YOU only get one chance to make a first impression.
George Hirst didn’t waste his when he scored in front of Scotland boss Steve Clarke earlier this month.
George Hirst was called up by Scotland for the first time this month[/caption]
Hirst training with his new Scotland pals[/caption]
If the Ipswich Town striker was nervous about his international audition at the City Ground, he didn’t show it.
Hirst opened the scoring against Nottingham Forest in an FA Cup tie to impress the watching Clarke.
The 26-year-old knew the Scotland gaffer was there to scout him and was rewarded with a call-up at the weekend.
Bustling hitman Hirst, son of former England star David, qualifies through his grandfather.
And he admits it’s been a whirlwind few weeks since Clarke first made contact with the Three Lions under-20 cap to ask if he wanted to switch nations.
Hirst said: “The manager dropped me a text a few weeks ago and asked for a phone call.
“We spoke for five or ten minutes and he asked if I would be interested in the chance to play for Scotland.
“I went and spoke to my partner and family about it, but I knew straight away it wasn’t an opportunity I couldn’t turn down.
“I then knew he was coming to watch me against Forest.
“I’d spoken to him a few days before as that’s when the first phone call happened.
“He told me to let him know if I was playing and that he would be at the game.
“I saw little bits on Twitter about who he was there to watch…but I knew it was me!
“I tried to keep things a little bit hush about that but I knew he would be there.
“It was about going out there and trying to do as well as I could.
“That was good timing to get the goal.”
SunSport first revealed Scotland were watching Hirst, who had spells at Sheffield Wednesday and Leicester City before joining Ipswich.
Clarke had been alerted to his eligibility and kept tabs on his progress before making a move in recent months.
A member of their successful promotion-winning squad last term, Hirst’s main focus has been on adapting to the Premier League again.
But Hirst admits he always hoped the international call would come and was thrilled when Clarke made contact.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke in the stands during the FA Cup clash[/caption]
He said: “I have known for a while that I can play for Scotland and it’s always been a big aim of mine.
“I have been asked about it in the media over the past year.
“I’ve always tried to bat it off and say my focus has been on Ipswich.
“But to be honest, it has always been in the back of my mind. It’s one of those things.”
After training with his new team-mates in Glasgow yesterday, Hirst is now in contention to face Greece tomorrow night.
Clarke’s squad isn’t overflowing with attacking options and the Ipswich man is likely to play some part in the Nations League play-off games.
Che Adams is expected to start in Greece tomorrow night, with Hirst battling Kevin Nisbet and James Wilson as back up.
The confident forward insists his workrate will never be questioned as he vowed to give everything for his adopted nation.
Asked to describe his style of play, he said: “Intense. I like to get after people.
“I like to press and the one thing I can guarantee is that, if my touch and finishing aren’t there for whatever reason in a game, I’m going to run myself into the ground and the worst you are going to get is a seven out of ten.
“That is probably the biggest thing for me as I find myself in the right positions when I do that.
“A bad game for me is when I probably haven’t run as hard as I could do.
“I can promise that I will be flat out from the get go, whether that’s for 90 or two minutes.
John Carver and Steve Clarke[/caption]
“It’s about giving it everything I have and hopefully there will be plenty of goals along with it too.”
Hirst was forced to wait for his Scotland selection to be finalised due to Fifa red tape.
But the paperwork was processed late last week as his switch from the English FA became official.
Hirst scored for Ipswich against Nottingham Forest at the weekend and then headed north to join up with Clarke’s squad in Glasgow.
He said: “It’s been good. The boys have been wicked with me.
“I know Cieran Slicker from Ipswich and it seems I can’t get away from him at the minute!
“He’s been good as gold with me and introduced me to all the boys.
“It’s so far, so good and I can’t complain on that front.”
Hirst was given a Hampden tour yesterday and now hopes to sample a packed national stadium on Sunday night for the second leg.
He told the Scotland YouTube channel: “I can’t wait. I’ve been to Hampden to have a look at the pitch and I have heard all about the Scottish fans.
“I just can’t wait to play in front of them. They are the loudest fans you can get.”
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