Swindon’s chief wind-up star hoping cheeky persona dumps Man City out of FA Cup
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A fan may have tried to run him over, but Swindon Town striker Harry McKirdy is the one intent on mowing down Manchester City.
An opposition supporter in the disability section of Northampton Town’s away fans became so infuriated by the 24-year-old’s constant celebrations in front of him, he tried to burst through the advertising boarding and run the striker over in his electric wheelchair.
However that fan is not the first – and will certainly not be the last individual to try and pick a fight with the cheeky Town hitman.
The supporter joins an illustrious queue containing Newport County defender Kevin Ellison, who called the striker a “gob*****” on Instagram, after McKirdy called him ‘Voldemort’.
And he now has Pep Guardiola's side, or as the lifelong Chelsea fan likes to refer to them, the Champions League runners-up in his sights in the FA Cup third round on Friday night.
McKirdy was in the stands of the Estadio do Dragao when Thomas Tuchel’s side overcame the Citizens in the Champions League final last year, and the 24-year-old will surely remind City stars of their pain on the pitch.
While Guardiola will not be at the County Ground in person after testing positive for Coronavirus, there is little doubt the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager has already briefed his defenders ahead of their third-round tie in the FA Cup.
McKirdy’s spectacular ability of getting under the skin of defenders and throwing their focus, before dashing past on his way to goal has been one of the driving forces of Swindon Town’s push for promotion.
HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Swindon Town shock Manchester City in the FA Cup? Comment below
The Wiltshire based side are currently still pushing for a place in the automatic play-off spots in League Two, having finished bottom of League One last season during a tumultuous period for the club.
While new owner Clem Morfuni has injected much needed positivity and optimism into the side, McKirdy has been the one putting smiles on Town faces and sending steam out of opposition players and fans.
The cheeky Londoner’s capacity to crawl under the skin of opponents, supporters, and referees, has seen him accumulate ten goals, five assists and an almost impressive eight yellow cards this season.
He has already managed to surpass his goals tally from last season with a stunning showing of 10 strikes this term, which have included a sublime four-goal haul in Town’s recent 5-2 home victory against Northampton Town.
However he does have nine yellow cards and, considering the number of scuffles he finds himself embroiled in, he may have to keep firing at the same rate if he is to prevent his bookings from catching up with his goals.
McKirdy falls into the category of centre-forwards his teammates and fans adore, but his opposite counterparts absolutely loathe.
Newport County defender Ellison certainly represents the latter, after the Town hitman called him Lord Voldemort on Instagram.
McKirdy posted a photo of the County central defender in hot pursuit of him during a match earlier in the season, alongside the caption “Harry Potter running away from Voldemort”.
“Who you trying to have off you little gobs****,” Ellison brusquely responded in direct fashion.
Town faced Newport again a matter of weeks later, but McKirdy’s suspension ruled him out of a perhaps painful reunion with the County defender.
McKirdy’s antics used to extend onto Twitter until he, perhaps mercifully, appeared to delete his own Twitter account.
While his days winding up opposing teams and supporters on Twitter are long gone, McKirdy is just getting started on the pitch.
The likes of John Stones, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake or Ruben Dias could be his next victims when they step into the County Ground.
“Do not react” will likely be the advice of Guardiola and his assistants, but McKirdy is a proven master of the mind-games.
And considering his recent marksmanship, he may only need one chance to seal a stunning victory for the Town.
What are Swindon Town’s odds of a great FA Cup shock?
Swindon Town’s odds of overcoming Manchester City have tumbled, with Pep Guardiola struggling to call on a number of first-team stars.
The Town were initially booked by Betfair at 37/1 to overcome the Premier League leaders, but the odds have drastically fallen to 16/1.
Guardiola, and a number of first-team stars, have tested positive for Coronavirus ahead of the clash at the County Ground.
- FA Cup
- Manchester City FC
- Pep Guardiola
- Champions League
- Premier League
- Lionel Messi
- Piers Morgan
- Tom Brady
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