The Ipswich Town striker got his first taste of international football in the Greece clashes and he's hungry for more
06:00, 25 Mar 2025
(Image: SNS Group)
George Hirst already has his former England hero dad sorted out with a Scotland strip.
The next step is getting the old man up to speed with Flower of Scotland as he is hoping to be belting it out before games a lot more in the future.
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Ipswich Town ace Hirst got his first taste of the international set up with sub appearances in the two legs against Greece. It all went a bit belly up for Steve Clarke’s men at Hampden on Sunday on the back of a superb first leg win in Athens.
But while the Tartan Army were left in a grump at the home defeat, getting a taste of Hampden was special for Hirst.
He’s got a taste now – and a real hunger to get back. And he’s already got his former Sheffield Wednesday star and Three Lions cap dad David Hirst singing from the same hymn sheet.
The frontman said: “He wears whatever shirt I wear, whether he admits it or not! When I had this opportunity and spoke to Steve Clarke, he was probably the first person I rang him, and he had no qualms. He was dead set on going for it.
David Hirst
“He couldn't make the other night actually. But I know what he’s like, he's pretty tough on me so he probably only comes when I start!
“He'll have been watching it. He'll have been in the boozer somewhere. I’ll get him up to speed with Flower of Scotland eventually!”
It was a tough night for Scotland but it had it’s high points for Hirst – such as the stunning pre-match display for Denis Law and the emotional anthem before kick-off.
Hirst said: “I try my very best to soak it up. I try not to take it for granted and I never know when I’m going to get that opportunity again to be here and to be a part of it.
“So, I'm sort of trying to treat every opportunity like it's the last one. It was obviously a beautiful moment before the game and the fact that I was on the bench meant I could soak it up a little bit more than if I was probably starting to be fair. So it's something that hopefully I can be a part of again.”
The Nations League ended in disappointment but the experience has given Hirst the fuel to become a permanent fixture in Clarke’s set up.
He said: “Incredible. Obviously, it would have been nice to get the result the other night, and it would have been a perfect camp, to be honest, but that didn't happen.
“But I've enjoyed this week so much, and all the boys have been so, so welcoming.
“I think it's a really great group. I've been at plenty of clubs in my career so far and not every group is as good as the group is here. So I'm pretty fortunate to be a part of that and they've all made me feel very welcome and very at home.
“For me personally, it's been sort of a dream come true. I was absolutely delighted to be called up, first and foremost, and to get the opportunity to go out there and play for Scotland is absolutely massive to me.
“Would we have liked the result? Of course we would, as everyone would have, but it wasn't to be, and there'll be plenty of lessons learnt.
“There will be positives to take from that. We sort of won't forget about that, but there are plenty of things we can work on and improve on.”
Hirst knows it’s club form that will provide the passport back to the Scotland squad. And he’s determined to do his bit to keep Ipswich Town in the Premier League and remain part of Clarke’s plans.
Scotland's George Hirst heads the ball wide of the post
He said: “Yeah, of course. Obviously, you sort of never take this position for granted and for me it's about going back to Ipswich now and doing everything I can to put myself in a position where I can get called up again.
There's a situation where this is my first and last camp, but hopefully that's not the case. Like I say, it's for me to go away now and really focus on Ipswich and try and help them stay in the Premier League.
“If I can help do that, then hopefully that leads to bigger and better things.
“It's tough, you know. Obviously, me coming into the group as sort of a new boy, I'm trying to see the way that things work here and stuff like that and the strengths of the players in this squad and they're trying to figure out my strengths and whatnot. And obviously, it's hard.
“We've only sort of been together for a week. It's been quite a short camp so it is hard to sort of build those relationships, obviously, being my first time here.
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“So, I go back to Ipswich and there are lads there who know me like the back of the hand. It's obviously nice when that's the case. But I'm sure that'll come.
“Hopefully, if I can keep getting selected and doing my part. So there are things to build on, for sure.”