Ipswich Town: George Hirst on sub role, Liam Delap and Scotland call

Having played a key role in back-to-back promotions, George Hirst has found Premier League game time hard to come by.

Another injury set-back, which sidelined him from mid-November to mid-January, hasn't helped. The main issue, however, has been the form of 12-goal powerhouse Liam Delap.

Only Jack Taylor (25) has been used as a sub more times than Hirst (20) in the Town squad this season. So how does the 26-year-old - who has still managed four goals from 470 minutes of action - feel about that?

"Liam's been doing incredibly well and I'm old enough to understand that now," said the recently-capped Scotland international.

George Hirst scored his fourth goal of the season in Ipswich's 4-2 home defeat to Nottingham Forest last month. (Image: Steve Waller)

"Obviously I would still like to be playing more. I think if anyone was sat up here they'd be saying the same thing. If they didn't, they'd be lying. 

"I would say it's never acceptance, because if you just sit there and accept it then you've got no chance of ever getting in the team. 

"Liam's form has meant I've had to raise my level to keep pushing him and give myself the best chance of giving the gaffer a decision to make. I'm going to keep doing that right to the very end.

"No-one likes not playing and I feel like I can help the team in more ways than one.

"It's about me going out there every day in training, working hard and doing everything I can to get on the pitch as much as possible."

George Hirst believes he's become a more mature substitute player. (Image: Ross Halls)

In the recent 2-1 win at Bournemouth, Hirst came on and helped the team see out the victory with some smart channel running, hold-up play and hard pressing.

Asked if he felt he had got better at being a sub, he laughed: "I hope not! I'd rather get better at being a starter!

"It's just a maturity thing. Being a striker it would be very easy to think, 'Right, I've got 10/15 minutes, I need to score a goal', but sometimes it's not like that. The Bournemouth game is a great example. My first thought when I run on that pitch is not 'I need to score a goal', it's 'we're under a little bit of pressure, so when the ball comes up to me I need to hold it up, I have to buy a foul, I have to be clean with everything I do and help get us up the pitch'. 

"As I say, I don't want to improve on being a sub too much! But I'd definitely say it's something I've matured with. As you get a little bit older you realise it's team first and giving whatever the game needs at that moment."

The form of 12-goal Liam Delap has kept George Hirst out the Town team. (Image: PA)

On whether he's been able to take bits from Delap's game, Hirst replied: "Little bits, I'd say. We're probably slightly different players in the strengths that we have.

"I'd be naïve to not look at some of the things he's doing and try and incorporate that into my game. Ultimately though I'm still focusing very much on what I'm good at.

"I know what I bring to the team and it's about polishing those details rather than trying to do things that maybe aren't me. Like I say, I know what I'm good at, I know what's brought to the position I'm in."

Hirst scored a superb headed consolation goal in the 4-2 home loss to Nottingham Forest last month. He subsequently made his debut for Scotland, the former England youth teamer having opted to represent his grandfather's nation.

George Hirst made his Scotland debut, against Greece, in the recent international break. (Image: PA)

Asked what the experience had been like, he grinned: "Wicked! As a young kid you aspire to get to that level, international football is the pinnacle, so it was an opportunity I was never going to pass up on.

"All the boys were absolutely incredible with me and I really enjoyed being around them. I'll forever be grateful to Steve Clarke for the call-up. Hopefully it's not the last time and I can keep on getting selected."

Put to him that his confidence must be high, he replied: "Without a doubt. That's not something I struggle with, to be honest. It's something I've been pretty good with over the last couple of years. It's something that I worked pretty hard on.

"You're not going to play every game, for whatever reason, but it's about not beating yourself up. It's a game of opinions. I still know what I can give to the team and I know the boss knows that.

"It's tough for him to make decisions. He's got a squad of 25/26 lads and he can only pick 11 on match day. I understand that.

George Hirst celebrates after scoring against Coventry in the FA Cup. (Image: PA)

"I just see it as a challenge. If I'm not in the team it's no good pointing fingers and saying it's because of this, that or whatever. I need to train better. If we're chasing a game, I need to have more impact when I do come on the pitch. If we're trying to stay in the game I need to secure the ball better. The first person I look at is always myself.

"If I keep moving forward with that attitude then I put myself in a position where I'm not going to get too disheartened by things and I'm just going to keep improving."

One person who has provided Hirst with wise counsel has been his father David, the former England striker (three caps) having been a top-flight star for Sheffield Wednesday and Southampton in the 80s and 90s.

“He's never put pressure on me," said Hirst. "He always said to me, 'Whatever you want to do just make sure you’re trying to be the best at it'. I remember having a conversation with him when I was really young and he said, 'If you want to be a ballerina, just try and be the best ballerina'. That was kind of his mindset on it.

“When I was a little bit younger there were times where I thought, 'What is he on about, I’ve just scored a hat-trick and he’s on about the one I missed'. As I got a bit older and he’s watching football from a different standpoint, seeing Harry Kane miss a chance that I just missed on a Saturday, he realised he was just watching me a certain way because I was his son.

“He’s always been top drawer with me and trying to help me out. He’ll ring me after games and if he says I did alright then I know I had a pretty good game, because if I didn’t do alright then, trust me, I’d know about it!

“That’s how I like it. I don’t want someone who’ll tell me it was great when it wasn’t. I don’t think that helps anybody because you just get used to doing the wrong things and getting into bad habits.

“To have someone who has been there and done it to call upon is a massive help.”