George Hirst on Scotland World Cup call-up: 'I couldn't quite contain my excitement'

George Hirst says his place in Scotland’s World Cup squad did not feel real until he joined his international team-mates for training on Tuesday, describing the call-up as a dream he feared might not materialise.

The 27-year-old Ipswich striker was included in Steve Clarke’s 26-man squad last week, learning of his selection 45 minutes before the public announcement — a moment that caught him mid-round on a golf course in Portugal.

“I was ecstatic,” Hirst said. “I found out 45 minutes before the rest of the world did. I was actually golfing in Portugal with a couple of mates at the time and had a putt for birdie and ended up making double bogey. I couldn’t quite contain my excitement, even on the golf course.”

Hirst, who has scored once in eight internationals since making his debut last year, acknowledged his inclusion was far from guaranteed. Clarke had held frank conversations with the striker during the March camp, placing the onus on him to prove his worth at club level before the final squad was named.

“There was definitely a world where I was in the squad, there was a world where I wasn’t,” he said. “I wasn’t naive to that fact. For the end of the season, it was just for me to do as much as possible at Ipswich and show why I deserve to be on the plane to America. For me, it was just a massive relief and a really proud moment when that email finally came through.”

Competition for forward places was intense. Established strikers Che Adams and Lyndon Dykes were considered certainties, while Lawrence Shankland strengthened his case with 20 goals for Hearts and a goal in the decisive qualifier against Denmark. Middlesbrough’s Tommy Conway earned a recall in March but missed out through injury; Hull’s Oli McBurnie did not make the cut; and Southampton’s Ross Stewart edged ahead of midfielder Lennon Miller for a place on the plane.

Hirst was candid about the psychological toll of watching rivals find the net while his own tally remained modest. “There were obviously games where I didn’t score and then you look and someone else did and you’re like… I won’t say it,” he said.

The striker insisted, however, that his value extends beyond goals. “I try and do the best job possible, whether that’s scoring, whether that’s getting an assist, whether that’s just running as much as possible, depending on what the game needs. I’m not the striker that’s bogged down by if I don’t score, I’ve had a bad game.”

With the squad now assembled and preparations under way, Hirst said the reality of a first World Cup has finally begun to sink in. “As soon as I got here, it was like, okay, now this is real and it’s go time. I just can’t contain my smile.”