Hibs close Deadline Day with final departure as attacker ends 'difficult' Easter Road stint six months early

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Back to full health and desperate for game time, Harry cut loose

Harry McKirdy has been allowed to leave Hibs with six months of his contract remaining, as the Easter Road club completed a quiet Deadline Day with a second departure just before 11 pm. The news of McKirdy’s departure came less than an hour after a similar “by mutual consent” announcement allowing midfielder Luke Amos to move on in search of game time

Former Aston Villa prospect McKirdy, who cost Hibs a reported £300,000 when they signed him from Swindon on the summer Deadline Day in 2022, has endured frustrations far beyond football during his time in Edinburgh – including overcoming a serious health condition.

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Hibs boss David Gray admitted that the 27-year-old, who made a total of 33 appearances for the club, had endured a “difficult” time in the capital. And the gaffer said the “termination” of his contract with half a season remaining suited everyone, with McKirdy now a free agent able to negotiate with a number of interested English clubs.

Gray said: “I wish Harry nothing but the best moving forward. His time at Hibs has been difficult, but he worked hard to get back to full fitness over the summer after missing the majority of last season.

“Due to the number of options we have in the forward areas, his game-time this season has been incredibly limited, which is why this termination works best for all parties involved.”

McKirdy leaves Easter Road without scoring a single goal for Hibs – a statistic made less surprising by factoring in the health concerns that undermined his attempts to establish himself as a starter. The well-travelled forward underwent serious heart surgery in the summer of 2023, followed by a long and slow period of physical rehabilitation before even being able to train with the first team.

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McKirdy spent the second half of last season on loan back at Swindon. But he played for Hibs in pre-season and appeared to be in contention for at least some game time in the campaign ahead.

Speaking after scoring a wonder goal in a pre-season win over Edinburgh City, McKirdy admitted that he understood why supporters might have lost patience with him, saying: “I get that. I’m a football fan and if someone does nothing in two years, you'll probably forget about them and lose patience and hope.

It has probably taken a year to get relatively fit but I’m getting there now - and I’ve got a lot to prove. It’s been tough. But you live the life you’ve been given at the time.

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“The first year was frustrating, I didn’t score goals - and then the second year was just about being fit and healthy. Walking becomes more important than not scoring a goal in a while.

“It’s been a difficult few years for Hibs. I look at myself and I’m frustrated, I’ve not really played.”

Hibs ended Deadline Day without making any new additions to the squad, with the only big news of the day involving Elie Youan NOT being sold to either Blackburn or Stoke. Gray has made just a single signing during the January window, bringing in former Barcelona prospect Alasana Manneh from Danish side Odense Boldklub.

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