David Hirst (footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Hirst | ||
| Date of birth | 7 December 1967 | ||
| Place of birth | Barnsley, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Playing position | Striker | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1985–1986 | Barnsley | 28 | (9) |
| 1986–1997 | Sheffield Wednesday | 294 | (106) |
| 1997–2000 | Southampton | 30 | (9) |
| Total | 352 | (124) | |
| National team | |||
| 1988–1989 | England U21 | 7 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | England B | 3 | (2) |
| 1991–1992 | England | 3 | (1) |
| * Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. |
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David Eric Hirst (born 7 December 1967) is an English former professional footballer, a striker who played for Sheffield Wednesday for much of his career. He was also capped three times at senior level for the England team.
Born in Cudworth, Barnsley, Hirst turned professional in 1985 with his local side, Barnsley. His debut season saw him score nine goals in 28 Second Division games.
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. [1]
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.
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