Irvine, who has played 33 times for the Socceroos, idolised Kewell growing up.

Speaking at a Hull City fan day, the midfielder explained how important that interaction between fans and players can be.

"I was lucky enough to meet my hero when I was a kid," Irvine told the club website. "I met Harry Kewell when I was about 11 – when he was at the peak of his powers.

"That simple two-minute interaction of getting to speak to him and seeing my hero up close was very special. Those memories stick with you and we all saw that as a group yesterday.

"It’s great that something so simple can make such a massive difference and it was nice to be part of it all and meet everybody."

Hull City secured back-to-back wins in the Championship last weekend with a 2-0 victory over Derby County.

The Tigers face Fulham this weekend.

Irvine said there is a real camaraderie at the club under manager Grant McCann.

"The season so far has been very enjoyable for us," the 26-year-old said.

"We’re really enjoying the way we’ve been playing and training on a daily basis. We’ve got a fantastic dressing room here with some really good characters and it’s a fantastic group to be part of.

"On the pitch, we’ve been competitive in just about every game but, when we get to our free-flowing best, we look like a really exciting unit. Saturday’s victory over Derby County was probably the epitome of that and the aim now is to carry that on in the next few weeks.

"Yes, our next two games are going to be very difficult but, when we perform well tactically and combine that with good individual and team performances, we’re more than capable of beating any team in this league."