Sheffield Wednesday: Chris Kirkland on his long-awaited Hillsborough goodbye, his message to Owls fans and his daughter's Wednesday enquiry

It was the section of his daily commute that he says most troubled the former Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper when his mental health issues were at their worst.

But on Tuesday, with the worst of his anxiety largely in the rearview mirror and his wife Leeona and teenage daughter Lucy listening to the radio in the car with him, he barely gave it a second thought. On Tuesday the now 40-year-old came home.

Asked to pull the raffle at half-time in front of an adoring Wednesday crowd, it proved to be the perfect opportunity for him to wave a goodbye he had never had in the seven years since he left S6 for the last time in 2015.

He volunteered to take the microphone and received a standing ovation for heartfelt words thanking Wednesdayites for their support during what was a hugely difficult time. Happily of course, Wednesday won.

“It was amazing to be back,” Kirkland said. “I was meant to be coming back a lot sooner than that but with Covid and a few other things it ended up taking me seven years.

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“Me and my family were saying we couldn’t believe it had been that long, it’s incredible.

“They used to love coming down to watch the games and they loved it just as much as me on Tuesday night. It was really special that way.

“Seeing all the staff and those guys was amazing. It’s a brilliant club, it really is, with such a homely feel about it.”

Kirkland was in his tracksuit ready to sign a contract to extend his time at S6 beyond the three successful years he’d spent there.

But though he loved the club, anxiety that was triggered by regular time spent away from his Lancashire home meant he couldn’t sign the deal and the one-cap England stopper left the club in 2015.

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Kirkland, who before joining the club had been lumbered with a tag of ‘injury proneness’ he felt was unfair, spoke to The Star to extend further thanks to both Owls supporters and the club for their understanding of a difficult situation.

He took time to seek out members of staff behind the scenes at Hillsborough to extend his families gratitude and spoke to fans in hospitality lounges.

“The fans were always great with me,” he said. “They were maybe a bit skeptical at first with my so-called injury record but I knew it wouldn’t be a problem.

“When I signed I had a clause in the contract saying that if I ever missed three games on the spin through injury, Wednesday could rip the deal up. Bearing in mind that could be Saturday, Tuesday and Saturday, it was a big thing at the time.

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“I got so many messages from Wednesday fans, they were great. And the people at the club were great as well. They fully understood, they made clear the door was always open and they said that I’d be welcome back and that they’d sign me again no problem if I got better.

“Honestly the club were amazing and the fans were superb,” he continued.

“Those fans saw me playing maybe not to where I’d been before, they didn’t know what was going on inside but they supported me.

“I’ve got nothing but praise for everything about Sheffield Wednesday, the fans and the club itself.”

Kirkland was Wednesday number one and a crowd favourite for the majority of his time at the club. But as his issues started to cloud his training regime and Keiren Westwood was brought in, he took a step back he admits came as something of a relief at the time.

Seven years on, Kirkland firmly believes that if circumstances had been different, he could well still be featuring between the sticks at S6.

He said: “I loved it there. The first year was probably the best I’ve played, then the second year I started to struggle off the pitch. The third year I didn’t play much because Keiren was there, an outstanding keeper, and it was the right call.

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“I could have seen myself playing there the rest of my career easily. I still think I’d be there now. I’m fit and could still play now at 40, but it is what it is.

“Getting that chance to say a goodbye and a thank you to the fans, more than anything, was amazing for me and my family.”

In the time that has elapsed – manically quickly in Kirkland’s words – his daughter has gone from a little girl he carried round the pitch to a potential future professional footballer in her own right.

Lucy Kirkland spent time at Liverpool, where her father spent time coaching, but is spending a little bit of time away from the game to concentrate on her education.

“She was only six,” Kirkland remembered, laughing. “But she remembers going on the pitch and having a walk around with us at the end of the season. It was great and she loved being back.

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“She is a good goalkeeper and plays outfield as well, she loves her netball too but has her exams at the minute and is focusing on that. If she wants to give it a go at football then she could I think, I’m not just saying that because I’m her dad, she is extremely good.

“There are a lot of teams after her at the minute but exams are first just now.”

So, what are the chances of seeing a new Kirkland on the back of a Wednesday shirt in the future?

“I hope so,” Kirkland said. “She said that the other day, asking if Wednesday had a ladies team.

“I was pleased she mentioned that. I think we’d all love to see that one day.”