This evening’s edition of Player’s Voice sees the turn of Max Hutchinson. Joining Harps in 2023 he has become a regular player in blue following his spells at Motherwell, Waterford and two-time NIFL Champions Larne.
I began by asking the 24-year-old what of his experience playing in that title winning squad:
My experience at Larne was one I would never forget. Being a league winner is a massive achievement for us players but it did come with a few sacrifices.
I had to be patient for minutes and was rarely involved which is why I decided to move on to the next chapter.
Harps have allowed me to grow as a player, which is ultimately what I needed. The league is tough and anyone can beat anyone so it makes for interesting games and experiences.
I really enjoy playing for Harps. My time here so far has been amazing travelling the country and getting to know the county of Donegal.
Typically you would be a central midfielder but have largely played a more defensive role for Finn Harps. How do you find playing centre-back compared to central-midfield? How do the positions differ from a player’s perspective?
I’ve always considered myself to play both Centre Mid & Centre back.
I really enjoy doing the dirty side of the game as it’s just as important as the pretty side of it (winning headers/tackles/getting the ball back to allow the attackers to express themselves)
I’ve always been able to play as a defender but because I feel comfortable on the ball I think that’s the reason I was a Midfielder. But I have no real preference ultimately. I’ve had to adapt and football is all about learning and improving which has been great.
Max’s father Don was also a professional footballer playing for clubs such as Liverpool, Everton and West Ham. He also received 26 Scotland caps during his career. I asked what advice he has given which has stuck with Max during his career so far.
Growing up with someone like my Dad I never realised how helpful it was because at the end of the day he’s my Dad first.
He has taught me a lot and mentored me to be the man I am today. The one piece of advice or phrase I used to always be told when I was younger was to “play with a smile & work hard”.
If you are not enjoying football then how can you possibly play to the best of your ability?
Having the confidence and showing good attitude can be hard sometimes cause we as players are so competitive and can get easily frustrated.
If you were to play this evening it will be your 50th Finn Harps appearance in all competitions. How does it feel to reach that milestone for the club?
It’s a huge achievement to be able to reach 50 appearances for the club.
I feel appreciated but like everyone I’ve had my setbacks and be patient, last year not being able to play with a bad injury so of course I would have loved to have hit it sooner.
But I’m glad I’ve got the chance this year and hopefully we can get three points to make it even more meaningful.
Moving away from sporting questions into learning more about the person, what is Max Hutchinson’s favourite food/cheat meal?
My favourite cheat meal has to be a Nando’s, chicken wrap / peri peri chips.
I just don’t think you can beat it, I’ve been having it since I was the age of 14 and I think that order will come to the grave with me. I love it that much.
But because the closest one is in Derry I find myself getting a DL Burger as it’s the best burger I’ve ever had.
And finally, who is the best player you have played with/against across your entire career so far?
I’ve played with players that have achieved so many things in the game of football and it’s a great experience to see/learn from them.
Best player I’ve probably played with would be Tony Watt when I was 18 at Motherwell training with the first team.
Best player I’ve played against was Karamoko Dembele or Jack Hendry when it was Motherwell u21s vs Celtic u21s in a game where we took them to penalties.