Harry McKirdy on Port Vale fans – the hatred, it’s a bit strange
Hibs striker Harry McKirdy told the Lower League Look podcast that he found the barracking he received from Vale supporters “strange” and that “as much as I probably should, I don’t hate Port Vale.”
McKirdy was signed by former manager John Askey after a successful trial but struggled to break his way into the team during the 2020-21 season. He was transfer-listed and then deregistered when interim boss Danny Pugh took over from Askey. On 31 March, the club gained special dispensation from the EFL to re-register McKirdy back on the 22-man squad, in place of the injured Zak Mills. Nevertheless he was one of 15 players released from the club in May 2021. His record at the club was two goals in eleven appearances.
The striker went on to have a prolific spell with Swindon Town and the two clubs met in the League Two play-off semi-finals. He scored twice in the first-leg but the Valiants triumphed in the second leg on penalties, a result, at least in part, due to a McKirdy shootout miss.
I just don’t get why they all hate me. I get it now but before that they was making a big deal about me and I was just thinking ‘I don’t really get it’…
Speaking to the Lower League Look podcast, McKirdy said he is still bemused by the stick he gets from Vale fans. He told the show: “I get why they don’t like me now because maybe the first-leg (of the play-offs) they’d let me go and I’d scored and you could say I’d over-celebrated whatever… but before that I really didn’t understand the hate from Port Vale fans.
“I’d gone there on f***-all money, never really kicked up a fuss, got unregistered… like, I should hate Port Vale, I never got given a chance in a team that, like finished, it wasn’t a bad team, but we were like, nowhere near the play-offs…”
McKirdy continued: “I was given one chance, last game of the season, it was kind of like ‘play for a contract’ and I started as left wingback!
“I just don’t get why they all hate me. I get it now but before that they was making a big deal about me and I was just thinking ‘I don’t really get it’. We played them earlier in the season and I got battered in the warm-up. I was thinking, ‘I’m buzzing that you’re hammering me and I’m probably going to turn it on’ but I just don’t get it. Strange!
“As much as I probably should I don’t really hate Port Vale, I just don’t care about them. Carlisle the same. I didn’t have that many good memories at Port Vale. I knew quite a few of the boys and got on them had a few laughs I guess. We actually spend a bit of time as it was during lockdown and you couldn’t really do anything else. But the hatred, it is a bit strange.”
I just proper bottled it to be honest. I got up there, I froze, I forgot about my technique…
McKirdy also touched on his penalty miss in the play-off second-leg. “It was on the 19th May, ten years to the day that Chelsea won the Champions League final on penalties and I remember saying to the boys ‘This is it, it’s meant to be’. We started so well. I just went blank. It got to my penalty and I walked up. I’ve never really had a penalty technique and it was just that two steps up then ‘laces’ going for top-right. I remember thinking ‘concentrate, just laces, he won’t save it’. I just proper bottled it to be honest. I got up there, I froze. I forgot about my technique.
“I did laugh but I wasn’t laughing (because) I just couldn’t believe it. I was so embarrassed.”
Despite that play-off loss, McKirdy finished the season as Swindon’s top-scorer with 24 goals and secured a move to Scottish Premiership side Hibs in September.
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