Ipswich Town: George Hirst on Coventry City win and Wes Burns' goal

The Blues struck twice in the first half to seal a 2-1 win against Coventry City, giving them 45 points from just 19 games.

“It’s something that we really try and focus on, our home form,” Hirst said after the match.

“It’s a big place for us to come and play. We love playing here in front of the fans, so to take six points from a Wednesday / Saturday feels really good.

“We know when we’re playing here that we’ve got that 12th man with the crowd and the energy we want to put into it. It’s about trying to find that little bit extra away from home as well so we can really dial that same form in wherever we’re playing.

“This is a special place to play. Playing in front of this crowd is pretty easy at the minute.”

Hirst was the man to open the scoring, taking his total for the season to five goals and five assists.

Hirst's strike took his total to five for the season (Image: Stephen Waller)

His strike against the Sky Blues was created by Nathan Broadhead, who spotted his run from deep before sliding a through ball to the striker, who was quick to shrug off Liam Kitching.

From there, he kept his composure and slotted the ball past Bradley Collins, putting his side ahead just six minutes into the game.

“As soon as Broady gets the turn, that’s my cue to get my shoulders down the pitch and get on my bike, which I did,” he explained. “Broady’s got the quality to find me nine times out of 10.

“Today, I got myself in that position and kept my composure to slide it past the goalkeeper. I was pretty happy with that one.

“I’m a big lad, so I need to use my body at times. It’s one of the things that the coaching staff have been on at me about, being more physical and using my body to my advantage a little bit more.

“I feel like I’m starting to get my head around that a little bit more.”

The 24-year-old knows that it wasn’t the main moment of the game, however, Wes Burns stole the show with his stunning strike shortly before half time.

Hirst chose Wes Burns' goal as his favourite of the season so far (Image: Steve Waller)

The winger picked up the ball down the right flank, cut inside and fired a stunning effort into the back of the net with the outside of his boot to make it 2-0.

“That was something special, for sure,” Hirst admitted. “It was pretty impressive.

“I’ve seen him try that quite a few times and that was definitely the best of the bunch. He saved it for the right time and the right occasion.

“The play to get it up to Wes was brilliant, then he’s got the quality to go either way, inside or outside.

“For him, it’s a brilliant goal. For us, it’s an even better goal to put us 2-0 up. I’m delighted for him.”

Town seem to have their own Goal of the Season competition every time they play at Portman Road. There’s numerous options to choose from already, and we’re only at the start of December.

Hirst thinks Burns’ goal will be right up there come the end of the season, and with 19 games on the board, he went as far as choosing it as his favourite.

Four of Town's 30 league goals at Portman Road so far this season have been scored by Hirst (Image: Ross Halls)

“There’s going to be a few that miss out – a few really good goals,” he said.

“We’ve scored some crackers this season, so it’s just about us continuing to score goals, whether that be a team goal or a moment of brilliance like Wes produced today. As long as that ball goes in the back of the net, we’re all happy.

“When you score goals like that or see them go in, it’s a nice feeling.

“I think my favourite could be that one, to be honest, I think it really could be. That was pretty special. The technique needed to pull that off, a lot of people don’t realise how hard that shot is, especially from that distance. The shape of it and everything.

“I’ll give that one to Wes.”

In the end, the win is the most important thing, although the match itself was played in horrendous conditions, with temperatures dropping as low as -2°C in the second half.

For Hirst, however, being born and raised in Sheffield by a former professional football has taught him that there’s nothing to be afraid of, meaning that he now relishes the chance to play in colder conditions.

Town fans packed Portman Road despite the sub-zero temperatures (Image: PA Images)

“You get these days in the middle of summer where I’m from!” he laughed.

“Short sleeves, no Under Armour, no gloves, none of that rubbish. Just go out there, and if you’re cold, run a bit harder.

“That’s how I see it and that’s how I’ll always see it.

“I quite enjoy the cold, to be honest. I quite enjoy the rain every now and again. It keeps you fresh and stops you from getting too hot when you’re running around. I don’t mind this.”

The conditions were less favourable for supporters, although more than 29,000 of them braved the cold to back their team at Portman Road.

That’s no surprise, really. After all, IP1 is the place to be, with goals flying in left right and centre. Hirst wants it to be a place where fans know they’ll be entertained, which has certainly been the case so far this season.

“That’s the environment we want to try and create. It’s a cold day, so the least we can do is go out there and put on a show for the people who came to the game.

“We want to make this an exciting place to come and play. We want to make this a place where people want to come and watch, whether you’re from Ipswich or not, you hear about Ipswich and you want to come and watch them play.

“I think we’re doing that at the minute. We’re creating an environment which is exciting for us as players to play in and hopefully exciting for people to watch. For us, it’s just about keeping that going.”