adminIpswich Town: George Hirst on 2-0 win against Portsmouth
Ipswich Town striker George Hirst was happy to help his side earn a 2-1 win against Portsmouth, building momentum at the start of a crucial week.
Jaden Philogene’s curling effort opened the scoring, with Hirst notching his third of the campaign to put the Blues 2-0 up just before half time.
Marlon Pack’s stoppage-time header proved to be a consolation goal, with Town seeing out the result to take all three points at Portman Road.
“It was massive,” Hirst said after the match. We always enjoy playing at home and I think it’s a place that we want to make a fortress as much as we can.
“To go out there and get another win, our first 3pm kick-off at home [this season], it’s always nice to go out there and get the win.
“I think we came out of the blocks straight away. They probably had 10 minutes midway through the half where they gained a bit more traction, but I think we saw it out pretty well.
“Then I got the goal and we went 2-0 up at half time. It was massive. Then we came out in the second half, kept it solid and worked as hard as we had worked in the first half.”
Despite all the positives, Hirst wasn’t delighted by his performance against Pompey, although adding to his goal tally is certainly something he won’t complain about.
“The more the merrier,” he chuckled. “I’ll probably sit here and say I could have scored more, I should have scored more.
“It is what it is. Hopefully it will keep ticking along and I’ll keep getting the goals as and when they come.
“It wasn’t my best game today. I think there were a few bits that I was a little bit sloppy on, a few bits I’d like to clean up on.
“It’s just work on the training ground, and it’s nice to get the goal regardless of all that. If I can have a bad game and come off with a goal, then hopefully when I do play well, it’s a good sign.
“A few things to work on, but ultimately we got the win, so that’s all that matters.”
Hirst isn’t someone who shies away from the fact that he’s motivated to score against his previous clubs, having spoken about it in the past.
Portsmouth are no different in his eyes, although he has fond memories from his time at Fratton Park.
“It’s nice to score, no matter who it’s against,” he explained. “I absolutely loved my time at Portsmouth, there’s not a single bad memory for me at that club.
“Obviously, it’s nice to score against them. I can’t say it wasn’t. But a lot of good people work at that club, there are a lot of good people in that fanbase. It was a time of my life when I really enjoyed my football.
“Hopefully they can keep going this season.”
One noticeable aspect about Hirst is his new haircut. Gone is the bleach-blond hair and fringe that fans have grown accustomed to – he’s got a buzzcut now.
“I was sat around a couple of days ago. My partner, she’s away working at the minute, and I just thought that I wanted to shave it off, to be honest,” he revealed.
“I texted her to ask if she had any reasons why she didn’t want me to do it. She wasn’t convinced, I did it anyway. We’ll see what she thinks of it when she comes back tomorrow.
“It took a bit of getting used to. I woke up this morning after getting my hair cut yesterday and completely forgot that I got it done, to be honest. It was a bit of a shock when I looked in the mirror this morning.
“It’s only a haircut, isn’t it? It will grow back, or it won’t. It is what it is.”
Asked whether he’s happy with it, Hirst replied: “Yeah, definitely. I scored today so I can’t complain.
“If I keep scoring every time I shave it, I’ll keep shaving it off no matter what it looks like.
“I’m happy with it, I’m happy with the win. On to Tuesday.”
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