I left Scotland for German third tier and now I’m starring in Premier League

WEST HAM’S thumping 3-0 defeat to Chelsea at the weekend isn’t one that will live long in the memories of Hammers players and fans alike.

But for one Irons star, it’s a day that will go down as one of the best of his career.

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A Nicolas Jackson double and a strike from Cole Palmer earned a comfortable win for Enzo Maresca’s men in Saturday’s London derby clash.

The result consigned West Ham to a third Premier League defeat of the season just five games in – they’ve won just once.

But while it proved a nightmare day for most in claret and blue, it was a dream come true for one Hammers star.

That man is Andy Irving, who came on as a substitute in the second-half.

At the age of 24, the former Scotland youth international replaced Lucas Paqueta in the 72nd minute to make his Premier League debut.

His appearance at the London Stadium capped-off perhaps one of the most unlikely roads to Premier League stardom in recent times.

Edinburgh-born Irving came through the youth ranks at Hearts and earned a first team debut aged just 17 in 2018.

After loan spells at Berwick Rangers and Falkirk, Irving began to establish himself during the 2019/20 season, making 17 appearances as Hearts were relegated to the Championship.

He became a regular the following season as the Jambos bounced back to the top tier at the first attempt but Irving didn’t stick around for the journey.

Instead, in June 2021 he made a shock move to the THIRD TIER in Germany.

Irving joined 3. Liga outfit Turkgucu Munich who went on to endure a dire campaign.

The club suffered from serious financial difficulties and ended up RESIGNING from the league.

After just one season in Munich, Irving moved to Austria Klagenfurt, a top division club in Austria.

After five goals in 31 appearances, he was on the move again after just one season.

If his previous two moves had been a surprise, then this one was certainly a shock.

English Premier League giants West Ham came calling and signed Irving on transfer deadline day in the summer of 2023.

It’s fair to say it was a deal that no-one saw coming, although it followed the Hammers’ appointment of Tim Steidten as technical director, a mean with a wealth of knowledge about Austrian football.

Andy Irving’s career

• Andy Irving began his youth career with Hearts and made his professional debut for the club in 2017.
• He was loaned to Berwick Rangers in 2017 and then to Falkirk in 2018 to gain first-team experience.
• After returning from loan spells, Irving became a regular in the Hearts first team, featuring prominently in their midfield.
• Irving represented Scotland at various youth levels, including the under-17, under-19, and under-21 teams.
• In 2021, Irving signed with German club Türkgücü München, continuing his professional career abroad.
• The following year, he joined Austria Klagenfurt.
• Irving made a shock move to West Ham last year before immediately returning to Klagenfurt on loan.
• He has now made his Premier League debut for West Ham.

On the day he joined West Ham, Irving was instantly loaned back to Klagenfurt where he went on to enjoy a stellar season scoring nine goals.

He finally joined up with the Hammers this summer and had impressed enough in Austria for new boss Julen Lopetegui to take a serious look at him.

Irving went on to impress in pre-season and instantly gained cult hero status with the West Ham fans after an excellent showing against Ferencvaros and then another against Fleetwood Town.

He also impressed Lopetegui enough to earn a place in the match day squad for the opening Premier League game of the season against Aston Villa.

And after biding his time as an unused substitute, his big moment finally came on Saturday.

Irving replaced Paqueta and got to enjoy his first taste of Premier League football.

Speaking after his big debut, Irving admitted a sense of mixed emotions with the conflicting feeling of a heavy defeat with personal achievement.

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And he revealed he’d achieved his ambition of making it in the Premier League.

Irving said: “It feels amazing to have made my debut.

“Since I signed for the club the biggest thing for me was playing in the Premier League for West Ham, so I’m really happy that I’ve been able to do that and that my hard work has paid off.

“I had a good pre-season, and my aim was to be in and around it when we got to the end of the transfer window. I had the choice to maybe go somewhere else, but my conversations with Julen Lopetegui and the other coaches were really positive.

“I’ve put in a lot of work, and I wanted to stay and show what I can do. It was good to get on against Chelsea; it’s just a shame about the result on the day because it was disappointing for everyone.”

Irving might have an eye on a first West Ham start tomorrow night.

They’re in Carabao Cup action at Anfield against Liverpool.

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