I was relegated twice and left Hearts on a free for the German third division - now I'm a West Ham cult hero
From Berwick Rangers' Shielfield Park to Stamford Bridge via the German third tier and Austrian Bundesliga. Andy Irving has been on quite a journey to his Premier League debut.
The Scottish midfielder, 24, made his first start in the English top flight for West Ham in their 2-1 defeat against Chelsea on February 3 - playing 77 minutes during which he was constantly serenaded by Hammers fans, who have made him a cult favourite already. Good going for the former Hearts man who few realised had signed for the club in the summer of 2023, and who had been playing third division football in Germany for minnows Turkgucu Munchen just two years ago.
Reflecting on his debut to West Ham's YouTube channel after the game, he revealed that his partner believed he would make it in one of Europe's top leagues, heaping the pressure on him. He joked: "Shout out to my girlfriend who was in the away stand, hopefully singing along with the songs about me. At the end of May there was a job available at a school in Tower Hamlets and she opted to go for an interview, which I was all for. She had massive belief that I'd be staying for the season, so the pressure was on for pre-season for me.
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"Since the manager (Graham Potter) has come in it's been brilliant. Every time he or his staff have spoken to me it's been really positive, and I think that it's been like that with every player. Every day in training has been brilliant and really enjoyable. I've been training well and working really hard, I feel like that hard work is paying off at the moment. I'm delighted for that, it's been amazing. It takes time to adapt, but I've had enough time now to get a grip of it. I think I handled it well. The intensity is mad."
Irving started his career a Hearts, earning the nickname the Portobello Pirlo, but it was at League Two Berwick Rangers where he made his senior debut - in a 1-0 defeat to Morton back in 2017. After starring in fourth tier he earned a recall to Hearts - making his Premiership bow in a 3-0 victory against Hamilton Accies in January 2018. The following season however he found himself back out on loan again, shipped to second tier Falkirk and unable to prevent the Bairns suffering relegation to League One.
His Jambos return also ended in relegation in the shortened Covid-19 season of 2019/20, before he played 27 times to help the Gorgie club back to the top flight 12 months later. Then, with little fanfare, he departed on a free transfer for Turkgucu Munchen in Germany's 3.Liga. Irving's form, and the German side's failing finacnes, led to a switch to the Austrian Bundesliga a year later with Austria Klagenfurt, and six goals in 36 appearances caught the eye of David Moyes at West Ham.
Irving was announced as a Hammers player on deadline day in 2023, again with next to no fanfare, and was immediately loaned back to Austria for the remainder of the season. Few West Ham fans had even heard of him until he announced himself on the scene with a scorching strike against Dagenham and Redbridge in a pre-season friendly. His Premier League debut came a few months later in a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea, but Irving would have to wait until February of 2025 for his first start - also against Chelsea.
However it was worth the wait, as his showing was hailed by Hammers on social media - despite a 2-1 defeat. One supporter posted: "Andy Irving, what a wonderful lad to have in the squad. Hold your head high son, hard work pays off." Another said: "Love the Irn-Bru Iniesta - so happy for him to have made his first Premier League start. Won't be long before he has his first Premier League goal".
Even West Ham talisman Jarrod Bowen was impressed, saying: "Andy's worked incredibly hard and has been incredibly patient. I get on really well with him, I've always told him that I know his time will come because I've seen it in training. He looked comfortable and he looked at home out there."
