| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | David Eric Hirst | ||
| Date of birth | (1967-12-07)7 December 1967 (age 57) | ||
| Place of birth | Barnsley, England | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)[1] | ||
| 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) | |
| International career | |||
| 1985 | England U17 | 3 | (0) |
| 1985–1986 | England Youth | 5 | (2) |
| 1988–1989 | England U21 | 7 | (1) |
| 1991–1992 | England B | 3 | (2) |
| 1991–1992 | England | 3 | (1) |
| * Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
David Eric Hirst (born 7 December 1967)[1] is an English football coach and former professionalfootballer.
As a player, he was astriker who after initially playing withBarnsley he notably spent eleven years withSheffield Wednesday, during his time atHillsborough he playedPremier League football and played in both the 1993FA Cup andLeague Cup finals. He scored 106 league goals in 294 appearances and continuously played in the first seven Premier League seasons, which included three years withSouthampton before retiring through injury at the age of 32. He was capped three times byEngland, scoring 1 goal and also made appearances atEngland U21 andEngland B level.
Since retiring, Hirst has worked at Sheffield Wednesday andCrystal Palace as an academy coach, he has also worked back with Wednesday as a host in their corporate hospitality suites.
Born inCudworth,Barnsley, Hirst turned professional in 1985 with his local side,Barnsley. Hisdebut season saw him score nine goals in 28 Second Division games.
On 11 August 1986, he signed forSheffield Wednesday. He was brought to Wednesday by then manager Howard Wilkinson, just before the start of the1986–87 season. The fee was £250,000. Barnsley's financial troubles saw the young striker sold. His Owls debut came againstCharlton 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. By1988–89 he was firmly established in the first team.[citation needed]
He became a firm favourite and an idol of the Wednesday supporters, scoring 149 goals in 358 appearances during his eleven years at the club.[2] He was capped three times forEngland, and scored once. 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 injuredKevin Pressman in goal.
In 1991, Hirst scored 32 goals as Wednesday were promoted back to the First Division at the first attempt, including a 4-goal haul againstHull City (a 5–1 win) on 1 September 1990. This form led to him being called up for the England B international againstSwitzerland, in which he scored both England goals in a 2–1 win. He was subsequently called into the full England squad for the tour ofAustralasia.
Manchester United bossAlex Ferguson tried six times to tempt Owls bossTrevor Francis to sell Hirst, but without success.[citation needed] Two of these occasions were in 1992. First, after a shortage of goals in the second half of the1991–92 season had cost United the championship, Ferguson attempted to sign Hirst during the close season, but the offer was refused. In November 1992, 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 signedEric Cantona instead.
In 1992 during a game at Highbury, Hirst suffered 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 toArsenal, but Hirst scored Wednesday's equaliser in theFA Cup Final atWembley 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 managerDavid Pleat toSouthampton after he had emerged fit once again returning to the Owls first team.
His exit from the Owls came on 17 October 1997, whenSouthampton managerDave Jones paid a club record £2million for his services. He made his debut the next day in a 1–0 home defeat byBlackburn Rovers in the league, and in his first season atThe Dell scored nine times in 28 league games as the Saints finished 11th in the Premier League. Highlights of this season include scoring twice againstTottenham Hotspur in his second appearance,[3] and scoring twice again as Southampton beatLiverpool atAnfield.[4] Hirst also scored the only goal as his side beatLeeds United 1–0 atElland Road.[5]
However, his injury problems returned in the1998–99 season and he played just twice – these games were the last of his career. He retired from playing on 26 January 2000, at the age of 32, after being advised to do so by medical experts.[citation needed]
He made his international debut in the 1–0 win overAustralia, but was replaced at half-time. He was named as a substitute in the next game againstNew Zealand. He came on at half-time and within three minutes of the restart he scored his first (and only) England goal. WithGary Lineker rested, he lined up withAlan Shearer againstFrance at Wembley.Graham Taylor said, "It's not a question of who will replace Lineker, but who will partner David Hirst".[citation needed]. England won the game 2-0 with Shearer scoring just before half time. Hirst was replaced by Lineker at the break, who also scored. It became Hirst's third and final England match. Although he was selected for more England squads, injuries kept him out of the team.
In April 2013, Hirst was appointed as a coach in the Sheffield Wednesday academy set up.[6] He also held a similar position withCrystal Palace.[7]
Hirst is of Scottish descent through his father. David is the father of professional footballerGeorge Hirst.[8]
He has worked as a corporate hospitality host for Sheffield Wednesday during recent seasons.[9]
Hirst was often considered a rare breed of 'total striker'[10] and had 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 atHighbury in September 1996.[11]
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 June 1991 | Athletic Park, Wellington, New Zealand |  New Zealand | 2–0 | 2–0 | Friendly |
Sheffield Wednesday
Individual
