23-goal Swindon Town exploits must've left Port Vale puzzled | OneFootball

The current Hibs man enjoyed a superb spell with the Robins, much to the confusion of Valiants.

Port Vale's 2021/22 campaign is one that will be remembered by supporters for a very long time, with the Valiants winning promotion back to League One through the play-offs against Mansfield Town at Wembley Stadium.

The Staffordshire club had an excellent season under the guidance of Darrell Clarke, finishing fifth in the table before facing Swindon Town in the semi-finals, and then eventually the Stags - two tasks that they prevailed in.

While the final will always be in the hearts of those associated with the club, the two games that got them back to Wembley were shrouded in emotion and pressure, most notably for Robins ace Harry McKirdy, who was facing up to his former club.

The then 25-year-old had only made his way to Swindon in the summer after a difficult season with Port Vale, and while it was his old side that had the last laugh, they will still be puzzled over his performance throughout the campaign.

McKirdy's 2021/22 campaign was the complete opposite of his time at Port Vale

The winger joined the Valiants in the summer of 2021 on a free after leaving Carlisle United, and he impressed in pre-season.

However, he struggled to prove why he was brought to Port Vale, playing a limited number of games in the league, and failing to be the threat that he had shown during his trial.

McKirdy was handed a one-year contract on his arrival, and it was clear that he was going to be let go at the end of his deal. He joined Swindon, once again signing on for only a year, and he quickly got to work.

The current Hibernian man scored on his league debut for the Robins, finding the back of the net to make it 3-1 against Scunthorpe United on the opening day of the campaign. While it took another couple of months for the ex-Aston Villa trainee to score again, when he did start once again, he did not stop.

McKirdy was unstoppable, and was a huge reason behind Swindon's push up the league, scoring four goals in one game against Northampton Town in a 5-2 win.

Fitness issues towards the end of the season saw him miss a few games, but it did not stop his momentum, and four wins in Swindon's final four matches saw them reach the play-offs.

Port Vale got first-hand experience of McKirdy's talent

McKirdy ended the regular League Two campaign with 19 goals and eight assists in just 35 appearances, adding a goal in the EFL Trophy and one against Manchester City in the FA Cup to his tally.

He opened the scoring against Walsall on the final day of the season, as Swindon ran out 3-0 winners away from home to set up a clash with his former side, Port Vale, in the play-offs.

Valiant supporters were possibly miffed as to how he had turned around his career in the space of a year, but they had to quickly prepare for the talent.

However, it was McKirdy who packed a punch in the first leg at the County Ground, grabbing a brace to hand his team the advantage, but James Wilson did pull a goal back for Vale late on. It was a goal that proved vital for the second-leg's hosts, with the striker levelling the tie on aggregate after just eight minutes.

The game went to penalties, and Swindon's talented winger stepped up to take the third spot kick in a bid to make it 3-1 and put his side on the brink of Wembley. However, he fired over, much to the delight of the majority in Vale Park.

Nevertheless, despite his miss, McKirdy's season was superb, and without his goals the Robins would not have had the success that they did. For Port Vale supporters, there must still be confusion as to why it did not work out in black-and-white for the now 27-year-old.