Ipswich Town striker George Hirst spoke to the press after his side’s 2-2 draw against Everton. Alex Jones reports.
George Hirst has had limited minutes in the Premier League this season. His goals against Brentford and Nottingham Forest both ended up as consolations. He wanted to make something count.
He took his chance at Goodison Park, where his side trailed 2-0 before Julio Enciso’s screamer got them back in the game. The match threatened to fizzle out, but with 79 minutes on the clock, he was able to head Omari Hutchinson’s cross into the net to take a hard-earned point.
“If you look at the game as a whole, I think we definitely deserved something out of that game,” he said after the game.
“A great goal from Julio to get us back in it, and it was nice to get the goal that meant we got a point.
“I’m never going to complain about that. It’s nice that it meant something as well, that it got us back in the game at 2-2, then we held on to take the point. Hopefully I can nick a couple more before the end of the season.”
To do it on such a big occasion will mean a lot. There’s every chance that he could be the last player to score at Goodison Park, or at least the last opposition player.
Although he was named on the bench to start, he still got to witness an incredible reception from the home fans at the start of the match – one that will go down in Everton folklore.
“It’s one of the most historic grounds in English football, in my opinion,” Hirst admitted. “It’s the first time I’ve been here and obviously it will be the last. It was nice to get the goal and the point as well.
“It’s a great place to come and play. As a team, we cherish these moments. You get the taste for it, you get the goals we scored today and you get the point. It makes you want to come back for more.
“That will be next season’s aim, it will be something we speak about next season. For now, we’ll go and enjoy the last few games and get as many points as we can.”
For Hirst, it wasn’t just his goal. He worked hard, battled defenders, drew fouls and created chances. In his eyes, being a striker isn’t just sticking the ball in the net.
“That’s all part of the job title,” he chuckled. “It’s something that I’ve known for years now and I’m at a point where I’m pretty comfortable with that.
“I can bring whatever the team needs at any given moment. It’s nice to get the goal today and hopefully we can do well for the last couple of games.”
Ultimately, it’s unlikely that Hirst’s goal will take the limelight. Enciso’s strike – a stunner from around 30 yards out – got Ipswich back into the game.
Town fans have been waiting for a long time to see a moment of magic from him, but they finally got it, stunning the crowd in Merseyside.
“We saw his videos when he signed and all that sort of stuff, so we’ve been waiting for one of those to go in,” Hirst explained.
“It was only a matter of time. He’s a special player and he’s got quality like that.”
The performance as a whole was impressive. Yes, Ipswich will be frustrated by the goals they conceded, but they easily could have folded from there.
For them to fight back, especially as a relegated side, deserves immense credit.
“That’s what we pride ourselves on, it’s part of our culture all the way throughout the club,” Hirst enthused. “The never-say-die attitude
“Things won’t always go your way, but it’s not what determines you. It’s how you react to that and how you bounce back from that.
“Today, I think we showed all the qualities of a really good side.”
That being said, how was it preparing for a game when their fate was sealed?
“It wasn’t really difficult,” Hirst argued. “We accepted it, it’s not gone our way this season for a number of reasons.
“We’ve still got games left and we’ve still got a point to prove. We want to go out there and get as many points as possible.
“It’s obviously not nice, getting relegated, but at the end of the day, all the boys came into training and all the focus was on Everton and giving the best account of ourselves.”
