Ipswich Town striker George Hirst was delighted to help his side reach the fifth round of the FA Cup, scoring the opener in their 4-1 win away at Coventry City.

Frank Lampard’s men were quick to respond with an equaliser, but a brace from Jack Clarke and a goal from Jaden Philogene saw the Blues secure a comfortable victory at the CBS Arena, progressing past the fourth round of the competition for the first time in 18 years.

“It’s a tough place to come,” Hirst said. “They have been on a good run of form and we knew coming into the game that we needed to start well.

“That’s exactly what we did, so it was a case of coming out here, putting in a good performance and ultimately getting through to the next round.”

Asked whether he was always going to take the early spot kick, which was awarded after 20 seconds, the 25-year-old chuckled: “My name is up on a sheet in the changing room, so there was nobody else taking that one other than me!

“It was big. Obviously you want to score as soon as possible in every single game. To then concede five minutes later wasn’t ideal, but I thought we showed great character and a great response to that.

The 25-year-old opened the scoring from the spot (Image: Ross Halls)

“Ultimately, we deserved to be 3-1 up at half time.”

Injuries haven’t helped Hirst this season, but regardless, his game time has been limited due to the form of Liam Delap, who’s probably been Town’s top performer in the Premier League this season.

However, this was a game for him and many of his team-mates to prove that they deserve to play more regularly, which was what Kieran McKenna stressed before the match.

“That was the message from the gaffer before the game,” he explained. “That everyone who played today – lads who haven’t had as many minutes as they would have liked, like myself, for one reason or another – it was a chance to showcase why we should be playing in the Premier League on a Saturday.

“All the boys were a credit to themselves and we got the job done – we’re through to the next round.”

It was a particularly special day for Clarke, who’s had a tough start to life at Portman Road. However, his man-of-the-match performance saw his confidence shoot through the roof, and he enjoyed celebrating with supporters after the match.

“I was delighted for him,” Hirst enthused. “He works as hard as anybody and we all know his qualities. Everyone at Ipswich saw his qualities last season and people around the country know his qualities.

Town booked their place in the fifth round of the FA Cup for the first time in 18 years (Image: Ross Halls)

“It’s just taken him a little bit of time, and that happens. Today, he was excellent, both in possession and out of possession.

“Every little bit of it, he was incredible. To come in with two goals and an assist is incredible for him.”

Philogene was also able to get his first goal in Ipswich colours, wrapping up the game late on. The former Aston Villa man has struggled to impose himself in his early days in Suffolk, but looked livelier in the win against Coventry.

“He’s very good,” Hirst said. “On the ball, he’s very tricky, he’s got skill and pace to get away from somebody.

“I’ve been on at him about the pressing side of it, that kind of stuff, but he showed today that he can do that. When you do that, you get your goal as your reward.

“He’ll want to be doing more of that going forward, playing more minutes and showing that he can do what the gaffer wants, which is scoring goals.”

On the flip side, it was a disappointing afternoon for Sammie Szmodics, who returned from injury to be forced off in the 35th minute after injuring his ankle once again. Hirst was able to sympathise with his team-mate, but believes that he’ll be able to come back stronger.

“It’s very frustrating,” he admitted. “I’ve been there myself, it’s a horrible feeling. Touch wood, it’s not the worst injury in the world and he’ll be back out in no time.

Sammie Szmodics pulled up with an ankle injury in the first half of the game (Image: Ross Halls)

“He’s a big boy, he’ll get on with it. He’s great to have around the place and he’ll be doing everything possible to get back out there as soon as possible.”

Attention turns back to the Premier League now, but Hirst will have one eye on the FA Cup. Just how far can Ipswich go? After all, they are only two wins away from a trip to Wembley.

“It’s one game at a time, the old cliché,” he chuckled. “We don’t know who we’re going to get in the next round just yet, but why not?

“It’s a chance for the boys who haven’t been playing as much to go out and showcase their abilities. If that’s in the cup or the Premier League, we just want to win games.

“This is a little bit different. If we win a game, we’re into the next round, and we’re a couple of games from Wembley now.

“It’s not something we’re focusing on just yet because we know that there are plenty of games left before we get there, but it’s a thought for us to have in the back of our minds.”