Ipswich Town vs Wolves: George Hirst says Blues will be putting their focus on what they do going into crucial clash in bid for Premier League survival

George Hirst says Ipswich Town have prepared the same as any other game ahead of the Blues’ crucial meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers at Portman Road this afternoon (3pm).

Wolves travel to Suffolk as the only side Town could realistically catch in their bid to secure Premier League survival, although the size of the task is clear with the gap sitting at nine points plus a significant goal difference with just eight matches remaining.

While the prospect is still unlikely, the Blues can be buoyed by their midweek victory over Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium and know that a second straight victory for the first time this season would see the deficit cut to six points.

The Old Gold have pulled away in recent weeks, though, with Vítor Pereira’s side behind only Liverpool and Arsenal earning more top flight points since the beginning of February.

Jorgen Strand Larsen’s goal earned Wolves a 1-0 victory over West Ham United on Tuesday at Molineux, with the Norwegian set to continue without strike partner Matheus Cunha through suspension.

“It doesn’t at all,” Hirst said when asked if Wolves’ position plays a factor in preparation. “If Wolves were top of the league we would be planning and looking at exactly the same things and building a plan to go and beat them. Whether they’re top, bottom, 12th, it doesn’t matter to us.

“That’s something that will get looked at outside us, fans and media will look at that as something everyone else will focus on. For us, it doesn’t play a part at all.

“Just because they’re the team we’re chasing at the minute, it doesn’t mean that we’re going to try and prepare any different and put any more pressure on ourselves. We know the position that we’re in and we know what we want to try and achieve.

“It’s just about staying level-headed and sticking to the plan and the journey. If we do that then we should be coming out on the right side of it.”

Looking ahead to the game itself, Hirst continued: “Without giving too much away it’s about focusing on what we want to do. We know they’re a good team, you look at everyone in this division and everyone’s a good team.

“You can’t get too bogged down with what they’re going to do. We know the details, we’ve looked at them as a team, what they’re good at and where we can hurt them.

“For us, it’s about going out there with a plan tomorrow that we need to go out and execute. If we do that like we did on Wednesday then there’s full belief we can get the result that we want.”

Town will aim to complete their first league double of the season and a first over Wolves for 33 years, having won the reverse fixture at Molineux in December.

The 2-1 victory that day proved to be the last for Gary O’Neil, who was sacked as Wolves boss the day after Jack Taylor netted his stoppage-time winner in dramatic fashion.

Having missed the clash with a knee injury, Hirst is eager to showcase his ability this time around and believes playing under the pressure of survival is a positive.

“I was injured for that game and seeing the celebrations after was massive,” the Scotland international said. “Tayls getting the winner, I was delighted for him.

“It’s obviously a pressure and a big game, there’s no denying that, but we’ve faced big games over the last two years. Last season every game was a big game as no-one expected us to get promoted.

“It’s a slightly different type of pressure but if you’re not playing under pressure then it means you’re not really playing for anything. That in itself can get a little bit boring at times, I’ve been there in teams where there’s not much to play for and you get to this point in the season and you’re stuck in mid-table.

“We’ve got a chance now to go and do something really special. I certainly believe that we will and I know we’ve got a changing room full of team-mates that all believe exactly the same thing.

“It’s going to be a good game and one everyone is looking forward to.”

Hirst will hope to lean on some inspiration from his father David, who was also a top flight striker having enjoyed a successful career at Sheffield Wednesday in the 1980s and 1990s.

With that family history comes the pressure to follow in Hirst senior’s footsteps, but the 26-year-old says his dad being his biggest critic is hugely beneficial.

“It was never a pressure thing,” he said. “He always said to me whatever you want to do just make sure you’re trying to be the best at it, that was 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 and seeing Harry Kane missing a chance that I just missed on a Saturday, he realised he was just watching me 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 and you just get used to doing the wrong things and getting into bad habits.

“To have someone who has been there and have someone’s experience that I can draw on is a massive help.”