier to be honest.
'It's an amazing thing for me to be in the Scotland group. It probably still hasn't sunk in yet.
'It's a new experience and for me it's about using these two games, however many minutes I get, whether it's 180 or just five then I can use them all to become a better player and try to impress.
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'I want to lock a place down in the squad with World Cup qualifiers coming up soon.
'It's an opportunity for me to stake my claim and grab the bull by the horns. People might look at it and say they're not the sexiest of games but I'm really looking forward to it.
'It was nice to get a taster of it in March. That's made me hungry to get more.'
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Ipswich will bring the curtain down on their Premier League campaign at home to West Ham this afternoon.
It's been a tough school back in the top flight for the Tractor Boys with 22 points so far not good enough to avoid relegation straight back to the Championship.
But he former Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester frontman said: 'It's been massive. I think back to the player that I was when I signed for Ipswich almost two and a half years ago, back in League One. That is a very different player to what you see here now.
'I'm 26 and I feel like I've finally found how my body works at 6ft 4in. There are times where it can feel a little bit gangly when you're growing up.
'I feel like I'm in a spot now where, with the help of the gaffer, all the things I've learned throughout the last 12 months can definitely help me going forward.'