Harry McKirdy has announced his retirement from professional football at the age of 29, bringing an end to a senior career that spanned a decade and took in clubs in England and Scotland.
The striker’s decision follows his release by League Two side Crawley Town at the end of last season, which was his first campaign with the club after joining in June 2025. In that season he scored eight goals in 33 appearances.
Announcing the news on his Instagram account, McKirdy said: “After 14 years in full-time football, it’s time to call it a day. I never thought I’d pack it in so early but sitting here where I am, happy in life, great people around me… how could I possibly have any regrets?”
McKirdy came through the youth ranks at Stoke City and Aston Villa, and made his senior debut at the start of a loan spell with Stevenage in 2016. Further loan moves followed at Crewe Alexandra and Newport County before Villa released him in 2019.
He then played for Carlisle United and Port Vale, and joined Swindon Town in August 2021. That move produced the most productive spell of his career: he was named in the EFL League Two team of the season and won Swindon’s player of the season award for the 2021-22 campaign after scoring 24 goals in 44 games in all competitions.
His form earned a move north of the border, with Scottish Premiership club Hibernian signing him for an undisclosed fee in September 2022. The spell did not go to plan — he failed to score in 33 games, mostly from the bench, and also underwent heart surgery during his time in Scotland.
McKirdy returned to Swindon Town on loan in February 2024 and later had a short spell with Bromley, before his move to Crawley. Across ten years as a senior player he scored 56 goals in 225 games.